אָשֵׁם
𐤀𐤔𐤌
ʼâshêm
H818 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Self-incriminated, liable for wrongdoing, or bearing guilt resulting from a moral, legal, or ritual offense; by extension, describes status of a person, object, or community recognized as culpable, especially in religious or judicial contexts. May also denote the state of being obligated to make restitution or undergo prescribed penalty for the offense.
Semantic Range
guilty, liable to penalty, subject to punishment, responsible for offense, deserving of compensation or restitution, in a state of guilt
Root / Etymology
Root: אָשַׁם (ʼ-š-m), whose core meaning is 'to offend, commit a guilt, become liable, act wrongly.' אָשֵׁם is the Qal passive participle form, meaning 'guilty one' or 'one who has incurred guilt.' The form develops from the root’s sense of causation or entrance into liability, highlighting the state or status of guilt rather than the action itself.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אָשֵׁם appears primarily as an adjective or substantive in legal and ritual texts describing persons or states of ritual/moral offense. It frequently denotes one who is liable for reparations or sacrifice, and sometimes what is regarded as impure or illicit. In legal texts (e.g., Leviticus), it is associated with conditions demanding restitution or a prescribed guilt-offering (אָשָׁם, ʼāshām), though it is not itself the term for the offering. Notably, later English Bibles often substitute 'guilty,' 'liable,' or, in older traditions, even 'trespass.' The term does not always require demonstrated intent; it can indicate responsibility regardless of deliberate action. In the patriarchal and monarchic periods, it primarily reflects social, legal, or ritual culpability. In post-exilic texts, the nuance may blend ethical and ritual spheres, sometimes extending metaphorically to persons or groups deserving punishment. The term's scope is more legally precise than חָטָא (‘to sin, miss the mark’), in that אָשֵׁם captures the consequence (liability) rather than just the act.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אָשַׁם; guilty; hence, presenting asin-offering; one which is faulty, guilty.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אשם (ʾ-š-m) — to offend, become guilty, incur liability
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H816 | אָשַׁם | guilt-liability |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H818-01 |
אֲשֵׁמִ֣ים | ashemim | HAampa |
guilty | guilty ones | 1 |
H818-02 |
כְּ/אָשֵׁ֔ם | keashem | HR/Aamsa |
as a guilty one | as a guilty one | 1 |
H818-03 |
וַ/אֲשֵׁמִ֥ים | vaashemim | HC/Aampa |
and being guilty | and guilty ones | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H818-01 |
Genesis 42:21 | אֲשֵׁמִ֣ים | ashemim | HAampa |
guilty | guilty ones |
H818-02 |
2 Samuel 14:13 | כְּ/אָשֵׁ֔ם | keashem | HR/Aamsa |
as a guilty one | as a guilty one |
H818-03 |
Ezra 10:19 | וַ/אֲשֵׁמִ֥ים | vaashemim | HC/Aampa |
and being guilty | and guilty ones |