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" 48 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 (2 occurrences):
"set, all of you" (1x) "placed" (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
H7760-27 Exodus 2:14 שָֽׂמְ/ךָ֞ samekha HVqp3ms/Sp2ms appointed you he placed you he set you
H7760-86 Exodus 3:22 וְ/שַׂמְתֶּ֗ם vesametem HC/Vqq2mp and you shall put them and you (masculine plural) will set/place and you (masculine plural) will set
H7760-21 Exodus 4:11 שָׂ֣ם sam HVqp3ms has made the one who places the one who sets
H7760-105 Exodus 4:11 יָשׂ֣וּם yasum HVqi3ms makes he will set he will set
H7760-83 Exodus 4:15 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֥ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and put and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-33 Exodus 4:21 שַׂ֣מְתִּי sameti HVqp1cs I have put I placed I set
H7760-54 Exodus 5:8 תָּשִׂ֣ימוּ tasimu HVqi2mp you shall lay you shall place you shall set
H7760-40 Exodus 5:14 שָׂ֣מוּ samu HVqp3cp had set they placed they set
H7760-21 Exodus 8:8 שָׂ֥ם sam HVqp3ms he had set the one who places he had set
H7760-87 Exodus 8:19 וְ/שַׂמְתִּ֣י vesameti HC/Vqq1cs And I will put and I will set and I will set
H7760-67 Exodus 9:5 וַ/יָּ֥שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms And set and he placed and he set
H7760-21 Exodus 9:21 שָׂ֛ם sam HVqp3ms set the one who places set
H7760-33 Exodus 10:2 שַׂ֣מְתִּי sameti HVqp1cs I have put I placed I set
H7760-67 Exodus 14:21 וַ/יָּ֥שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and made and he placed and he set
H7760-21 Exodus 15:25 שָׂ֥ם sam HVqp3ms he appointed the one who places he set
H7760-33 Exodus 15:26 שַׂ֤מְתִּי sameti HVqp1cs I have put I placed I set
H7760-01 Exodus 15:26 אָשִׂ֣ים asim HVqi1cs I will put I will set I will set
H7760-68 Exodus 17:12 וַ/יָּשִׂ֥ימוּ vayasimu HC/Vqw3mp and they put and they set and they set
H7760-95 Exodus 17:14 וְ/שִׂ֖ים vesim HC/Vqv2ms and put and set and set
H7760-83 Exodus 18:21 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֣ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall place and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-67 Exodus 19:7 וַ/יָּ֣שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and set and he placed and he set
H7760-53 Exodus 21:1 תָּשִׂ֖ים tasim HVqi2ms you shall set you will set you will set
H7760-87 Exodus 21:13 וְ/שַׂמְתִּ֤י vesameti HC/Vqq1cs and-I-will-appoint and I will set and I will set
H7760-57 Exodus 22:24 תְשִׂימ֥וּ/ן tesimun HVqi2mp/Sn you shall charge you (masc. pl.) will place you (masc. pl.) will set
H7760-67 Exodus 24:6 וַ/יָּ֖שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and put and he placed and he set
H7760-83 Exodus 26:35 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֤ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms And you shall set and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-83 Exodus 28:12 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֞ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall put and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-83 Exodus 28:26 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֣ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall put and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-83 Exodus 28:37 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֤ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall put and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-83 Exodus 29:6 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֥ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall put and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-83 Exodus 29:24 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֣ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall put and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-48 Exodus 32:27 שִׂ֥ימוּ simu HVqv2mp put Place! Set, all of you!
H7760-89 Exodus 33:22 וְ/שַׂמְתִּ֖י/ךָ vesametikha HC/Vqq1cs/Sp2ms and I will put you and I will place you and I will set you
H7760-67 Exodus 39:7 וַ/יָּ֣שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms And he put and he placed and he set
H7760-68 Exodus 39:19 וַ/יָּשִׂ֕ימוּ vayasimu HC/Vqw3mp and they put and they set and they set
H7760-83 Exodus 40:3 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֣ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms And you shall put and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-83 Exodus 40:5 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֛ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall put and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-83 Exodus 40:8 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֥ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms And you shall set and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-67 Exodus 40:18 וַ/יָּ֨שֶׂם֙ vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and set up and he placed and he set
H7760-67 Exodus 40:19 וַ/יָּ֜שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and he put and he placed and he set
H7760-67 Exodus 40:20 וַ/יָּ֥שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and set and he placed and he set
H7760-67 Exodus 40:21 וַ/יָּ֗שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and he set up and he placed and he set
H7760-67 Exodus 40:24 וַ/יָּ֤שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and he placed and he placed and he set
H7760-67 Exodus 40:26 וַ/יָּ֛שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms and he placed and he placed and he set
H7760-67 Exodus 40:28 וַ/יָּ֛שֶׂם vayasem HC/Vqw3ms And he put and he placed and he set
H7760-21 Exodus 40:29 שָׂ֕ם sam HVqp3ms he put the one who places he placed
H7760-67 Exodus 40:30 וַ/יָּ֨שֶׂם֙ vayasem HC/Vqw3ms And he set and he placed and he set
H7760-83 Leviticus 2:15 וְ/שַׂמְתָּ֥ vesameta HC/Vqq2ms and lay and you shall set and you shall set
H7760-103 Leviticus 5:11 יָשִׂ֨ים yasim HVqi3ms shall he put he places he will set
H7760-93 Leviticus 6:3 וְ/שָׂמ֕/וֹ vesamo HC/Vqq3ms/Sp3ms and he shall put it and he set him and he shall set it