Bible Word Study
עִם
ʻim · null
עִם
Definition
The Hebrew word עִם (ʻim) is a preposition primarily meaning 'with,' indicating accompaniment, association, or relationship. In its core sense, it denotes being together with someone or something, as in Ezra 5:2 where the prophets of God are 'with' the returning exiles. It can also express the means or instrument by which something is done, translating as 'by' or 'through,' as seen in Ezra 6:8 regarding a decree issued 'by' the king. In some contexts, especially in Aramaic portions of the Bible, it extends to meanings like 'from,' 'like,' or 'toward,' reflecting its flexibility in denoting various relational aspects.
Biblical Usage
This word appears 20 times in the Old Testament, exclusively in the post-exilic books of Ezra and Daniel, which contain significant Aramaic sections. It functions as a versatile preposition in these contexts. For example, it denotes accompaniment in Ezra 7:13 ('with you'), instrumentality in Ezra 7:16 ('by the king'), and comparison in Daniel 2:43 ('like iron'). Its usage is consistent with Aramaic grammar, where it corresponds to the more common Hebrew preposition עִם (H5973).
Etymology
The word עִם (ʻim, H5974) is the Aramaic form corresponding to the Hebrew preposition עִם (ʻim, H5973). Both share a common Semitic root (ʕ-m) conveying the fundamental idea of 'withness' or association. The Aramaic form entered the biblical text during the post-exilic period when Aramaic was the lingua franca of the Persian Empire, reflecting the linguistic context of books like Ezra and Daniel.
Semantic Range
The exclusive use of this Aramaic form in Ezra and Daniel highlights the historical shift in the Jewish community's daily language following the Babylonian exile. While Hebrew remained the sacred language for scripture and worship, Aramaic became the common language for international diplomacy and daily life in the Persian Empire. Its presence in the biblical text underscores the reality of God communicating with His people within their specific historical and linguistic circumstances. אֵת (ʼet, H854) — A more common Hebrew preposition for 'with,' often marking a direct object. / אֶל (ʼel, H413) — Primarily means 'to,' 'toward,' or 'into,' focusing on direction rather than accompaniment.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]