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קָמָי (qa.may)

qa.may

(Leb)-kamai; to arise: rise; to arise: raise; to arise: establish; to arise: attack; to arise: guard

H6965 · Hebrew · Old Testament · 537 verses

H:V

Quick Reference

Language
Biblical Hebrew
Testament
Old Testament
Occurrences
537 verses
Root
—
Part of speech
H:V

Word Overview

The Hebrew verb qum means to rise, arise, or stand up. In the Old Testament it appears frequently in narratives where individuals or nations move from a state of rest into action. This movement is often sudden and decisive, marking a shift from inactivity to engagement with a specific task or challenge.

A notable nuance involves its use in hostile contexts. The sources highlight that qum often describes rising up against someone, carrying an idea of aggression or conflict. For example, in Jeremiah 51:1, the term appears in a compound form referring to adversaries who rise up. This usage underscores the word’s capacity to convey not just physical standing, but also the initiation of opposition or judgment.

The verb also extends into legal and covenantal language. Through its causative forms, qum can mean to establish, confirm, or fulfill something binding. When a promise is said to be "established," it implies that what was spoken is now brought into effect and stands firm. This range allows the word to bridge physical movement with spiritual or legal stability.

Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).

What This Word Means for Your Faith

The Hebrew word qum describes a decisive movement from stillness into action. It is not merely standing up; it is the moment life shifts direction. In Genesis 13:17, God tells Abraham to arise and walk through the land. This command marks a transition from waiting to stepping into a promise. The word carries weight because it implies readiness to engage with what lies ahead, whether that is a task of blessing or a challenge of conflict.

For your faith, this word offers comfort in uncertainty. When you feel stuck or passive, qum reminds you that God initiates movement. He establishes covenants and calls people to rise for specific purposes. You are not left in inertia. The text shows that rising is often the first step toward fulfilling a divine plan. It invites you to trust that your next steps are seen and supported by God.

This verb also speaks of stability. When God says He will establish His covenant, He uses the causative form of qum. What He sets up stands firm. You can rely on this unchanging nature. In seasons where everything feels temporary, remember that God’s promises do not fade. They are established to endure through generations.

How it's translated

How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 537 verses where it appears, by frequency.

  • and/ he arose85×
  • arise65×
  • and/ they arose28×
  • and/ she arose15×
  • arise/ !10×
  • and/ he set up10×
  • it will stand9×
  • and/ I will establish9×
  • he will arise6×
  • he arose6×
  • and/ arise6×
  • they rose5×

Forms in the text

The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.

  • וַ/יָּ֣קָם30×
  • וַ/יָּ֙קָם֙12×
  • וַ/יָּ֨קָם11×
  • וַ/יָּ֥קָם9×
  • ק֣וּם8×
  • וַ/יָּ֤קָם8×
  • ק֥וּם7×
  • וַ/יָּקָם֩7×
  • וַ/יָּ֖קָם7×
  • ק֥וּמִי6×
  • יָק֣וּם6×
  • וַ/יָּ֨קֶם6×

Key Verses

  • Genesis 13:17
    Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you.”

    God uses qum to command Abraham to move from a place of rest into active possession of the land, marking a decisive shift in his journey.

  • Genesis 6:18
    But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

    The verb appears in its causative form to describe God establishing a covenant, showing His power to set something firm and enduring.

  • Genesis 4:8
    Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.

    This occurrence highlights the word’s hostile nuance, describing Cain rising up against Abel, which illustrates the potential for conflict inherent in the act of arising.

  • Genesis 19:15
    When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.”

    Angels urge Lot to get up and leave Sodom, using qum to signal urgent action required for survival and deliverance from judgment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Hebrew word qum mean?

Qum means to arise, rise, or stand up. It describes moving from a state of rest into action. The word is used for physical rising, such as getting out of bed, and also for establishing covenants or initiating conflict.

How is qum different from other words for standing?

While other Hebrew words focus on remaining in place, qum emphasizes the act of rising or beginning to move. It often carries a sense of suddenness or purpose, marking a transition from inactivity to engagement.

Where does this word appear in the Bible?

It appears frequently throughout the Old Testament, including Genesis 13:17 where God tells Abraham to arise, and Genesis 6:18 where God establishes His covenant. It is also used in narratives of conflict, such as Cain rising against Abel.

Every Occurrence (537 verses across 34 books)

Genesis 49 verses
Genesis 4:8

Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his…

Genesis 6:18

But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’…

Genesis 9:9

“As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,

Genesis 9:11

I will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood. There will…

Genesis 9:17

God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the…

Genesis 13:17

Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you.”

Genesis 17:7

I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an…

Genesis 17:19

God said, “No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant…

Genesis 17:21

But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”

Genesis 18:16

The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.

Genesis 19:1

The two angels came to Sodom at evening. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them. He bowed…

Genesis 19:14

Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters, and said, “Get up! Get out of this…

Genesis 19:15

When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are…

Genesis 19:33

They made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father. He didn’t know when…

Genesis 19:35

They made their father drink wine that night also. The younger went and lay with him. He didn’t know when she lay down,…

Genesis 21:18

Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him with your hand. For I will make him a great nation.”

Genesis 21:32

So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into…

Genesis 22:3

Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son.…

Genesis 22:19

So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Genesis 23:3

Abraham rose up from before his dead and spoke to the children of Heth, saying,

Genesis 23:7

Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, to the children of Heth.

Genesis 23:17

So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all…

Genesis 23:20

The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham by the children of Heth as a possession for a burial…

Genesis 24:10

The servant took ten of his master’s camels, and departed, having a variety of good things of his master’s with him. He…

Genesis 24:54

They ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed all night. They rose up in the morning, and he said,…

Genesis 24:61

Rebekah arose with her ladies. They rode on the camels, and followed the man. The servant took Rebekah, and went his…

Genesis 25:34

Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 26:3

Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these…

Genesis 27:19

Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of…

Genesis 27:31

He also made savory food, and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Let my father arise, and eat of his…

Genesis 27:43

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran.

Genesis 28:2

Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of…

Genesis 31:13

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land,…

Genesis 31:17

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels,

Genesis 31:21

So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

Genesis 31:35

She said to her father, “Don’t let my lord be angry that I can’t rise up before you; for I’m having my period.” He…

Genesis 35:1

God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you…

Genesis 35:3

Let’s arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was…

Genesis 37:7

for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your…

Genesis 37:35

All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down…

Genesis 38:8

Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up…

Genesis 38:19

She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

Genesis 41:30

Seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will…

Genesis 43:8

Judah said to Israel, his father, “Send the boy with me, and we’ll get up and go, so that we may live, and not die,…

Genesis 43:13

Take your brother also, get up, and return to the man.

Genesis 43:15

The men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and got up, went down to Egypt, and…

Genesis 44:4

When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men.…

Genesis 46:5

Jacob rose up from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried Jacob, their father, their little ones, and their wives,…

Genesis 49:9

Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness.…

Exodus 19 verses
Leviticus 7 verses
Numbers 20 verses
Deuteronomy 29 verses
Joshua 20 verses
Judges 38 verses
Ruth 6 verses
I Samuel 39 verses
II Samuel 33 verses
I Kings 36 verses
II Kings 22 verses
I Chronicles 6 verses
II Chronicles 17 verses
Ezra 7 verses
Nehemiah 9 verses
Esther 8 verses
Job 21 verses
Psalms 27 verses
Proverbs 10 verses
Ecclesiastes 2 verses
Song of Solomon 4 verses
Isaiah 35 verses
Jeremiah 41 verses
Lamentations 3 verses
Daniel 2 verses
Hosea 2 verses
Amos 8 verses
Obadiah 1 verse
Jonah 6 verses
Micah 6 verses
Habakkuk 2 verses
Zephaniah 1 verse
Zechariah 1 verse