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).
H8104. shamar
I. שָׁמַר465 verb keep, watch, preserve (Late Hebrew id.; Phoenician שמר in proper name and (Punic) = watchman; Tel Amarna šimiru is perhaps overseer (Canaanism), WklNo. 80, i. 23; Mandean סמירא preserved NöM 46; compare Arabic converse by night, stay awake (see LagBN 105); BaNB 175 f.; ES 43 infers from eyelid (compare [שְׁמֻרָה] below), and Arabic support, aid, protect (l = r), that two √ √ are combined in Hebrew; but proof insufficient); —
Qal425 Perfect3masculine singular ׳שׁ Genesis 37:11 +, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יִשְׁמֹר 1 Samuel 2:9 +, יִשְׁמָרֿ Jeremiah 5:24 +, suffix 3 masculine singular יִשְׁמְרֶנּוּ Exodus 21:29, 36; 3feminine singular suffix תִּשְׁמוּרֵ֑ם Proverbs 14:3 (read תִּשְׁמְרוּם, see Ges§ 47g Toy), etc.; Imperative masculine singular שְׁמֹר Job 2:6 +, שָׁמְרָה 1 Chronicles 29:18 +; masculine plural שִׁמְרוּ Joshua 6:18 +, etc.; Infinitive absolute שָׁמוֺר Deuteronomy 5:12 +; construct שְׁמֹר Genesis 3:24 +, suffix שָׁמְרָהּ 2:15, etc.; Participle active שֹׁמֵר 1 Samuel 1:12 +, etc.; passive שָׁמוּר Ecclesiastes 5:12 (1 Samuel 9:24 see below), etc.; — [Synon. I. נָטַר נָצַר,, q. v.]:
1. a. keep, have charge of, garden Genesis 2:15 (J), ark 1 Samuel 7:1, property in trust Exodus 22:6; 22:9 (E), compare 1 Samuel 25:31; tend flock Genesis 30:31 (E), compare Zechariah 3:7; Numbers 3:8 (P); so perhaps (object omitted) Hosea 12:13 (where ׳שׁ chosen for parallelism Now Marti and others); Participle אָנֹ֑כִי אָחִי הֲשֹׁמֵר Genesis 4:9 (J), ׳שׁ of sheep 1 Samuel 17:20, ׳שׁ הַכֵּלִים 17:22, ׳שׁ הַכְּגָדִים 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22, ׳שׁ הַנָּשִׁים Esther 2:3, 8, 15, compare 2:14, etc.
b. keep, guard, captives Joshua 10:18 (J), 1 Kings 20:39, דֶּרֶךְ Genesis 3:24 (J); keep watch and ward, אֶל person for whom 1 Samuel 26:15 (Psalm 59:10 see
3 end), עַל person Psalm 59:16; Proverbs 6:22; בַּנַּעַר 2 Samuel 18:12 have a care of (read לִי for ᵐ5 מִי and modern); in hostile sense, הָעִיר אֶל (in siege) 11:16, עַל חַטָאתִי Job 14:16 (but read תַּעֲבֹר with ᵐ5 Ew Di Du and others [not Hi Bu]); absolute with מֵעַל Ecclesiastes 5:7 watcheth above, etc.; keep one's mouth, be prudent of speech Proverbs 21:33, compare Micah 7:5; keep = protect, save, one's life, נֶפֶשׁ Proverbs 13:3; 16:17; 19:16; 22:5, another's Job 2:6; in Proverbs, accusative of person, subject wisdom, 4:6 she shall preserve thee, compare (+ מִן of evil) 6:24; 7:5; especially Participle watch, watchman, of city Isaiah 21:11 (twice in verse); 21:12; 62:5 (figurative), Song of Solomon 3:3; 5:7 (twice in verse); Psalm 127:1; ׳שׁ הַמֶּלֶף (in temple) Jeremiah 35:4 + (see סַף), ׳הַמּ הַמֶּלֶךְ מֶּית 1 Kings 14:27 2 Chronicles 12:10, ׳שׁ הַשְּׁעָרִים Nehemiah 13:22, הַבַּיִת שֹׁמְרֵי (figurative) Ecclesiastes 12:3; ךֵהת הַבַּיִתךֵסעוֺה ׳שׁ'>הַכֵּלִים class=\"hebrew2\">שֹׁמֵר ךֵהת הַבַּיִתךֵסעוֺה ׳שׁ 1 Samuel 17:22, ׳שׁ הַבְּגָדִים 2 Kings 22:14, ׳שׁ חַמַּרְדֵּס Nehemiah 2:8, ׳שׁ הַנָּשִׁים Esther 2:3, 14, 15, שֹׁמְרִים absolute Judges 7:19; Jeremiah 51:12.
c. hence watch for, wait for, accusative of person 1 Samuel 19:11 (to kill him), compare Psalm 59:1 (title; accusative הַבַּיִת); with יֲקֵכַי 56:7 = dog my steps, 71:10; Jeremiah 20:10; = watch (suspiciously) Job 10:14; 13:27; 33:11; absolute הַשֹּׁעמרִים Judges 1:24; wait for, נֶשֶׁף Job 24:15, לַבֹּקֶר Psalm 130:6 (twice in verse).
d. watch, observe, accusative of thing 1 Samuel 1:12; Ecclesiastes 11:4; Job 39:1; Jeremiah 8:7 (of birds), with intelligence Isaiah 42:20; Psalm 107:43; accusative of person 37:37 ("" ראה), Zechariah 11:11; accusative of sin Psalm 31:7; 130:3; accusative of thing, for the purpose of avoiding, 17:4.
2. a. keep, retain, of storing up (food) Genesis 41:35 (E); absolute Ecclesiastes 3:6 (opposed to הִשְׁלִיךְ); treasure up (in memory) Genesis 37:11 (E), compare Malachi 2:7; 1 Chronicles 29:18; Proverbs 4:21 (לְבָבֶ֑ךְ בְּתוֺךְ), 22:18 (כְּבִטֱנ֑ךָ); retain wrath Amos 1:11 (read לָנֶצַח שָׁמֶר We Now GASm Marti; see also נָטַר 1) + (anger omitted) Jeremiah 3:5 ("" נטר).
b. keep within bounds, restrain, object שׁוֺר Exodus 21:29, 36 (E); with accusative hand, מִן of evil Isaiah 56:2; figurative keep thy foot, with temporal clause Ecclesiastes 4:17; מַחְסוֺם׳אֶשׁ לְֿפִי Psalm 39:2 (ᵐ5 Du and others אָשִׁימָה); apparently reflexive (= Niph`al), Joshua 6:18 (+ מִןהַֿחֵרֶס), possibly sc. גַפְשְׁכֶם Di.
3. a. observe, celebrate, accusative of festival, etc., Exodus 23:15 (E), 34:18 (J), 12:17; of day 12:17 (P), of month Deuteronomy 16:1.
b. keep Sabbath Deuteronomy 5:12; Leviticus 19:3, 30; 26:2 (all H), Exodus 31:13-14, 16 (P), Isaiah 56:4, also (+ מֵחַלְּלוֺ) 56:2; 56:6.
c. of other obligations: keep convenant Ezekiel 17:14, especially convenant of ׳י Deuteronomy 29:8; 1 Kings 11:11 5t., י ׳שְׁבֻעַת 2:43, perform vow Deuteronomy 23:24; keep commands Jeremiah 35:18; Ezekiel 20:18; especially יֲבֹדָה תֻקִּים, מִצָוֺת,, etc., of ׳י (sometimes "" נצר), Exodus 20:6 = Deuteronomy 5:10; Amos 2:4; 1 Kings 2:3; Psalm 119:8; 119:17; 119:34 + very often (c. 120 t.); ׳שׁ י ׳דֶּרֶח Genesis 18:19 (J) + 4 t., י ׳דַּרְכֵי 2 Samuel 22:22 = Psalm 18:22, ׳ד ׳י omitted Judges 2:22 b; ׳שׁ צַדַּיקִים אָרְחוֺת Proverbs 2:20 ("" טוֺבֹים בְּדֶרֶח תְּלֵח תֵּלֵח), דְּרָכַי ׳שׁ (ways of wisdom) 8:32 (Psalm 17:4 see
1d); keep discharge an office, כְּהֻנָּה Numbers 3:10; 18:7 (both P), absolute 2 Chronicles 5:11; a function or duty, especially ׳שׁ מִשְׁמֶרֶת Leviticus 8:35; Numbers 1:53 + approximately 32 t. (see ׳מ below); accusative of obligation often omitted, especially D (and RD) keep and do Deuteronomy 4:6; 7:12 8t.; to do 5:1, 29 16t. D + 3 t., etc.
d. observe = follow dictates of (prudence, justice, kindness, wisdom) Hosea 12:7 (וּמִשְׁמָּט חֶסֶד), Isaiah 56:1; Proverbs 4:4; 5:2; 7:1-2, bad sense, observe vanities Psalm 31:7. — Doubtful are: לִשְׁמֹר absolute Hosea 4:10, very strange (conjectures in We Now Marti); שָׁמוּר 1 Samuel 9:24, HPS אֵחַרְנוּ, compare Now BuComm.; Psalm 59:10 read אֲזַמֵּ֑רָה אֵלֶיךָ עֻוִּי (as Psalm 59:18, ᵑ6 Che Bae).
4 sometimes ׳י subject:
a. keep, preserve, protect, accusative of person, + ב of way, etc., Genesis 28:15, 20 (J), Exodus 23:20 (E; of מַלְאָח), Psalm 91:11 (׳מ), Joshua 24:17 (E); accusative of person (or נפשׁ) only: 1 Samuel 30:23; Jeremiah 31:9; Numbers 6:24 (P), Job 29:2; Psalm 16:1 10t. Psalms; + מִן 121:7 2t.; accusative רַהְּלַי 1 Samuel 2:9, compare Proverbs 3:26 (מִן); Participle שֹׁמְרֶ֑ךָ Psalm 121:3; 121:5, compare 121:4, etc.; accusative of city 127:1.
b. with accusative ל בְּרִית, person Deuteronomy 7:12, + חֶסֶד 7:7 5t., ׳הַשּׁ לְעוֺלָם אֱמֶת Psalm 146:6; הַשְּׁבֻעָה Deuteronomy 7:8, etc.; passive of covenant (׳י agent) וּשְׁמֻרָה בַכֹּל עֲרוּכָה 2 Samuel 23:5 (legal terminology, Dr).
5 keep, reserve, weeks of harvest Jeremiah 5:24 (ל person).
Niph`al36 Perfect3masculine singular נִשְׁמַד 2 Samuel 20:10, etc.; Imperfect3feminine singular תִּשָּׁמֵד Judges 13:13; 2masculine plural תִּשָּׁמַ֑רוּ Exodus 23:13; Imperative masculine singular תִּשָּׁמֵד Isaiah 7:4 (לְךָׅ הִדָמשּׁ֫מֶר Genesis 24:6 +; feminine singular הִשָּֽׁמְרִי Judges 13:4, etc.; —
1 be on one's guard, with בַּחֶרֶב 2 Samuel 20:10 by reason of the sword, i.e. against it; with ב temporal 1 Samuel 19:2, שָׁם 2 Kings 6:10; take heed Exodus 23:13 (E) Deuteronomy 2:4; with מִן person Exodus 23:21 (E), Jeremiah 9:3; מִן of thing Judges 13:13; Deuteronomy 23:10; מִן infinitive take care not to, etc. Genesis 31:29 (E), 2 Kings 6:9; infinitive without מִן Exodus 19:12 (J), but read probably מֵעֲלוֺת; followed by מֶּן lest Genesis 24:6 (J) + 11 t. (especially Deuteronomy); with (וְ)אַל jussive Exodus 10:23 (J), Judges 13:4; Job 36:21, with Imperative coordinate Isaiah 7:4. — Very often Imperative (24 t.), especially in phrase הִשָּׁמֶרלְֿךָ (12 t.), לָכֶם הִשָּֽׁטְרוּ (3 t.); + לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם Deuteronomy 4:15; Joshua 23:11 (RD; + infinitive); + ׳בְּנַפ Jeremiah 17:21 apparently ב pret. on peril of your life (compare ב
III. 3 a), so perhaps also בְּרוּחֲכֶם Malachi 2:15-16, (We Now).
2 keep oneself, refrain, abstain, מֵאִשָּׁה 1 Samuel 21:5.
3 be kept, guarded, Hosea 12:14 (compare ׳שׁ of Jacob 12:13); be preserved (by ׳י) Psalm 37:28 (לִיוֺלָם), but read probably נִשְׁמָ֑דוּ (לְעוֺלָם) עַוָּלִים Hup-Ri (Now) Che Bae Du Dr.
Pi`el Participle plural הַבְלֵישָֿׁוְא מְשַׁמְּרִים Jonah 2:9 those paying regard to false vanities (compare Qal Psalm 31:7).
Hithpa`el Imperfect1singular מֵעֲוֺנַי וָאֶשְׁתַּסֵּר Psalm 18:24 I kept myself from, etc. = 2 Samuel 22:24 (verb cohortative); 3 masculine singular עָמְרִי חֻקּוֺת וְיִשְׁתַּמֵּר Micah 6:16, but read וְתִשְׁמֹר thou keepest, observest, We Now GASm.