אָשֵׁם (a.shem)
a.shem
guilty
H:AQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:A
Word Overview
The Hebrew adjective ashem describes a state of being guilty or at fault, often carrying the specific legal implication that the offender is liable for restitution. It appears in only three verses across the Old Testament, appearing in Genesis 44:16 and twice in II Samuel 22:24. In these contexts, it signifies more than just moral blame; it points to a concrete obligation incurred by wrongdoing.
Its meaning is closely tied to the noun asham, which refers to the guilt offering prescribed in Levitical law. When someone is declared ashem, they are not merely sorry; they are identified as the party responsible for making things right through a specific ritual or payment. This word grounds abstract concepts of sin in tangible accountability and the requirement for repair.
Translators typically render ashem as "guilty" or "at fault," preserving the sense of liability. The rarity of its usage highlights its precision: it marks the moment when a person’s status changes from innocent to responsible, triggering the need for atonement or compensation. It serves as a linguistic marker for the transition from error to accountability.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ashem points to a heavy reality: when we wrong others, we incur a debt that cannot be ignored. In Genesis 42:21, Joseph’s brothers finally admit they are guilty for how they treated him. Their confession shows that true repentance begins with owning our specific failures rather than hiding from them.
This accountability is not meant to crush us but to lead us toward restoration. The Bible teaches that admitting fault is the first step in healing broken relationships. By facing our guilt honestly, we open the door for God’s grace to cover our debts and restore peace.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- like/ a guilty [person]1×
- and/ [being] guilty1×
- [are] guilty1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- כְּ/אָשֵׁ֔ם1×
- וַ/אֲשֵׁמִ֥ים1×
- אֲשֵׁמִ֣ים\׀1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 42:21
They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.”
This verse marks the brothers' painful realization that their past cruelty toward Joseph has consequences, showing ashem as a state of incurred liability for specific harm.
-
II Samuel 14:13
The woman said, “Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again his banished one.
The wise woman uses this term to challenge King David, arguing that his refusal to restore his son makes him personally liable for injustice against the people.
-
Ezra 10:19
They gave their hand that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.
Here ashem describes those who acknowledged their covenant breach by offering a ram, linking their guilt directly to the ritual requirement for atonement.