סָמַר (sa.mar)
sa.mar
to bristle up
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb samar describes a physical reaction where hair stands on end or flesh shivers, often triggered by intense emotion. It captures that involuntary moment when fear or awe causes the body to bristle, much like the sensation of "goosebumps" in modern English. The sources note its use in Psalm 119:120, where the psalmist says his flesh bristles from fear of God’s judgments, linking the physical reaction directly to spiritual reverence.
Its rarity in Scripture, appearing only twice, gives it a specific weight. In Job 4:15, it describes a spirit passing by that causes hair to stand on end, emphasizing a chilling encounter with the divine or supernatural. The word does not describe anger or aggression, but rather a passive, visceral response to something overwhelming. Translators often render this as "shiver" or "creep," preserving the sense of physical trembling caused by profound respect or terror.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word samar describes a physical reaction where hair stands on end or flesh shivers, often triggered by intense emotion. It captures that involuntary moment when fear or awe causes the body to bristle, much like the sensation of "goosebumps" in modern English.
In Psalm 119:120, the psalmist says his flesh bristles from fear of God’s judgments, linking the physical reaction directly to spiritual reverence. Its rarity in Scripture, appearing only twice, gives it a specific weight. In Job 4:15, it describes a spirit passing by that causes hair to stand on end, emphasizing a chilling encounter with the divine or supernatural.
This word does not describe anger or aggression, but rather a passive, visceral response to something overwhelming. Translators often render this as "shiver" or "creep," preserving the sense of physical trembling caused by profound respect or terror. It reminds us that true reverence can shake us to our core.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- it trembles1×
- it made bristle1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תְּ֝סַמֵּ֗ר1×
- סָמַ֣ר1×
Key Verses
-
Job 4:15
Then a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my flesh stood up.
The word describes the hair standing on end during a chilling encounter with a spirit, emphasizing a visceral reaction to the supernatural.
-
Psalms 119:120
My flesh trembles for fear of you. I am afraid of your judgments. AYIN
The psalmist uses this term to describe his flesh trembling from fear of God's judgments, linking physical shivering directly to spiritual reverence.