Lexical Summary asham: To be guilty, to offend, to trespass Original Word: אָשַׁם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance certainly, become, made desolate, destroy, greatly, become, found, hold guilty, Or mashem {aw-shame'}; a primitive root; to be guilty; by implication to be punished or perish -- X certainly, be(-come, made) desolate, destroy, X greatly, be(-come, found, hold) guilty, offend (acknowledge offence), trespass. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to offend, be guilty NASB Translation acknowledge their guilt (1), bear their guilt (1), became guilty (1), become guilty (3), becomes guilty (4), certainly guilty (1), condemned (2), desolate (1), did wrong (1), found guilty (1), go (1), guilty (9), held guilty (3), hold them guilty (1), incurred grievous guilt (1), suffer (1), unpunished* (1), wronged (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs אָשַׁם, אָשֵׁם verb offend, be guilty (Arabic  , id.,  sin, offence,  ,  , requital, fault, guilt, mulct, compare Ethiopic  ) — אָשַׁם Leviticus 5:19; Numbers 5:7; אָשֵׁם Habakkuk 1:11 7t.; אָֽשְׁמָה Numbers 5:6; אָשָׁ֑מְתָּ Proverbs 30:10; אָשַׁמְתְּ Ezekiel 22:4; אָשֵׁ֑מוּ Leviticus 4:13; Imperfect יֶאְשַׁם Hosea 4:15 13t.; Infinitive absolute אָשֹׁם Leviticus 5:19; אָשׁוֺם Ezekiel 25:12; — 1 commit an offence, a trespass, do a wrong, or an injury, with אָשֹׁם אָשַׁם ליהוה ׃לְ he hath done a great wrong to Yahweh (in violating the commands) Leviticus 5:19 (P); וְנָתַן לַאֲשֶׁר אָשַׁם לוֺ and he shall give it (restitution) to him to whom he did wrong Numbers 5:7 (P), compare 2 Chronicles 19:10 (twice in verse); וַיֶאְשְׁמוּ אָשׁוֺם and they committed lasting wrong (irreparable wrong, the Edomites against Judah) Ezekiel 25:12. 2 be or become guilty Judges 21:22; Jeremiah 50:7; Hosea 4:15; Habakkuk 1:11; in offences requiring sin-offering Leviticus 4:13,22,27 (P), of trespass-offering Leviticus 5:2,3,17; Leviticus 5:23; Numbers 5:6 (P); with ל guilty of Leviticus 5:4,5 (P), with ב in or through Ezekiel 22:4; Hosea 13:1. 3 be held guilty, bear punishment Psalm 34:22; Psalm 34:23; Proverbs 30:10; Isaiah 24:6; Jeremiah 2:3; Hosea 5:15; Hosea 10:2; Hosea 14:1; Zechariah 11:5; Ezekiel 6:6 (but compare שָׁמֵם). Niph`al נֶאְשָׁמוּ suffer punishment Joel 1:18 (si vera lectio; Me We and others נָשַׁמּוּ, √ שׁמם, compare Dron the passage). Hiph`il Imperfect suffix הַאֲשִׁימֵם declare them guilty Psalm 5:11. Topical Lexicon Definition and Scope אָשַׁם (asham) designates both a condition of culpability and the sacrificial remedy for that culpability. It is used for (1) the inward state of guilt that arises when covenant boundaries are crossed and (2) the specific “guilt offering” prescribed to remove that guilt and restore fellowship with the LORD and neighbor. Canonical Distribution The word occurs about thirty-five times. The greatest concentration is in Leviticus (chapters 5–7; 14; 19; 22), with additional occurrences in Numbers 5:8; 6:12; 1 Samuel 6; 2 Kings 12:16; Ezra 10:19; Psalms 68:22; Isaiah 53:10; Hosea 5:15; Micah 6:7, and scattered wisdom and prophetic texts. These appearances span Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and Prophets, giving the concept both ritual and moral breadth. Cultic Function in Leviticus Leviticus distinguishes the guilt offering from the sin offering. While the sin offering deals primarily with purification from defilement, the guilt offering focuses on specific acts that violate God’s holiness or injure fellow humans—and demands reparative action. 1. Sacred desecration (Leviticus 5:15–16). Offenders were to bring an unblemished ram and add “a fifth of its value” to recompense what was misappropriated. Blood from the ram was dashed against the altar; parts were burned, and the breast and thigh became priestly portions, signifying that reconciliation extended to worshipping community and priesthood alike. Restitution and Social Justice Asham intertwines worship and ethics. Wronging a neighbor desecrates divine holiness (Leviticus 6:2, “to act deceitfully against the LORD”). Genuine repentance therefore requires tangible restitution. The twenty-percent surcharge served both as penalty and incentive, illustrating that true repentance bears fruit (see Luke 19:8 for New-Covenant resonance). National and International Dimensions 1 Samuel 6 records Philistine recognition that plagues stemmed from offending Israel’s God. Their “five golden tumors and five golden mice” were sent back “as a guilt offering to the LORD” (1 Samuel 6:3–5). Here asham highlights that Yahweh’s moral governance extends beyond Israel. In 2 Kings 12:16 temple administrators were required to utilize asham funds strictly for cultic upkeep, reflecting continuing concern for proper stewardship of offerings. Prophetic and Messianic Significance Isaiah 53:10 applies the term to the Servant: “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and when He makes His soul an offering for guilt, He will see His offspring; He will prolong His days”. The singular, personal asham supplied by the Servant furnishes a once-for-all atonement that fulfills and eclipses all earlier rams. This anticipates New Testament testimony: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24) and “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Micah 6:7 stresses that multiplying rams without heart obedience cannot buy off guilt: “Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams…? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” Empty ritual is rejected; the prophetic remedy is humble covenant faithfulness (Micah 6:8). Theology of Asham 1. Substitution: The ram dies in place of the guilty. Implications for Christian Ministry • Confession and restitution remain inseparable. The cross cancels sin’s penalty yet calls believers to make right what is wrong (Matthew 5:23–24; Philemon 18). Selected References Leviticus 5:6; 5:15–19; 6:1–7; 7:1–7; 14:12–18; Numbers 6:12; 1 Samuel 6:3–18; 2 Kings 12:16; Ezra 10:19; Psalms 68:22; Isaiah 53:10; Hosea 5:15; Micah 6:7. Forms and Transliterations אָשַׁ֖ם אָשַׁ֗מְתְּ אָשַׁ֥ם אָשֹׁ֥ם אָשׁ֖וֹם אשום אשם אשמת הַֽאֲשִׁימֵ֨ם ׀ האשימם וְאָֽשְׁמָ֖ה וְאָשֵֽׁם׃ וְאָשֵֽׁמוּ׃ וְאָשֵׁ֑ם וְאָשֵׁ֖ם וְאָשֵׁם֒ וְאָשָֽׁמְתָּ׃ וְיֶאְשְׁמ֜וּ וַֽיֶּאְשְׁמ֖וּ וַיֶּאְשְׁמ֥וּ וַיֶּאְשַׁ֥ם ואשם ואשם׃ ואשמה ואשמו׃ ואשמת׃ ויאשם ויאשמו יֶ֝אְשְׁמ֗וּ יֶאְשְׁמ֖וּ יֶאְשְׁמוּ֙ יֶאְשַׁ֖ם יֶאְשָֽׁמוּ׃ יֶאְשָׁ֑מוּ יֶאְשָׁ֔מוּ יאשם יאשמו יאשמו׃ נֶאְשָֽׁמוּ׃ נֶאְשָׁ֑ם נאשם נאשמו׃ תֶּאְשַׁם֙ תֶּאְשָֽׁמוּ׃ תֶאְשָֽׁמוּ׃ תאשם תאשמו׃ ’ā·šam ’ā·šamt ’ā·šō·wm ’ā·šōm ’āšam ’āšamt ’āšōm ’āšōwm aSham aShamt aShom ha’ăšîmêm ha·’ă·šî·mêm haashiMem ne’·šā·mū ne’·šām ne’šām ne’šāmū neSham neShamu te’·šā·mū ṯe’·šā·mū te’·šam te’šam te’šāmū ṯe’šāmū teSham teShamu vaiyeSham vaiyesheMu veaShameta veaShem veasheMah veaShemu veyesheMu way·ye’·šam way·ye’·šə·mū wayye’šam wayye’šəmū wə’āšāmətā wə’āšêm wə’āšəmāh wə’āšêmū wə·’ā·šā·mə·tā wə·’ā·šə·māh wə·’ā·šê·mū wə·’ā·šêm wə·ye’·šə·mū wəye’šəmū ye’·šā·mū ye’·šam ye’·šə·mū ye’šam ye’šāmū ye’šəmū yeSham yeShamu yesheMuLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 4:13 HEB: לֹא־ תֵעָשֶׂ֖ינָה וְאָשֵֽׁמוּ׃ NAS: not to be done, and they become guilty; KJV: [concerning things] which should not be done, and are guilty; INT: not to be done become Leviticus 4:22 Leviticus 4:27 Leviticus 5:2 Leviticus 5:3 Leviticus 5:4 Leviticus 5:5 Leviticus 5:17 Leviticus 5:19 Leviticus 5:19 Leviticus 6:4 Numbers 5:6 Numbers 5:7 Judges 21:22 2 Chronicles 19:10 2 Chronicles 19:10 Psalm 5:10 Psalm 34:21 Psalm 34:22 Proverbs 30:10 Isaiah 24:6 Jeremiah 2:3 Jeremiah 50:7 Ezekiel 6:6 Ezekiel 22:4 35 Occurrences |
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