עם

See also: עמ׳

Aramaic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʕam/

Noun

עם • (ʿam) m (plural עממין)

1. absolute form of עמא
   1. people, nation

Preposition

עם • (ʕim)

1. with

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
ע־מ־ם (ʿ-m-m)

Compare with Arabic عَامّ (ʕāmm, “general, public”)

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /am/
• Rhymes: -am
• Rhymes: -im

Noun

עַם • (am) m (plural indefinite עַמִּים, singular construct עַם־, plural construct עַמֵּי־, Biblical Hebrew pausal form עָם) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. A nation, a people.
   • Tanach, Exodus 6:7, with translation of the King James Version:

     וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם לִי לְעָם וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹקִים וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם הַמּוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם מִתַּחַת סִבְלוֹת מִצְרָיִם׃

     And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

Usage notes

• The definite form of this noun is הָעָם (ha'ám, “the nation, the people”).

Declension

Declension of עַם

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	עַם	first	עַמִּי		עַמֵּנוּ
	definite	הָעָם	second	עַמְּךָ	עַמֵּךְ	עַמְּכֶם	עַמְּכֶן
	construct	עַם־	third	עַמּוֹ	עַמָּהּ	עַמָּם	עַמָּן
plural	indefinite	עַמִּים	first	עמיי / עַמַּי		עַמֵּינוּ
	definite	הָעַמִּים	second	עַמֶּיךָ	עמייך / עַמַּיִךְ	עַמֵּיכֶם	עַמֵּיכֶן
	construct	עַמֵּי־	third	עַמָּיו	עַמֶּיהָ	עַמֵּיהֶם	עַמֵּיהֶן

Synonyms

• אומה / אֻמָּה (umá, “a nation, a people”)
• גּוֹי (goi, “a nation, especially a nation other than Israel”)
• לאום / לְאֹם (l'óm)

Derived terms

• הַשְׁמָדַת עַם (hashmadát am)
• עַם הָאָרֶץ (am ha'árets)
• רֶצַח עַם (rétzakh am)

References

• H5971 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Etymology 2

Cognate with Ugaritic 𐎓𐎎 (ʿm) and Arabic مَعَ (maʕa).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /im/

Preposition

עִם • (im)

1. With: used to indicate togetherness, being together.
   • Tanach, Genesis 35:6, with translation of the King James Version:

     וַיָּבֹא יַעֲקֹב לוּזָה אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן הִוא בֵּית־אֵל הוּא וְכָל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־עִמּוֹ׃

     So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

   • Tanach, Judges 4:10, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] וַתַּעַל עִמּוֹ דְּבוֹרָה׃

     […] and Deborah went up with him.

   • Tanach, 1 Kings 8:57, with translation of the King James Version:

     יְהִי ד׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ עִמָּנוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה עִם־אֲבֹתֵינוּ אַל־יַעַזְבֵנוּ וְאַל־יִטְּשֵׁנוּ׃

     The L-RD our G-d be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:

   • Tanach, Isaiah 11:6, with translation of the King James Version:

     וְגָר זְאֵב עִם־כֶּבֶשׂ וְנָמֵר עִם־גְּדִי יִרְבָּץ וְעֵגֶל וּכְפִיר וּמְרִיא יַחְדָּו וְנַעַר קָטֹן נֹהֵג בָּם׃

     The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

2. And also.
   • Tanach, 1 Samuel 17:42, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] נַעַר וְאַדְמֹנִי עִם־יְפֵה מַרְאֶה׃.

     […] but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

3. Near to, next to:
   • Tanach, 1 Samuel 10:2, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] וּמָצָאתָ שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִם־קְבֻרַת רָחֵל בִּגְבוּל בִּנְיָמִן בְּצֶלְצַח […]

     […] then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; […]

   • Tanach, 2 Samuel 24:16, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] וּמַלְאַךְ ד׳ הָיָה עִם־גֹּרֶן הָאֲרַוְנָה [ק] הַיְבֻסִי׃

     And the angel of the L-RD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

4. With, among, at the place of, in the same place as.
   • Tanach, Genesis 23:4, with translation of the King James Version:

     גֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁב אָנֹכִי עִמָּכֶם תְּנוּ לִי אֲחֻזַּת־קֶבֶר עִמָּכֶם וְאֶקְבְּרָה מֵתִי מִלְּפָנָי׃

     I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

   • Tanach, Genesis 32:5, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] עִם־לָבָן גַּרְתִּי וָאֵחַר עַד־עָתָּה׃

     […] I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

   • Tanach, Joshua 20:4, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] וְאָסְפוּ אֹתוֹ הָעִירָה אֲלֵיהֶם וְנָתְנוּ־לוֹ מָקוֹם וְיָשַׁב עִמָּם׃

     […] they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

   • Tanach, 1 Kings 8:18, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] הָיָה עִם־לְבָבְךָ לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לִשְׁמִי הֱטִיבֹתָ כִּי הָיָה עִם־לְבָבֶךָ׃

     […] it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.

5. At the same time.
   • Tanach, Ezra 1:11, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] הַכֹּל הֶעֱלָה שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר עִם הֵעָלוֹת הַגּוֹלָה מִבָּבֶל לִירוּשָׁלִַם׃

     All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

6. (of an action) For.
   • Tanach, Genesis 19:19, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] וַתַּגְדֵּל חַסְדְּךָ אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי לְהַחֲיוֹת אֶת־נַפְשִׁי […]

     […] and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; […]

   • Tanach, Genesis 20:13, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] זֶה חַסְדֵּךְ אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשִׂי עִמָּדִי […]

     […] This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; […]

   • Tanach, Genesis 29:27, with translation of the King James Version:

     מַלֵּא שְׁבֻעַ זֹאת וְנִתְּנָה לְךָ גַּם־אֶת־זֹאת בַּעֲבֹדָה אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲבֹד עִמָּדִי עוֹד שֶׁבַע־שָׁנִים אֲחֵרוֹת׃

     Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.

7. (of an action) Against.
   • Tanach, Genesis 32:24, with translation of the King James Version:

     וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר׃

     And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

   • Tanach, Deuteronomy 20:20, with translation of the King James Version:

     […] וּבָנִיתָ מָצוֹר עַל־הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר־הִוא עֹשָׂה עִמְּךָ מִלְחָמָה […]

     […] and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, […]

Inflection

• The usual modern forms have been borrowed from the otherwise archaic preposition אֵת, אֶת־ (et, et-, “to, with”) (not to be confused with the direct object marker את (et), which is still in use). The traditional, more regular forms are still in use, but only in formal registers.

Usual modern forms

Non-personal-pronoun-including form				עִם (im)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
First person	איתי / אִתִּי (ití)		איתנו / אִתָּנוּ (itánu)
Second person	איתך / אִתְּךָ (it'khá)	איתך / אִתָּךְ (itákh)	איתכם / אִתְּכֶם (it'khém)	איתכן / אִתְּכֶן (it'khén)
Third person	איתו / אִתּוֹ (itó)	איתה / אִתָּהּ (itáh)	איתם / אִתָּם (itám)	איתן / אִתָּן (itán)

Traditional forms (now formal)

Non-personal-pronoun-including form				עִם (im)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
First person	עִמִּי (imí) or עִמָּדִי (imadí)1		עִמָּנוּ (imánu)
Second person	עִמְּךָ (im'khá)	עִמָּךְ (imákh)	עִמָּכֶם (imakhém)	עִמָּכֶן (imakhén)
Third person	עִמּוֹ (imó)	עִמָּהּ (imáh)	עִמָּהֶם (imahém) or עִמָּם (imám)2	עִמָּהֶן (imahén) or עִמָּן (imán)2
Notes	1. Both imí and imadí occur a number of times in the Bible, but today imadí is archaic. 2. Imám is somewhat more common than imahém in the Bible, but today imahém and imahén are more common than imám and imán.

Synonyms

• (with: indicating being together): את (archaic, except in inflected forms; see inflection table)
• (for: of an action): את (archaic, except in inflected forms; see inflection table)

Derived terms

• עִם זֹאת (ím zót)

References

• H5973 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Yiddish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Northeastern) IPA^(key): /ɛm/

Pronoun

עם • (em)

1. (Northeastern) dative/accusative of ער (er): him, to him
2. (Northeastern) dative of עס (es): to it

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Hebrew עַם (am, “nation”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈam/

Noun

עם • (am) m, plural עמים (amem)

1. nation, people

Derived terms

• המון־עם (hamoyn-am)