אָמַר5287 H0559
To say, speak, tell; to think inwardly; to declare or proclaim formally
The verb אָמַר is the primary word for speech in the Hebrew Bible, introducing direct discourse thousands of times with the formulaic וַיֹּאמֶר ('and he said'). Beyond ordinary speech, it can turn inward to describe thought or private deliberation — 'I said in my heart' — a usage attested from Genesis through the Psalms. In its rarest Hifil and emphatic forms, it rises to formal declaration or public proclamation, as when Israel 'declared' the LORD to be their God (Deut 26:17).
1. say, speak, tell — The Qal basic sense covering verbal communication in all its forms: saying, speaking, telling, commanding, answering, and introducing both direct and indirect speech. With over 5,290 occurrences, it is the default narrative speech verb from Gen 1:3 ('and God said') onward. Every target language maps it to its most common speech verb — 'dijo,' 'dit,' 'sprach' — with no semantic specialization required. 5297×
AR["فَقَالَ","وَ-قالَ","وَ-قَالَ","وَ-قَالَتْ","وَقَالَتْ"]·ben["আর-বলল","আর-বললেন","এবং-বলল","এবং-বললেন","এবং-সে-বলল","ও-বললেন"]·DE["und-er-sprach","und-sprach"]·EN["And-said","and-he-said","and-said","and-she-said"]·FR["Et-dit","et-dit","et-elle-dit","et-il-dit"]·heb["ו-אמר"]·HI["और-कह","और-कहा"]·ID["Dan-berfirmanlah","Dan-ia-berkata","dan-berkata","dan-ia-berkata"]·IT["E-disse","e-disse","e-egli-disse","e-ella-disse"]·jav["Lan-ngandika","Lan-ngendika","lan-matur","lan-ngandika","lan-ngendika","lan-panjenenganipun-ngendika"]·KO["그리고-말씀하셨다","그리고-말했다"]·PT["E-disse","e-disse"]·RU["И-сказал","И-сказала","и-сказал","и-сказала"]·ES["Y-dijo","y-dijo"]·SW["Na-akasema","na-akasema"]·TR["Ve-dedi","ve-dedi"]·urd["اور-کہا"]
Gen 1:3, Gen 1:29, Gen 3:10, Gen 4:1, Gen 6:3, Gen 9:17, Gen 17:1, Gen 18:23, Gen 18:32, Gen 21:24, Gen 22:7, Gen 22:16 (+38 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. say to oneself, think — An internalized use of אמר where the 'saying' is directed to oneself rather than another person — thinking, resolving, or deliberating silently. Often marked by the phrase בְּלִבִּי ('in my heart') or by context making external speech implausible. Examples include Gen 24:14 where Abraham's servant devises a test internally, and 1 Sam 28:8 where Saul reasons within himself. The multilingual glosses consistently show first-person forms ('dije,' 'J'ai dit,' 'ich sprach') without an addressee. 17×
AR["أقولُ","أَقُل","أَقُلْ","أَقُولُ","قُلتُ","قُلْتُ"]·ben["আমি-বলব","আমি-বললাম","আমি-বলি","আমি-বলেছি","আমি-বলেছিলাম","বলব","বললাম","বলেছিলাম"]·DE["ich-sage","ich-sprach","sprach"]·EN["I-said","I-say"]·FR["J'ai-dit:","Je-dire","dire","dire-moi","j'ai-dit","je-dis"]·heb["אומר","אומרי","אמר","אמרתי"]·HI["कहा-था","कहा-था-मैंने","कहा-मैंने","कहुनग","कहूँ","कहोओनग","मैं-कहता-हूँ","मैं-कहूँगा","मैंने-कहा","मैन-कहोओनग","सोचा-मैंने"]·ID["Aku berkata","Aku-berkata","Aku-katakan","Engkau-berkata","aku-berkata","aku-katakan"]·IT["dire","dire-mio","io-dire","io-dissi","io-dì"]·jav["Kawula-ngandika","Kula-ngandika","kawula-matur","kawula-ngandika","kula-matur","kula-ngandika","kula-ngendikani","kula-sampun-ngandika","ngandika","sampun-ngandika"]·KO["나의-말하기-가","내-가-말했네","내가-말하노라","내가-말하는","내가-말하였다","내가-말했다","말하리라","말하면","말한다-내가","말할","말했다","말했다-내-가","말했다-내가"]·PT["Disse","Eu-dizia","digo","direi","disse","disser","eu-disser"]·RU["-говорил-я","-скажу-я","Сказал-Я","Сказал-я","Я-сказал","говорил","говорил-я","говорила-я","скажу","скажу-я","сказал-Я","сказал-я"]·ES["Dije","digo:","dije","dijere","diré","os-dije","te-diga","te-dije"]·SW["Nilisema","Umesema","nikisema","nilisema","niliwaambia","nimekuambia","nitakuambia","nitamwambia","nitasema"]·TR["Dedim","dedim","dersem","desem","diyeceğim","soyledim","söyleyeceğim"]·urd["میں نے کہا","میں-نے-کہا","میں-نے-کہا-تھا","میں-کہوں","میں-کہوں-گا","کہا-تھا","کہوں","کہوں-گا"]
Gen 24:14, 1 Sam 16:3, 1 Sam 20:21, 1 Sam 20:22, 1 Sam 28:8, 1 Kgs 22:18, 2 Kgs 2:18, 2 Kgs 4:24, 2 Kgs 4:28, Job 7:13, Job 9:27, Job 32:7 (+5 more)
3. declare, proclaim — The Hifil stem and emphatic Qal usage where אמר means to declare publicly, proclaim, or formally announce — a speech act carrying authority or solemnity beyond ordinary conversation. Deut 26:17 uses the Hifil: Israel 'declared' (הֶאֱמַרְתָּ) the LORD to be their God. Ps 40:10 and 45:1 similarly feature public proclamation of God's righteousness and the psalmist's composition. Multilingual evidence shows vocabulary of declaration ('has declarado,' 'I have declared') rather than simple saying. 4×
AR["أَعْلَنْتَ","أَقولُ","قُلْتُ"]·ben["ঘোষণা-করেছ","বলি-আমি","বলেছি"]·DE["du-declared","sprach"]·EN["I-have-declared","I-recite","I-said","you-declared"]·FR["dire","j'ai-dit","tu-declared"]·heb["אומר","אמרתי","האמרת"]·HI["कहता-हूं","घोषणा-किया","मैंने-कहा","मैंने-घोषित-किया"]·ID["engkau-menyatakan"]·IT["la-mia-parola","parola","tu-declared"]·jav["kula-matur","panjenengan-pratelèkaken"]·KO["너는-선언하였다","말하도다","말하였나이다","말하였도다"]·PT["declaraste","digo","disse"]·RU["возвещал-я","говорю","повелел-признать"]·ES["digo","dije","has-declarado"]·SW["nimesema","ninasema","umetangaza"]·TR["dedim","ilan-ettin","söyledim","söylüyorum"]·urd["تو-نے-کہا","میں-نے-کہا","میں-کہتا-ہوں"]
Related Senses
G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)G4592 1. sign, miraculous sign (77×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אָמַר5287 vb. utter, say (MI Ph. אמר, Aramaic אֲמַר, Ethiopic አመረ I. 2 shew, declare, Arabic أَمَرَ command; perhaps √ אמר orig. = be or make prominent, hence Hithp. infr., אָמִיר; Sab. אמר lofty, epith. of king JHMordtmZMG 1876, 37; cf. DlPr 28 who thinks orig. meaning hell, sichtbar sein, whence Assyrian amâru, see & shew, declare, say)— Qal Pf. א׳ Gn 3:1 +, etc.; Impf. יֹאמַר Gn 31:8 +;…