עִמֵּר (im.mer)
im.mer
to bind; to tyranise
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb immér carries the primary sense of binding sheaves of grain together. In its basic Piel form, it describes the agricultural act of gathering and tying harvest bundles, a necessary step in securing the crop. This concrete image of collecting loose stalks into an organized unit provides the foundation for its rarer, more figurative usage.
In three specific occurrences across Deuteronomy and Psalms, the word shifts from farming to human interaction. Here it describes manipulating or dealing tyrannically with others, effectively treating them as slaves. The Hithpael stem intensifies this meaning, portraying a state of being bound or oppressed by another’s power. The connection lies in the loss of freedom: just as loose grain is bound and controlled, so too can people be subjected to harsh domination.
This word offers a stark contrast between orderly harvest and unjust control. While binding sheaves is a neutral or positive agricultural task, applying the same verb to human relations highlights the violence of coercion. Translators often render this difficult term as "tyrannize" or "oppress," capturing the heavy burden placed on those who are bound against their will.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word immer begins in the quiet fields of ancient agriculture, describing the practical act of binding harvested grain into neat bundles. This image of gathering loose stalks into an organized unit reflects order and provision. However, when this same verb appears in legal texts, it takes on a darker tone, describing the harsh treatment of people as if they were mere objects to be controlled.
In Deuteronomy, this word highlights the gravity of human trafficking and slavery. The law forbids treating a person with the cold efficiency used for binding sheaves, reminding us that every individual possesses inherent dignity and freedom. It serves as a solemn warning against reducing others to property or manipulating them for personal gain.
Yet, even in its most severe usage, the word points toward the value of liberty. By contrasting the neutral act of farming with the injustice of oppression, Scripture calls us to protect the vulnerable. We are invited to see every person not as something to be bound or used, but as a beloved image-bearer deserving of respect and kindness.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- you will treat as a slave1×
- and/ he will treat as a slave1×
- [one who] binds sheaves1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תִתְעַמֵּ֣ר1×
- מְעַמֵּֽר\׃1×
- וְ/הִתְעַמֶּר\־1×
Key Verses
-
Deuteronomy 24:7
If a man is found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he deals with him as a slave, or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
This verse uses the word to condemn kidnapping and slavery, establishing that treating a fellow Israelite as property is a capital offense requiring removal from the community.
-
Deuteronomy 21:14
It shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go where she desires; but you shall not sell her at all for money. You shall not deal with her as a slave, because you have humbled her.
Here the term prohibits selling a captive woman who is no longer desired, ensuring she is not treated like bound merchandise but allowed to leave freely.
-
Psalms 129:7
with which the reaper doesn’t fill his hand, nor he who binds sheaves, his bosom.
The psalmist uses the image of an empty hand in binding sheaves to symbolize a futile harvest, suggesting that enemies will gain nothing from their oppression.