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אָמָה

𐤀𐤌𐤄

ʼâmâh

H519 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אמה female servant, slave woman, attendant

Definition

Female servant or slave; generally denotes a woman of servile status within a household, often contrasted with a free woman or mistress (גְּבֶרֶת, geveret, or שִׁפְחָה, shiphchah in certain contexts). Also used as a self-designation reflecting humility before a superior. The semantic range includes female household slave, female attendant, and, in address, a humble form of self-reference by women.

Semantic Range

female household slave, female servant or attendant, female bondservant, woman of humble rank, self-designation of humility

Root / Etymology

Hebrew root: uncertain. Some scholars suggest affinity with the root אמן (to support, nourish), but this is not broadly accepted. More commonly considered a basic noun with no clear verbal root in Biblical Hebrew. The form is paralleled in other Semitic languages (cf. Akkadian amātu ‘female slave’).

Historical & Contextual Notes

אָמָה appears throughout the Hebrew Bible as a term for a woman in servitude, whether born into slavery or acquired. In the patriarchal and monarchic periods, an אָמָה could be assigned domestic duties and, in some contexts, bear children to her master (cf. Hagar in Gen 16; also see Exod 21:7–11 concerning the rights of female slaves). The word is at times used interchangeably with שִׁפְחָה (shiphchah), though subtle distinctions may exist: אָמָה is sometimes considered the more general or legal term, with שִׁפְחָה appearing more frequently as a handmaid or a wife’s servant. In poetry and polite speech, women occasionally refer to themselves as אָמָה before men or God as a gesture of humility (e.g., Gen 16:6, 1 Sam 1:18). The English term 'maidservant' or 'handmaid' does not fully capture the social and legal complexities of female servitude reflected in the term אָמָה. Later Jewish tradition sometimes treats אָמָה as a category within specific legal discussions distinct from שִׁפְחָה, but in the biblical period the distinction is not systematic. The term's scope narrows in post-biblical periods, with changing legal and social statuses under Persian, Hellenistic, and later Roman rule.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

apparently a primitive word; a maidservant or female slave; (hand-) bondmaid(-woman), maid(-servant).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

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Root Family

אמה (ʾ-m-h) — mother, foundational source, forearm length as measure

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H368 אֵימִים Terror-Ones
H4965 מֶתֶג הָאַמָּה the cubit-measure
H520 אַמָּה forearm-measure
H522 אַמָּה forearm-length unit
H524 אֻמָּה the people-groups

Word Forms

20 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H519-03 אֲמָתֶ֔/ךָ amatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your maidservant your female servant 16
H519-11 וַ/אֲמָֽתְ/ךָ֙ vaamatekha HC/Ncfsc/Sp2ms and your female servant and your female servant 8
H519-05 אֲמָת/וֹ֙ amato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his female slave his slave-woman 6
H519-09 לַ/אֲמָתְ/ךָ֖ laamatekha HR/Ncfsc/Sp2ms to your maidservant to your female servant 4
H519-07 הָ/אָמָ֥ה haamah HTd/Ncfsa of the slave woman the slave-woman 3
H519-18 וְ/אַמְהֹֽתֵי/הֶם֙ veamehoteyhem HC/Ncfpc/Sp3mp and their female servants and their female slaves 2
H519-13 וַ/אֲמָת/וֹ֙ vaamato HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his female servant and his slave-woman 2
H519-20 וְ/לַ/אֲמָתֶ֑/ךָ velaamatekha HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp2ms and for your handmaid and to your female servant 2
H519-08 הָ/אֲמָהֹ֖ת haamahot HTd/Ncfpa maidservants the female servants 2
H519-12 וַ/אֲמָתִ֑/י vaamati HC/Ncfsc/Sp1cs or my maidservant and my female servant 1

Occurrences in Scripture

56 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H519-16 Genesis 20:17 וְ/אַמְהֹתָ֖י/ו veamehotayv HC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms and his maidservants and his female servants
H519-07 Genesis 21:10 הָ/אָמָ֥ה haamah HTd/Ncfsa the slave woman the slave-woman
H519-07 Genesis 21:10 הָ/אָמָ֣ה haamah-2 HTd/Ncfsa of the slave woman the slave-woman
H519-03 Genesis 21:12 אֲמָתֶ֔/ךָ amatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your maidservant your female servant
H519-07 Genesis 21:13 הָ/אָמָ֖ה haamah HTd/Ncfsa of the slave woman the slave-woman
H519-04 Genesis 30:3 אֲמָתִ֥/י amati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my maid my female slave
H519-08 Genesis 31:33 הָ/אֲמָהֹ֖ת haamahot HTd/Ncfpa maidservants the female servants
H519-02 Exodus 2:5 אֲמָתָ֖/הּ amatah HNcfsc/Sp3fs her maidservant her female servant
H519-11 Exodus 20:10 וַ/אֲמָֽתְ/ךָ֙ vaamatekha HC/Ncfsc/Sp2ms and-maidservant-your and your female servant
H519-13 Exodus 20:17 וַ/אֲמָת/וֹ֙ vaamato HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms or his female servant and his slave-woman
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