שָׁמַר

𐤔𐤌𐤓

shâmar

H8104 verb

SILEX Entry

Root שמר to guard, to keep, to observe, to watch

Definition

To keep, guard, watch over, or observe; to exercise attentive care or protective oversight; to be heedful or conscientious concerning something. In different contexts, שָׁמַר can refer to guarding property or people, observing commandments or rules, paying careful attention, or maintaining a condition or state. The term implies vigilance and responsibility, encompassing both practical guardianship and conscientious observance.

Semantic Range

to keep (as in to obey commandments or obligations), to guard (as in protect from danger), to observe (as in observe festivals or ritual laws), to watch over (persons, property, or duties), to be careful or diligent with something, to heed or pay attention, to preserve (from harm), to restrain or hold in custody

Root / Etymology

Root: שׁ־מ־ר (שמר). The root fundamentally carries the sense of guarding, protecting, or keeping. The verb שָׁמַר develops from this root and predominantly means 'to guard' or 'to keep,' both in the sense of protecting from danger and of carefully maintaining or observing something.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שָׁמַר is used both in practical, physical senses (e.g. to guard a city, Genesis 2:15; to watch over a flock, Genesis 30:31) and in more abstract senses (e.g. to observe commandments, Exodus 20:6; Deuteronomy 6:17). The word is frequently found in legal and covenantal contexts to express fidelity and conscientious observance (e.g. 'to keep My commandments'). Translations such as 'keep,' 'guard,' or 'observe' often reflect the range of applications from physical watchfulness to faithful observance of stipulations. In post-exilic usage, the term can bear more weight in connection with covenant loyalty and religious observance, compared to earlier purely practical usages. The word may overlap with related roots such as נצר (to guard or watch), but שָׁמַר often emphasizes attentive or deliberate oversight and is commonly used in ritual, legal, and moral exhortations.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.; beward, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep(-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch(-man).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שמר (š-m-r) — to guard, to keep, to observe, to watch

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3461 יִשְׁמְרַי He-preserves
H4929 מִשְׁמָר the guard-duty
H7763 שׁוֹמֵר the guarding one
H8068 שָׁמִיר like a hard-thorn
H8105 שֶׁמֶר his lees

Word Forms

102 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8104-43 שֹׁמֵ֧ר shomer HVqrmsa keeper the guarding one 45
H8104-18 לִ/שְׁמֹ֕ר lishemor HR/Vqc to keep to guard 40
H8104-63 וּ/שְׁמַרְתֶּם֮ ushemaretem HC/Vqq2mp and you shall keep and you guarded 25
H8104-55 תִשְׁמֹ֑ר tishemor HVqi2ms you keep you guard 21
H8104-46 שֹׁמְרֵ֖י shomerey HVqrmpc keepers guarding-ones of 19
H8104-10 הִשָּׁ֣מֶר hishamer HVNv2ms Take heed Guard yourself 18
H8104-40 שְׁמֹ֤ר shemor HVqc keep to guard 14
H8104-85 וְ/שָֽׁמְרוּ֙ veshameru HC/Vqq3cp and they shall keep and they guarded 14
H8104-100 יִשְׁמְר֨וּ yishemeru HVqi3mp they keep they guard 12
H8104-83 וְ/שָׁמַרְתָּ֛ veshamareta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall keep and you will guard 12

Occurrences in Scripture

469 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8104-58 Genesis 2:15 וּ/לְ/שָׁמְרָֽ/הּ uleshamerah HC/R/Vqc/Sp3fs and to keep it and to guard her
H8104-18 Genesis 3:24 לִ/שְׁמֹ֕ר lishemor HR/Vqc to guard to guard
H8104-07 Genesis 4:9 הֲ/שֹׁמֵ֥ר hashomer HTi/Vqrmsa keeper the guarding-one
H8104-55 Genesis 17:9 תִשְׁמֹ֑ר tishemor HVqi2ms you shall keep you guard
H8104-53 Genesis 17:10 תִּשְׁמְר֗וּ tishemeru HVqi2mp you shall keep you (plural, masculine) guard
H8104-85 Genesis 18:19 וְ/שָֽׁמְרוּ֙ veshameru HC/Vqq3cp that they may keep and they guarded
H8104-10 Genesis 24:6 הִשָּׁ֣מֶר hishamer HVNv2ms See to it / Beware Guard yourself
H8104-75 Genesis 26:5 וַ/יִּשְׁמֹר֙ vayishemor HC/Vqw3ms and kept and he guarded
H8104-64 Genesis 28:15 וּ/שְׁמַרְתִּ֨י/ךָ֙ ushemaretikha HC/Vqq1cs/Sp2ms and will keep you and I will guard you
H8104-61 Genesis 28:20 וּ/שְׁמָרַ֨/נִי֙ ushemarani HC/Vqq3ms/Sp1cs and will keep me and he guarded me