I. שָׁמַר 465 verb keep, watch, preserve (Late Hebrew
id.; Phoenician
שמר in proper name and (Punic) =
watchman; Tel Amarna
šimiru is perhaps
overseer (Canaanism), Wkl
No. 80, i. 23; Mandean
סמירא preserved Nö
M 46; compare Arabic
converse by night, stay awake (see Lag
BN 105); Ba
NB 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 Perfect 3rd person masculine singular שׁ׳ Genesis 37:11 +, etc.;
Imperfect 3rd person masculine singular יִשְׁמֹר 1 Samuel 2:9 +,
יִשְׁמָרֿ Jeremiah 5:24 +, suffix
3rd person masculine singular יִשְׁמְרֶנּוּ Exodus 21:29,
36;
3rd person feminine singular suffix
תִּשְׁמוּרֵ֑ם Proverbs 14:3 (read
תִּשְׁמְרוּם, see Ges
§ 47 g 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 Genesis 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.
נָצַר,
נָטַר, which see]:
1.
a. keep, have charge of, garden
Genesis 2:15 (J), ark
1 Samuel 7:1, property in trust
Exodus 22:6;
Exodus 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
הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹ֑כִי Genesis 4:9 (J),
שׁ׳ of sheep
1 Samuel 17:20,
הַכֵּלִים שׁ׳ 1 Samuel 17:22,
הַכְּגָדִים שׁ׳ 2 Kings 22:14;
2 Chronicles 34:22,
הַנָּשִׁים שׁ׳ Esther 2:3,
8,
15, compare
Esther 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
מִי 
and modern); in hostile sense,
אֶל הָעִיר (in siege)
2 Samuel 11:16,
חַטָאתִי עַל Job 14:16 (but read
תַּעֲבֹר with
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 [
Proverbs 21:23 ?], compare
Micah 7:5;
keep = protect, save, one's life,
נֶפֶשׁ Proverbs 13:3;
Proverbs 16:17;
Proverbs 19:16;
Proverbs 22:5, another's
Job 2:6; in Proverbs, accusative of person, subject wisdom,
Job 4:6 she shall preserve thee, compare (+
מִן of evil)
Job 6:24;
Job 7:5; especially participle
watch, watchman, of city
Isaiah 21:11 (twice in verse);
Isaiah 21:12;
Isaiah 62:5 (figurative),
Songs 3:3;
Songs 5:7 (twice in verse);
Psalm 127:1;
הַמֶּלֶף שׁ׳ (in temple)
Jeremiah 35:4 + (see
סַף),
הַמֶּלֶךְ בֵּית פֶּתַח הַשּׁ׳ 1 Kings 14:27 2 Chronicles 12:10,
הַשְּׁעָרִים שׁ׳ Nehemiah 13:22,
שֹׁמְרֵי הַבַּיִת (figurative)
Ecclesiastes 12:3;
שׁ׳ הַבַּיִת keep the house (of David's concubines) †
2 Samuel 15:16;
2 Samuel 16:21;
2 Samuel 20:3;
שֹׁמֵר הַכֵּלִים 1 Samuel 17:22,
הַבְּגָדִים שׁ׳ 2 Kings 22:14,
הַפַּרְדֵּם שׁ׳ Nehemiah 2:8,
הַנָּשִׁים שׁ׳ Esther 2:3,
14,
15,
שֹׁמְרִים absolute
Judges 7:19;
Jeremiah 51:12.
2.
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;
לְֿפִי מַחְסוֺם אֶשׁ׳ Psalm 39:2 (
Du and others
אָשִׁימָה); apparently reflexive (=
Niph.), †
Joshua 6:18 (+
מִןהַֿחֵרֶס), possibly sc.
גַפְשְׁכֶם Di.
3.
c. of other obligations:
keep convenant
Ezekiel 17:14, especially convenant of
י׳ Deuteronomy 29:8;
1 Kings 11:11 +
5 times,
שְׁבֻעַת י׳ 1 Kings 2:43,
perform vow
Deuteronomy 23:24;
keep commands
Jeremiah 35:18;
Ezekiel 20:18; especially
מִצָוֺת,
תֻקִּים,
יֲבֹדָה, etc., of
י׳ (sometimes ||
נצר),
Exodus 20:6 =
Deuteronomy 5:10;
Amos 2:4;
1 Kings 2:3;
Psalm 119:8;
Psalm 119:17;
Psalm 119:34 + very often (about +
120 times);
דֶּרֶח י׳ שׁ׳ Genesis 18:19 (J) +
4 times,
דַּרְכֵי י׳ 2 Samuel 22:22 =
Psalm 18:22,
י׳ ד׳ omitted
Judges 2:22b;
אָרְחוֺת צַדַּיקִים שׁ׳ Proverbs 2:20 (||
תֵּלֵח תְּלֵח בְּדֶרֶח טוֺבֹים),
שׁ׳ דְּרָכַי (ways of wisdom)
Proverbs 8:32 (
Psalm 17:4 see
1d);
keep discharge an office,
כְּהֻנָּה Numbers 3:10;
Numbers 18:7 (both P), absolute
2 Chronicles 5:11; a function or duty, especially
מִשְׁמֶרֶת שׁ׳ Leviticus 8:35;
Numbers 1:53 + approximately +
32 times (see
מ׳ below); accusative of obligation often omitted, especially D (and R
D)
keep and do Deuteronomy 4:6;
Deuteronomy 7:12 +
8 times;
to do Deuteronomy 5:1,
29 +
16 times D +
3 times, etc.
d. observe = follow dictates of (prudence, justice, kindness, wisdom)
Hosea 12:7 (
וּמִשְׁפָּט חֶסֶד),
Isaiah 56:1;
Proverbs 4:4;
Proverbs 5:2;
Proverbs 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 Bu
Comm.;
Psalm 59:10 read
עֻוִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֲזַמֵּ֑רָה (as Psalm 59:18,
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 +
10 times Psalms; +
מִן Psalm 121:7 +
2 times; accusative
רַהְּלַי 1 Samuel 2:9, compare
Proverbs 3:26 (
מִן);
Participle שֹׁמְרֶ֑ךָ Psalm 121:3;
Psalm 121:5, compare
Psalm 121:4, etc.; accusative of city
Psalm 127:1.
Niph.36 Perfect 3rd person masculine singular נִשְׁמַד 2 Samuel 20:10, etc.;
Imperfect 3rd person feminine singular תִּשָּׁמֵד Judges 13:13;
2nd person masculine plural תִּשָּׁמַ֑רוּ Exodus 23:13;
Imperative masculine singular
תִּשָּׁמֵד Isaiah 7:4 (לְךָ) הִשָּׁ֫מֶר 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
פֶּן lest Genesis 24:6 (J) +
11 times (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 times), especially in phrase
הִשָּׁמֶרלְֿךָ (
12 times),
הִשָּֽׁטְרוּ לָכֶם (
3 times); +
לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם Deuteronomy 4:15;
Joshua 23:11 (R
D; + 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).
†3. be kept, guarded,
Hosea 12:14 (compare
שׁ׳ of Jacob
Hosea 12:13); be preserved (by
י׳)
Psalm 37:28 (
לִיוֺלָם), but read probably
עַוָּלִים (לְעוֺלָם) נִשְׁמָ֑דוּ Hup-Ri (Now) Che Bae Du Dr.
†
Pi. Participle plural
מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵישָֿׁוְא Jonah 2:9 those paying regard to false vanities (compare Qal
Psalm 31:7).
†
Hithp. Imperfect 1st person singular וָאֶשְׁתַּסֵּר מֵעֲוֺנַי Psalm 18:24 I kept myself from, etc. =
2 Samuel 22:24 (verb cohortative);
3rd person masculine singular וְיִשְׁתַּמֵּר חֻקּוֺת עָמְרִי Micah 6:16, but read
וְתִשְׁמֹר thou keepest, observest, We Now GASm.
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