שׂוּם

𐤔𐤅𐤌

sûwm

H7760 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To set, place, or put something in a location or position, either concretely (objects, persons) or abstractly (thoughts, intentions, honor, blame, laws, boundaries). The verb is highly versatile, expressing a range from literal physical placement to figurative acts of appointing, assigning value, ascribing action or reputation, planning, imposing, or designating. Its usage can span from setting a physical object in place, through the allocation of responsibility or decision, to the attribution of qualities, states, or purposes.

Semantic Range

to place, to set, to put, to appoint, to ascribe (a name or quality), to impose, to establish, to assign, to determine, to lay (down), to impose (a law, punishment, etc.), to take (an attitude or stance), to set aside, to impose (a condition), to ascribe, to consider, to regard, to bestow, to charge, to designate

Root / Etymology

From the root שׂוּם (שׂ-ו-ם), a primary or primitive verb meaning 'to place, set, put.' The root expresses the idea of positioning or assigning, but the lexical verb's applications broaden to the transfer or allocation of qualities, identities, responsibilities, and more. No clear cognates with the same function exist elsewhere in Semitic languages, but related roots may have similar semantics of placing or establishing.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שׂוּם is one of the most broadly used and flexible verbs in Biblical Hebrew, appearing throughout narratives, legal texts, poetry, and prophetic literature. Its literal usage includes physical placing (e.g., Genesis 3:15, setting enmity), while figurative applications are widespread: imposing laws (Exodus 21:1), assigning names (Genesis 2:19), ascribing blame or honor (2 Samuel 19:19), determining fates or judgments (Isaiah 53:6), or placing thoughts or feelings in someone's heart (Nehemiah 2:12). In later periods, particularly exilic and post-exilic literature, the verb sometimes takes on constructions reflecting Aramaic influence, including causative nuances. English translations often render שׂוּם with a wide variety of verbs (place, set, appoint, consider, impose, make, etc.) depending on context, but may not fully convey the full semantic breadth or the nuance between personal, legal, or official acts the original carries. שׂוּם sometimes overlaps in meaning with נתן (to give), especially in cases of assigning or bestowing, but נתן commonly has a stronger emphasis on the transfer of possession.

Translation Consistency

primary "set" 41 occurrences

"Set" is the most natural, versatile choice for שׂוּם. It covers literal placement and the wide range of figurative senses (establish, appoint, impose, ascribe, assign, lay down) and is also the most frequent rendering in the corpus. More specific senses like "appoint" or "ascribe" can be handled by context or compounds, while "set" preserves consistency and readability.

Alternatives (9 occurrences):
"placed" (3x) "make" (2x) "put" (2x) "placing" (1x) "set, all of you" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or שִׂים; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

שׂום (Yeshimael) — to place, set, put, establish

Root שׂום to place, set, put, assign
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3450 יְשִׁימָאֵל And Yeshimael
H7761 שׂוּם the one setting himself

Word Forms

108 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7760-67 וַ/יָּ֤שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and he set and he placed and he set 84
H7760-21 שָׂ֤ם sam HVqp3ms he put the one who places the one who sets 39
H7760-68 וַ/יָּשִׂ֨ימוּ֙ vayasimu HC/Vqw3mp and they put and they set and they set 35
H7760-44 שִׂ֥ים sim HVqv2ms set Place Set 27
H7760-87 וְ/שַׂמְתִּ֣י vesameti HC/Vqq1cs and-I-will-make and I will set and I will set 26
H7760-16 לָ/שׂ֤וּם lasum HR/Vqc to put to set, to place to set 25
H7760-01 אָשִֽׂים asim HVqi1cs I will make I will set I will set 21
H7760-103 יָשִׂ֔ים yasim HVqi3ms he sets he places he places 21
H7760-83 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֥ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall put and you shall set and you shall set 20
H7760-48 שִׂ֔ימוּ simu HVqv2mp put Place! Set, all of you! 15

Occurrences in Scripture

586 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7760-67 Genesis 2:8 וַ/יָּ֣שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and placed and he placed and he set
H7760-67 Genesis 4:15 וַ/יָּ֨שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and set and he placed and he set
H7760-53 Genesis 6:16 תָּשִׂ֑ים tasim HVqi2ms you shall set you will set you will set
H7760-68 Genesis 9:23 וַ/יָּשִׂ֨ימוּ֙ vayasimu HC/Vqw3mp and placed and they set and they set
H7760-87 Genesis 13:16 וְ/שַׂמְתִּ֥י vesameti HC/Vqq1cs and I will make and I will set and I will set
H7760-07 Genesis 21:13 אֲשִׂימֶ֑/נּוּ asimenu HVqi1cs/Sp3ms I will make I will set him I will make him
H7760-21 Genesis 21:14 שָׂ֧ם sam HVqrmsa putting the one who places placing
H7760-07 Genesis 21:18 אֲשִׂימֶֽ/נּוּ asimenu HVqi1cs/Sp3ms I will make him I will set him I will make him
H7760-67 Genesis 22:6 וַ/יָּ֨שֶׂם֙ vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and laid and he placed and he set
H7760-67 Genesis 22:9 וַ/יָּ֤שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms he laid and he placed and he set
H7760-44 Genesis 24:2 שִֽׂים sim HVqv2ms Put Place Set
H7760-67 Genesis 24:9 וַ/יָּ֤שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms placed and he placed and he set
H7760-75 Genesis 24:33 וַ/יּוּשַׂ֤ם vayusam HC/VHw3ms and was set and he was placed and it was placed
H7760-60 Genesis 24:47 וָ/אָשִׂ֤ם vaasim HC/Vqw1cs And I put and I set and I set
H7760-36 Genesis 27:37 שַׂמְתִּ֥י/ו sametiv HVqp1cs/Sp3ms I have made him I placed him I placed him
H7760-67 Genesis 28:11 וַ/יָּ֖שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and put and he placed and he set
H7760-21 Genesis 28:18 שָׂ֣ם sam HVqp3ms he had put the one who places he had put
H7760-67 Genesis 28:18 וַ/יָּ֥שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms set it up and he placed and he set
H7760-33 Genesis 28:22 שַׂ֨מְתִּי֙ sameti HVqp1cs I have set up I placed I set
H7760-67 Genesis 30:36 וַ/יָּ֗שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms And he set and he placed and he set
H7760-81 Genesis 30:41 וְ/שָׂ֨ם vesam HC/Vqp3ms placed and he set and he set
H7760-103 Genesis 30:42 יָשִׂ֑ים yasim HVqi3ms he put he places he put
H7760-67 Genesis 31:21 וַ/יָּ֥שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and set and he placed and he set
H7760-65 Genesis 31:34 וַ/תְּשִׂמֵ֛/ם vatesimem HC/Vqw3fs/Sp3mp and put them and she set them and she set them
H7760-44 Genesis 31:37 שִׂ֣ים sim HVqv2ms put Place Set
H7760-87 Genesis 32:13 וְ/שַׂמְתִּ֤י vesameti HC/Vqq1cs and I will make and I will set and I will set
H7760-54 Genesis 32:17 תָּשִׂ֔ימוּ tasimu HVqi2mp put you shall place you shall set
H7760-67 Genesis 33:2 וַ/יָּ֧שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms he put and he placed and he set
H7760-67 Genesis 37:34 וַ/יָּ֥שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms put and he placed and he set
H7760-40 Genesis 40:15 שָׂמ֥וּ samu HVqp3cp they have put they placed they set
H7760-67 Genesis 41:42 וַ/יָּ֛שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and put and he placed and he set
H7760-21 Genesis 43:22 שָׂ֥ם sam HVqp3ms put the one who places placed
H7760-48 Genesis 43:31 שִׂ֥ימוּ simu HVqv2mp Serve Place! Set, all of you!
H7760-68 Genesis 43:32 וַ/יָּשִׂ֥ימוּ vayasimu HC/Vqw3mp And they set and they set and they set
H7760-95 Genesis 44:1 וְ/שִׂ֥ים vesim HC/Vqv2ms and put and set and set
H7760-53 Genesis 44:2 תָּשִׂים֙ tasim HVqi2ms put you will set you will set
H7760-77 Genesis 44:21 וְ/אָשִׂ֥ימָה veasimah HC/Vqi1cs that I may set and I will set and I will set
H7760-16 Genesis 45:7 לָ/שׂ֥וּם lasum HR/Vqc to preserve to set, to place to set
H7760-73 Genesis 45:8 וַ/יְשִׂימֵ֨/נִֽי vayesimeni HC/Vqw3ms/Sp1cs He has made me and he set me and he set me
H7760-24 Genesis 45:9 שָׂמַ֧/נִי samani HVqp3ms/Sp1cs has made me he placed me he set me
H7760-03 Genesis 46:3 אֲשִֽׂימְ/ךָ֥ asimekha HVqi1cs/Sp2ms I will make you I will place you I will set you
H7760-84 Genesis 47:6 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֛/ם vesametam HC/Vqq2ms/Sp3mp and put them and you set them and you set them
H7760-67 Genesis 47:26 וַ/יָּ֣שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms And he set and he placed and he set
H7760-44 Genesis 47:29 שִֽׂים sim HVqv2ms put Place Set
H7760-44 Genesis 48:18 שִׂ֥ים sim HVqv2ms put Place Set
H7760-107 Genesis 48:20 יְשִֽׂמְ/ךָ֣ yesimekha HVqi3ms/Sp2ms may God make you he will set you may he set you
H7760-67 Genesis 48:20 וַ/יָּ֥שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and he set and he placed and he set
H7760-68 Exodus 1:11 וַ/יָּשִׂ֤ימוּ vayasimu HC/Vqw3mp So they set and they set and they set
H7760-63 Exodus 2:3 וַ/תָּ֤שֶׂם vatasem HC/Vqw3fs and placed and she set and she set
H7760-63 Exodus 2:3 וַ/תָּ֥שֶׂם vatasem-2 HC/Vqw3fs and placed [it] and she set and she set