אָלַם
ʼâlam · H481 · Hebrew · 9 occurrences
Meanings
-
to be dumb, to be unable to speak
To be unable to speak because of a physical limitation or because of emotions
ExamplesPsalm 31:18 Let the lying lips be speechless, Which speak arrogantly against the righteous With pride and contempt.
-
to make sheaves
Action by which someone bundles harvested ears of grain
ExamplesGenesis 37:7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf stood up and also remained standing; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
How it’s used In 4 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
9 occurrences in 5 groups
- Not stated: I 4
- Not stated: you (one person) 2
- אֲנַחְנוּwe 1
- שָׂפָהlip 1
- Not stated: he, she or it 1
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אֲלֻמָּהsheaf 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- בin/on/with+ תָּוֶךְmiddle 1
- לto/for+ פָּנִיםface, presence, before 1
With adverbsAdverbs
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- לֹאnot 2
- עוֹדstill, again, yet 2
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 1 word
- חָסַם châçam · H2629 · to muzzle, to block the way
- Both terms denote actions that render something unable to function or speak — one "muzzle, stop," the other "bind, be dumb, put to silence" — overlapping in the sense of causing inability or silence.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Unable002001001065
- אָלַם describes being rendered mute or unable to speak, as one silenced before an accuser.
- Bind002003001002
- The word can also describe binding sheaves together, a distinct sense of gathering and tying.
Word family 10 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H481. alam [אָלַם] verb bind (perhaps compare Assyrian [al¹mu], almattu, fortress Dl in…
[אָלַם] verb bind (perhaps compare Assyrian [al¹mu], almattu, fortress Dl in ZimBP 114 & in BDEzek.:xi; Arabic be in pain, Aramaic retain anger).
Niph`al (be bound =) be dumb, Perfect3feminine singular נֶאֱלָ֑מָה Isa 53:7; וְנֶאֱלַמְתָּ֫ Eze 3:26, etc.; Imperfect2masculine singular תֵּאָלֵם Eze 24:27; Eze 24:3feminine plural תֵּאָלַמְנָה Psa 31:19. — 1 be dumb, i.e. silent Psa 39:3 ׳נ דוּמִיָּה (|| הֶחֱשֵׁיתִי); compare Psa 39:10 (|| אֶפְתַּחמִּֿי לֹא); simile of sheep Isa 53:7 (|| id.); be dumb, i.e. unable to speak Eze 3:26 (result of אֶלחִֿכָּ֑ךָ אַדְבִּיק וּלְשׁוֺנְךָ) compare Eze 24:27 עוֺד תֵאָלֵם וְלֹא וּתְדַבֵּר ֗֗֗ מִּיךָ יִמָּתַח; Eze 33:22 עוֺד נֶאֱלַמְתִּי וְלֹא מִּי וַיִּפְתַּח; also Dan 10:15 (compare Dan 10:16); be made dumb subject שָׁ֑קֶר שִׂפְתֵי lying lips Psa 31:19 (|| לִשְׁאוֺל יִדְּמוּ Psa 31:18).
Pi`el Participle bind Gen 37:7 (E) אֲלֻמִּים מְאַלְּמִים binding sheaves.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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