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שׂוּם

𐤔𐤅𐤌

sûwm

H7761 verb

SILEX Entry

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

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

Root Family

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

Root שׂום to put, to place, to set, to appoint, to assign
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3450 יְשִׁימָאֵל And Yeshimael
H7760 שׂוּם I will set

Word Forms

11 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7761-07 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms I-put Place! I set 9
H7761-02 שָׂם sam AVqp3ms made placing one appointed 8
H7761-01 מִתְּשָׂ֣ם mitesam AVurmsa being-laid the one setting himself being set 1
H7761-03 שָׂמֵֽ/הּ sameh AVqp3ms/Sp3ms he had appointed he placed him he appointed him 1
H7761-04 שָׂ֣מֶת samet AVqp1cs have-issued I have set I have set 1
H7761-05 שָׂ֣מְתָּ sameta AVqp2ms have made you placed you placed 1
H7761-06 שָׂ֨מֽוּ samu AVqp3mp have regarded they set set 1
H7761-08 שִׂ֣ימוּ simu AVqv2mp issue Place! issue 1
H7761-09 וְ/שֻׂמַ֖ת vesumat AC/VQp3fs and-placed and she set and it was set 1
H7761-10 יִתְּשָֽׂם yitesam AVui3ms is issued he will set himself is issued 1

Occurrences in Scripture

26 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7761-11 Daniel 2:5 יִתְּשָׂמֽוּן yitesamun AVui3mp shall be made they will place themselves shall be made
H7761-05 Daniel 3:10 שָׂ֣מְתָּ sameta AVqp2ms have made you placed you placed
H7761-06 Daniel 3:12 שָׂ֨מֽוּ samu AVqp3mp have regarded they set set
H7761-07 Daniel 3:29 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms is-made Place! a decree is placed
H7761-07 Daniel 4:3 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms it-seems-good Place! it seems good
H7761-02 Daniel 5:12 שָׂם sam AVqp3ms named placing one appointed
H7761-02 Daniel 6:14 שָׂ֨ם sam AVqp3ms he-sets placing one places
H7761-02 Daniel 6:15 שָׂ֥ם sam AVqp3ms he-set placing one he set
H7761-09 Daniel 6:18 וְ/שֻׂמַ֖ת vesumat AC/VQp3fs and-placed and she set and it was set
H7761-07 Daniel 6:27 שִׂ֣ים sim AVqp3ms is-set Place! Place
H7761-07 Ezra 4:19 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms was set Place! a decree was set
H7761-08 Ezra 4:21 שִׂ֣ימוּ simu AVqv2mp issue Place! issue
H7761-10 Ezra 4:21 יִתְּשָֽׂם yitesam AVui3ms is issued he will set himself is issued
H7761-02 Ezra 5:3 שָׂ֨ם sam AVqp3ms has appointed placing one has appointed
H7761-01 Ezra 5:8 מִתְּשָׂ֣ם mitesam AVurmsa being-laid the one setting himself being set
H7761-02 Ezra 5:9 שָׂ֨ם sam AVqp3ms commanded placing one appointed
H7761-02 Ezra 5:13 שָׂ֣ם sam AVqp3ms made placing one appointed
H7761-03 Ezra 5:14 שָׂמֵֽ/הּ sameh AVqp3ms/Sp3ms he had appointed he placed him he appointed him
H7761-07 Ezra 5:17 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms was issued Place! a decree was issued
H7761-02 Ezra 6:1 שָׂ֣ם sam AVqp3ms made placing one set
H7761-02 Ezra 6:3 שָׂ֣ם sam AVqp3ms made placing one appointed
H7761-07 Ezra 6:8 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms I-put Place! a decree is set
H7761-07 Ezra 6:11 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms is set Place! an edict is set
H7761-04 Ezra 6:12 שָׂ֣מֶת samet AVqp1cs have-issued I have set I have set
H7761-07 Ezra 7:13 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms to set Place! I set
H7761-07 Ezra 7:21 שִׂ֣ים sim AVQp3ms I-put Place! I set
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