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שׂוּם

𐤔𐤅𐤌

sûwm

H7761 verb

SILEX Entry

Root שׂום to put, to place, to set, to appoint, to assign

Definition

To put, place, set, or appoint; the act of putting or placing something physically or figuratively. The verb occurs with a wide variety of objects and in diverse constructions: setting a person or object in a location, establishing or appointing a role or status, directing or assigning attention or thought, granting or imposing something (such as a law, regulation, or quality), and attributing a name or reputation. Used both literally (to place a stone, set a seal) and metaphorically (to appoint a king, to set one's mind/heart, to impose a tribute or law), 'שׂוּם' indicates intentional placement, assignment, or establishment.

Semantic Range

to set (a person in office); to place (an object somewhere); to lay (a burden, law, tribute); to appoint (a king, officials); to establish (a reputation, a name); to assign (attention, thought, intention); to impose (duty, sanction); to declare (as in making someone or something into X); to regard or consider; to name (through the phrase 'set a name'); to command (idiomatic); to make (as in create a state of affairs)

Root / Etymology

Root: שׂום (שׂ-ו-ם). Core meaning of the root is 'to put' or 'to place.' The verb derives directly from the root, carrying the sense of setting, placing, or assigning something or someone to a position, role, or state.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שׂוּם is a basic and highly versatile verb in Biblical Hebrew, especially prevalent in legal, narrative, and poetic contexts from the patriarchal through post-exilic periods. Its flexibility is reflected in the range of direct objects it takes—objects, people, names, qualities, thoughts (e.g., 'set a name' = name, 'set the heart to' = pay attention). In the Torah, it is commonly used in instructions (e.g., to place the Ark, to set boundaries) and in administrative or legal settings (e.g., to appoint officials, or to impose tributes). In the monarchy, it describes appointing or establishing kings, officers, or cultic objects. The term can connote both physical action (putting an object somewhere) and abstract action (assigning, deciding, designating, or decreeing). In post-exilic and later Hebrew, the verb continues but becomes more formulaic, especially in liturgical and legalistic contexts. It also appears in Aramaic with the same core sense. The English phrase 'set' or 'put' rarely captures all nuances, especially where legal, spiritual, or administrative appointment is concerned. Compared to related verbs such as נתן (to give), שׂוּם emphasizes establishment or placement rather than transfer or bestowal. The English translation 'command' or 'make' sometimes derives from idiomatic usages rather than a direct equivalence.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to שׂוּם; {to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)}; [phrase] command, give, lay, make, [phrase] name, [phrase] regard, set.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׂום (ś-w-m) — to put, to place, to set, to appoint, to assign

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3450 יְשִׁימָאֵל And Yeshimael
H7760 שׂוּם I will set
H8667 תְּשׂוּמֶת in deposit-of

Word Forms

11 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7761-07 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms I-put Place! 9
H7761-02 שָׂם sam AVqp3ms made placing one 8
H7761-10 יִתְּשָֽׂם yitesam AVui3ms is issued he will set himself 1
H7761-03 שָׂמֵֽ/הּ sameh AVqp3ms/Sp3ms he had appointed he placed him 1
H7761-11 יִתְּשָׂמֽוּן yitesamun AVui3mp shall be made they will place themselves 1
H7761-08 שִׂ֣ימוּ simu AVqv2mp issue Place! 1
H7761-05 שָׂ֣מְתָּ sameta AVqp2ms have made you placed 1
H7761-09 וְ/שֻׂמַ֖ת vesumat AC/VQp3fs and-placed and she set 1
H7761-01 מִתְּשָׂ֣ם mitesam AVurmsa being-laid the one setting himself 1
H7761-04 שָׂ֣מֶת samet AVqp1cs have-issued I have set 1

Occurrences in Scripture

26 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7761-11 Daniel 2:5 יִתְּשָׂמֽוּן yitesamun AVui3mp shall be made they will place themselves
H7761-05 Daniel 3:10 שָׂ֣מְתָּ sameta AVqp2ms have made you placed
H7761-06 Daniel 3:12 שָׂ֨מֽוּ samu AVqp3mp have regarded they set
H7761-07 Daniel 3:29 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms is-made Place!
H7761-07 Daniel 4:3 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms it-seems-good Place!
H7761-02 Daniel 5:12 שָׂם sam AVqp3ms named placing one
H7761-02 Daniel 6:14 שָׂ֨ם sam AVqp3ms he-sets placing one
H7761-02 Daniel 6:15 שָׂ֥ם sam AVqp3ms he-set placing one
H7761-09 Daniel 6:18 וְ/שֻׂמַ֖ת vesumat AC/VQp3fs and-placed and she set
H7761-07 Daniel 6:27 שִׂ֣ים sim AVqp3ms is-set Place!
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