What does אֵם (ʾēm) mean in the Bible?
אֵם (ʾēm): Mother as the relational bond holding family together; extends figuratively to cities, nations, and source-origins.
Hebrew · H517
אֵם
A mother (as the bond of the family); in a wide sense (both literally and figuratively [like father])
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אֵם H517
Pronunciation ʾēm
What does אֵם (ʾēm) mean in the Bible?
אֵם (ʾēm): Mother as the relational bond holding family together; extends figuratively to cities, nations, and source-origins.
Full entry for אֵם (H517) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H517?
The BSB source-word alignment has 220 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include his mother’s (28), and mother (22), his mother (19), or mother (13), mother (11).
Where does אֵם (ʾēm) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 2:24. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (26), 2 Kings (22), Judges (20), 1 Kings (16).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It his mother’s 28× Judges 9:1, 1 Kings 14:21, 1 Kings 14:31, 1 Kings 15:2
and mother 22× Genesis 24:55, Genesis 28:7, Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 21:13
his mother 19× Genesis 21:21, Genesis 27:11, Genesis 27:13, Genesis 30:14
or mother 13× Exodus 21:15, Exodus 21:17, Leviticus 20:9, Leviticus 21:11
mother 11× Genesis 2:24, Exodus 2:8, Joshua 2:13, Joshua 2:18
your mother 10× Leviticus 18:7, 1 Samuel 15:33, Proverbs 23:22, Song Of Solomon 8:5
the mother 8× Genesis 3:20, Deuteronomy 22:6, 2 Samuel 17:25, 1 Kings 1:11
of your mother 6× Genesis 27:29, Leviticus 20:19, 2 Kings 3:13, 2 Kings 9:22
to his mother 6× Genesis 27:14, Judges 17:2, Judges 17:3, Judges 17:4
my mother 5× 1 Kings 2:20, Job 17:14, Proverbs 4:3, Jeremiah 15:10
from my mother’s 4× Judges 16:17, Job 1:21, Psalms 22:10, Psalms 71:6
of his mother 4× Genesis 24:67, Leviticus 20:17, Judges 9:1, Psalms 109:14
of my mother 4× Genesis 20:12, Judges 8:19, Song Of Solomon 8:2, Isaiah 49:1
. . . 3× Genesis 29:10, Deuteronomy 13:6
in its mother’s 3× Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, Deuteronomy 14:21
my mother’s 3× Psalms 22:9, Song Of Solomon 1:6, Song Of Solomon 3:4
your mother’s 3× Genesis 28:2, Leviticus 18:13, Proverbs 6:20
a mother 2× Judges 5:7, Ezekiel 44:25
and her mother 2× Genesis 24:53, Leviticus 20:14
and the mother 2× Deuteronomy 22:6, 2 Kings 4:30
and your mother 2× Deuteronomy 5:16, Ezekiel 16:3
his grandmother 2× 1 Kings 15:13, 2 Chronicles 15:16
is your mother’s 2× Leviticus 18:13, Isaiah 50:1
of his mother’s 2× Genesis 29:10, Numbers 12:12
of the mother 2× 1 Samuel 20:30, Song Of Solomon 6:9
the mothers 2× Jeremiah 15:8, Jeremiah 16:3
their mothers 2× Exodus 22:30, Proverbs 30:11
(His mother’s 1× Leviticus 24:11
[for his] mother 1× Psalms 35:14
[she] 1× Judges 17:3
[who was] the mother 1× Genesis 28:5
against her mother 1× Micah 7:6
and from my mother’s 1× Job 31:18
and mother [goodbye] 1× 1 Kings 19:20
and mother [had done] 1× 2 Kings 3:2
and she 1× Judges 17:4
and the mothers 1× Genesis 32:11
And when his mother’s 1× Judges 9:3
As a mother 1× Isaiah 66:13
at my mother’s 1× Song Of Solomon 8:1
but be sure to let the mother 1× Deuteronomy 22:7
from his mother’s 1× Ecclesiastes 5:15
her mother’s 1× Genesis 24:28
His grandmother’s 1× 1 Kings 15:10
his mother’s death 1× Genesis 24:67
his own mother’s 1× Genesis 43:29
in my mother’s 1× Psalms 139:13
is his mother 1× 1 Kings 3:27
is your mother 1× Leviticus 18:7
its mother 1× Leviticus 22:27
Like mother 1× Ezekiel 16:44
of their mothers 1× Lamentations 2:12
of your mother’s 1× Genesis 28:2
one of his mother’s 1× Genesis 44:20
or ‘Mother 1× Isaiah 8:4
our mothers 1× Lamentations 5:3
so that my mother 1× Jeremiah 20:17
that is a mother 1× 2 Samuel 20:19
the fork 1× Ezekiel 21:21
their mother 1× Hosea 2:5
Then his mother 1× Judges 17:2
to a mother 1× Proverbs 30:17
to my mother’s 1× Psalms 69:8
to their mothers 1× Lamentations 2:12
to your mother’s 1× Ruth 1:8
was the mother 1× 1 Chronicles 2:26
was your mother 1× Ezekiel 19:2
when mothers 1× Hosea 10:14
when my mother 1× Psalms 51:5
who 1× Genesis 27:14
whose mother 1× 1 Kings 11:26
Will your mother 1× Genesis 37:10
with his mother 1× Psalms 131:2
your mother’s daughter 1× Leviticus 18:9
your own mother’s 1× Psalms 50:20
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 2:24 אִמּ֑וֹ to mother Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Genesis 3:20 אֵ֥ם to the mother Noun - feminine singular construct Genesis 20:12 אִמִּ֑י to of my mother Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Genesis 21:21 אִמּ֛וֹ to his mother Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Genesis 24:28 אִמָּ֑הּ to her mother’s Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular Genesis 24:53 וּלְאִמָּֽהּ׃ to and her mother Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular Genesis 24:55 וְאִמָּ֔הּ to and mother Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular Genesis 24:67 אִמּ֔וֹ to of his mother Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Genesis 24:67 אִמּֽוֹ׃פ to his mother’s death Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Genesis 27:11 אִמּ֑וֹ to his mother Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 2:24
Aligned rows 220
Books represented 27
Genesis 26 Exodus 7 Leviticus 15 Numbers 2 Deuteronomy 13 Joshua 3 Judges 20 Ruth 2 1 Samuel 4 2 Samuel 3 1 Kings 16 2 Kings 22 1 Chronicles 2 2 Chronicles 12 Esther 2 Job 3 Psalms 12 Proverbs 14 Ecclesiastes 1 Song Of Solomon 7 Isaiah 5 Jeremiah 9 Lamentations 3 Ezekiel 10 Hosea 4 Micah 1 Zechariah 2
Source forms
אִמּ֔וֹ 36x ’im·mōw Genesis 24:67, Genesis 27:13, Genesis 29:10, Exodus 22:30
אִמּ֑וֹ 11x ’im·mōw Genesis 2:24, Genesis 27:11, Genesis 28:7, Genesis 29:10
אֵ֥ם 8x ’êm Genesis 3:20, Genesis 28:5, Exodus 2:8, Judges 5:28
אִמּֽוֹ׃ 8x ’im·mōw Genesis 29:10, 1 Kings 3:27, 2 Kings 4:19, Proverbs 10:1
אִמֶּֽךָ׃ 6x ’im·me·ḵā Genesis 28:2, 1 Samuel 20:30, Proverbs 1:8, Proverbs 6:20
אֵ֣ם 5x ’êm 2 Kings 4:30, 2 Kings 11:1, 2 Kings 24:15, 2 Chronicles 22:10
אִמִּֽי׃ 5x ’im·mî Psalms 22:9, Psalms 51:5, Psalms 69:8, Psalms 139:13
אִמֶּ֑ךָ 5x ’im·me·ḵā Genesis 27:29, Genesis 28:2, Exodus 20:12, 1 Samuel 15:33
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular 79x Genesis 2:24, Genesis 21:21, Genesis 24:67, Genesis 27:11
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular 25x Genesis 27:29, Genesis 28:2, Exodus 20:12, Leviticus 18:7
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular 23x Genesis 20:12, Joshua 2:13, Judges 8:19, Judges 16:17
Noun - feminine singular construct 15x Genesis 3:20, Genesis 28:5, Exodus 2:8, Judges 5:28
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular 14x Exodus 21:15, Exodus 21:17, Leviticus 20:9, Deuteronomy 21:19
Noun - feminine singular 8x Genesis 32:11, Judges 5:7, Psalms 35:14, Proverbs 19:26
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular 8x Genesis 27:14, Genesis 44:20, Leviticus 21:2, Judges 17:2
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular 5x Leviticus 21:11, Numbers 6:7, Deuteronomy 33:9, Judges 14:2
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Mother as the relational bond holding family together; extends figuratively to cities, nations, and source-origins.
Source Gloss
a mother (as the bond of the family); in a wide sense (both literally and figuratively [like father])
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Mother as the relational bond holding family together; extends figuratively to cities, nations, and source-origins.
a mother (as the bond of the family); in a wide sense (both literally and figuratively [like father]) BDB: mother Usage: dam, mother, × parting.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Literal parent deserving honor and respect from children
Parent whose curse brings judgment, illustrating parental authority and consequence
Parent whose rejection by a child brings shame and disgrace
Parent deserving reverence, with divine punishment for those who mock or despise
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 220 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
אֵם is a primitive word - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain