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אָגֵם

𐤀𐤂𐤌

ʼâgêm

H99 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root אג"ם to pool, to collect (water), to be stagnant

Definition

A small body of water, such as a pool or pond, typically with still or stagnant water. In later or poetic texts, occasionally used as a metaphor for despondency or sadness, alluding to stillness and lack of movement.

Semantic Range

pond, pool, marsh, standing water; (by extension in later usage) metaphor for sadness or despondency

Root / Etymology

The noun אָגֵם (ʼâgêm) is derived from the root אג״ם, which relates to standing or pooled water. Cognate with אֲגַם (ʼagam, H98), signifying a pool or pond. The term is most likely a variant or poetic form of the more common אֲגַם, rather than an entirely separate derivation. The connection to sadness or despondency is figurative and late, emerging from association with still waters.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, אָגֵם appears rarely and primarily in poetic or descriptive passages (cf. Isaiah 35:7), used to evoke imagery of landscape transformation, where arid or barren places are depicted as being turned into pools or ponds, symbolizing restoration and abundance. The nominal use as 'pond' is central; the figurative sense of 'sad' or 'despondent' does not occur clearly in core biblical texts but appears in later or interpretive traditions that build on the stillness of a pond as a metaphor for emotional stasis. The word must be distinguished from other Hebrew terms such as יָם (yam, 'sea') and בְּאֵר (be'er, 'well'), which carry different nuances of water sources. English translations typically render אָגֵם as 'pool' or 'pond,' but the Hebrew can suggest specially stagnant or standing water relevant to Near Eastern landscape imagery.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably from the same as אֲגַם (in the sense of stagnant water); figuratively, sad; pond.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אגם (ʾ-g-m) — to pool, to collect water, to be stagnant

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H100 אַגְמוֹן marsh-reed stalk
H98 אֲגַם marsh of

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H99-01 אַגְמֵי agemey HAampc ponds stagnant pools of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H99-01 Isaiah 19:10 אַגְמֵי agemey HAampc ponds stagnant pools of
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