שָׁמַרshâmar

keep, watch, preserve

Pronunciation: shaw-mar' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H8104

Meanings

Qal: active, passive (Genesis 37:11; 1 Samuel 2:9; Jeremiah 5:24)

1.

a. keep, have charge of (Genesis 2:15; 1 Samuel 7:1; Exodus 22:6)

b. keep, guard (Joshua 10:18; 1 Kings 20:39; Genesis 3:24)

c. watch for, wait for (1 Samuel 19:11; Psalms 59:1; Psalms 56:7)

d. watch, observe (1 Samuel 1:12; Ecclesiastes 11:4; Job 39:1)

2.

a. keep, retain (Genesis 41:35; Ecclesiastes 3:6; Genesis 37:11)

b. keep, within bounds, restrain (Exodus 21:29; Exodus 21:36; Isaiah 56:2)

3.

a. observe, celebrate (Exodus 23:15; Exodus 34:18; Exodus 12:17)

b. keep, Sabbath (Deuteronomy 5:12; Leviticus 19:3; Leviticus 19:30)

c. keep, of other obligations (Ezekiel 17:14; Deuteronomy 29:8; 1 Kings 11:11)

d. observe, = follow dictates of (prudence, justice, kindness, wisdom) (Hosea 12:7; Isaiah 56:1; Proverbs 4:4)

4. sometimes ׳ י subject

a. keep, preserve, protect (Genesis 28:15; Genesis 28:20; Exodus 23:20)

5. keep, preserve (Jeremiah 5:24)

Niph`al

1. so perhaps also, be on one's guard (2 Samuel 20:10; 1 Samuel 19:2; 2 Kings 6:10)

2. keep oneself, refrain, abstain (1 Samuel 21:5)

3. be kept, guarded (Hosea 12:14; Hosea 12:13; Psalms 37:28)

Pi`el: those paying regard (Jonah 2:9; Psalms 31:7)

Hithpa`el: kept myself (Psalms 18:24; 2 Samuel 22:24; Micah 6:16)

Same root

Where it appears

Appears 469 times in the Bible.

  • Genesis 2:15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
  • Genesis 3:24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
  • Genesis 4:9 Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
  • Genesis 17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility.
  • Genesis 17:10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised.
  • Genesis 18:19 I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”
See every passage

Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).