גַּם768 H1571
Also, too; even; both...and; indeed; neither/nor; because also — a versatile additive-scalar particle
This small but mighty Hebrew particle (gam) is the language's primary tool for addition, emphasis, and scalar assertion. At its simplest it means 'also' or 'too,' but context can push it toward the concessive 'even,' the correlative 'both...and,' the emphatic 'indeed,' or in negative environments 'neither/nor.' Its 769 occurrences touch nearly every genre and register of biblical prose. Multilingual evidence is especially revealing: where gam means 'even,' Swahili shifts from pia to hata, Korean from 또한 to 심지어, and Arabic from أيضًا to حتّى—scalar distinctions invisible in English but crisp in other languages.
6. indeed, yea (emphatic) — Emphatic affirmative 'indeed, yea, truly,' expressing strong assertion rather than mere addition. Cross-linguistic evidence is revealing: Hindi हाँ (yes), Swahili Naam (yes), Korean 참으로 (truly), Arabic بل (rather/indeed). In Ps 19:11–13 the psalmist uses gam to underscore the surpassing worth of God's ordinances. 6×
AR["أَيْضًا","أَيْضًا-","بَلْ-","جَمْ-"]·ben["এও-","এমনকি-","হ্যাঁ","হ্যাঁ-"]·DE["auch","auch-"]·EN["Indeed","also","also-","indeed","moreover-"]·FR["aussi"]·heb["גם","גם-"]·HI["भी-","हाँ","हाँ-","हां"]·ID["Juga","Juga-"]·IT["anche"]·jav["Inggih","Ugi","Ugi-"]·KO["또한","또한-","참으로","참으로-"]·PT["Também","também-"]·RU["Также-","даже","также","также-"]·ES["También","también"]·SW["Naam","Pia"]·TR["Evet","Evet-","hem","hem-","hem-de"]·urd["بلکہ","بھی","بے-شک"]
▼ 6 more senses below
Senses
1. also, too — The default additive sense: 'also, too, in addition.' Eve 'gave also to her husband' (Gen 3:6); Abel 'also brought' an offering (Gen 4:4). With 693 occurrences this is the overwhelming majority use. Cross-linguistically uniform—Spanish también, Hindi भी, Arabic أيضًا, Swahili pia, Korean 또한—confirming a simple inclusive-addition reading. 693×
AR["أَيْضًا","أَيْضًا-","فَ-أَيْضًا"]·ben["আরো","এও","এও-","ও","ও-"]·DE["auch","auch-"]·EN["also","also-","both","even"]·FR["aussi","aussi-","même","tous-deux"]·heb["גם"]·HI["तो-भि-","भि","भि-","भी","भी-"]·ID["Juga","juga","juga-"]·IT["anche","anche-","both","persino"]·jav["ugi","ugi-"]·KO["또한","또한-","역시-"]·PT["Também","também","também-"]·RU["и","также","также-"]·ES["también","también-"]·SW["Pia","na-nikaponya","pia","pia-","taifa"]·TR["Ayrıca","Hem-","ayrıca","ayrıca-"]·urd["بھی","تو-بھی"]
2. even, so far as — Scalar or concessive 'even, so far as,' marking an unexpected or extreme case on a scale of likelihood. Multilingual evidence is diagnostic: Swahili shifts to hata (not pia), Korean to 심지어 (not 또한), Arabic occasionally to حتّى, and Spanish to aun (not también). This scalar force appears prominently in Lev 26:44 ('and even for all that') and Deut 12:31. 39×
AR["أيْضًا-","أَيضًا","أَيْضًا","أَيْضًا-","جَمْ"]·ben["আরও-","এও","এমনকি","এমনকি-","সেই","হ্যাঁ"]·DE["auch","sogar"]·EN["Even","Even-","also","also-","even","even-","neither-"]·FR["aussi","même"]·heb["גם","גם-","גם־"]·HI["भी","भी-"]·ID["Bahkan","Bahkan-","Juga-","bahkan","bahkan-","juga"]·IT["anche","perfino"]·jav["Malah","Ugi","Ugi-","malah","sanajan","ugi","ugi-"]·KO["또한","또한-","실로","심지어"]·PT["Ainda-que","Até","Mesmo-","Também","até","mesmo","também","também-"]·RU["Даже","Также-","даже","даже-","также","также-"]·ES["Aun","Aun-","También","aun","también"]·SW["Hata","Hata-","hata"]·TR["Ayrıca-","Hatta","Hem-","Hem-de-","Ne-","ayrıca","ayrıca-","bile","evet","evet-","hatta","hem-","hem-de"]·urd["اگرچہ","بلکہ-","بھی","پھر-بھی","ہاں"]
Lev 26:24, Lev 26:44, Deut 12:31, Deut 23:2, Deut 23:3, Ruth 1:12, 2 Sam 17:12, 2 Sam 17:13, 2 Sam 19:30, 1 Kgs 14:14, Neh 4:3, Ps 14:3 (+27 more)
3. both...and (correlative) — The correlative paired construction 'both...and' (gam...gam), linking two parallel elements. Spanish tanto...como, Swahili wote, and Hindi चाहे mark it distinctly from simple addition. Deut 32:25 uses the pair to encompass 'both the young man and the virgin,' while 1 Sam 2:26 applies it to favor with 'both the LORD and men.' 15×
AR["أيضًا","أيْضًا-","أَيْضاً","أَيْضًا","أَيْضًا-","لاَ-","لِـ-","وَلاَ-","وَلِـ-"]·ben["আরও","আরও-","আরো-","এমনকি","এমনকি-"]·DE["auch","beide","beide-","both","both-","noch","und","und-","und-auch","weder"]·EN["and","and-","and-also","both","both-","neither","nor"]·FR["aussi","both","both-","et","et-","et-aussi","les-deux","les-deux-","ni"]·heb["גם","גם-","גם־"]·HI["चाहे","भी","भी-"]·ID["baik-","juga","juga-","maupun-"]·IT["ambedue","ambedue-","anche","e","e-","e-anche","entrambi","entrambi-","né"]·jav["bangsa","mirengna","ugi","ugi-"]·KO["또한","또한-"]·PT["Tanto","como","quanto","também","também-","tanto"]·RU["и","и-","также"]·ES["como","como-","también","también-","tanto","tanto-"]·SW["Wote","hakujakuwa","kama-wewe","kwa","na-pia","pia","pia-","wote"]·TR["Hem-de-","de-oğlun","hem","hem-","hem-de-","oğlunun"]·urd["بھی","بھی-"]
Deut 32:25, Deut 32:25, Judg 8:22, Judg 8:22, 1 Sam 2:26, 1 Sam 25:16, 1 Sam 25:16, 2 Sam 16:23, 2 Sam 16:23, 1 Kgs 3:13, 1 Kgs 3:13, 1 Kgs 3:26 (+3 more)
4. rhetorical-interrogative also/even — Rhetorical or genuine interrogative 'also?/even?' within questions, expressing surprise or incredulity. Identified by question particles across languages: Hindi क्या, Arabic هل, Spanish ¿acaso también? The famous 'Is Saul also among the prophets?' (1 Sam 10:11–12; 19:24) and Hagar's astonished 'Have I also here seen?' (Gen 16:13) are paradigmatic. 8×
AR["أَلَا-أَيْضًا","أَيْضًا","هَلْ-أيْضًا","هَلْ-أَيْضًا","هَلْ-أَيْضًا-"]·ben["এমনকি-","কি","কি-আবার","কি-আরও","কি-ও","সত্যই-কি"]·DE["auch","auch-","der-auch","habe-auch","ist-auch"]·EN["also","also-","have-also","indeed-even","is-also","will-he-also"]·FR["aussi","aussi-","avoir-aussi","der-aussi","est-aussi","le-aussi"]·heb["גם","ה-גם","ה-גם-","הֲ-גַם"]·HI["क्य-भि","क्य-सच-मे","क्या-भी","क्या-भी-","क्या-यह-भी","क्या-सच","क्या-सचमुच"]·ID["apakah-juga","apakah-juga-","bukankah"]·IT["anche","anche-","avere-anche","il-anche","è-anche"]·jav["inggih-ugi","punapa-ugi","punapa-ugi-"]·KO["또한","또한-인가","정말로"]·PT["Também","poderá-também","também"]·RU["Также-ли","неужели-и","разве-также"]·ES["acaso-también","también","¿Acaso-también-","¿También","¿acaso-también","¿también"]·SW["Hata","Je-pia","je","je-hata","je-pia"]·TR["ayrıca-mı","ayrıca-mı-","da-mı","gerçekten-mi","hatta","hem-de-mi","yoksa"]·urd["کیا","کیا-بھی"]
5. neither, nor (negative) — Negative-polarity use meaning 'neither, nor' when occurring in negative contexts. Sharply distinguished cross-linguistically: Swahili wala, Spanish ni, Hindi न तो—all dedicated negative-conjunction forms rather than additive ones. Found in passages like 1 Sam 28:6 where the LORD answered Saul 'neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.' 7×
AR["أيضًا","أَيْضًا-"]·ben["-","উভয়","উভয়-"]·DE["auch","neither"]·EN["also","neither"]·FR["aussi","ni"]·heb["גם","גם-"]·HI["और-न-तो","न-तो","हअन","हअन-"]·ID["baik","juga-","maupun","maupun-"]·IT["anche","neither"]·jav["Ugi-","ugi","ugi-"]·KO["또한","또한-"]·PT["Também","também","também-"]·RU["даже","ни","ни-"]·ES["ni","ni-"]·SW["wala","wala-"]·TR["ayrıca-","ne","ne-"]·urd["بھی-","نہ","نہ-"]
7. because also (causal) — The rare causal compound בְּשַׁגַּם (beshagam) meaning 'because also, inasmuch as,' attested only in Gen 6:3 where God limits human lifespan. Spanish porque también, Hindi क्योनकि, Arabic لأنّه, and Swahili kwa sababu pia all converge on a causal reading, confirming this as a unique grammaticalized fusion of preposition, relative particle, and gam. 1×
AR["لِأَنَّهُ"]·ben["কারণ-ও"]·DE["da-auch"]·EN["in-that-also"]·FR["dans-ce-aussi"]·heb["ב-גם"]·HI["क्योनकि"]·ID["karena"]·IT["in-quello-anche"]·jav["amargi-ugi"]·KO["에-그것이-또한"]·PT["porque-também"]·RU["потому-что"]·ES["porque-también"]·SW["kwa-sababu-pia"]·TR["çünkü-ayrıca"]·urd["کیونکہ-بھی"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
גַּם768 adv. denoting addition, also, moreover, yea (Moab. id.: also Zinj. (Lzb250 Cooke166) prob. akin to √ جَمَّ; cf. جَمًّا (accus.) in a mass, altogether)— 1. also, moreover, emphasizing sometimes the thought of an entire sentence, but more usually the word immediately following, as Gn 3:6 וַתִּתֵּן גַּם לְאִישָׁהּ and gave also to her husband, v 27 and take also of the tree of life, 7:3;…