Original Word: עָמַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: `amar
Pronunciation: ah-MAR
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-mar')
KJV: bind sheaves, make merchandise of
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) apparently to heap
2. (figuratively) to chastise (as if piling blows)
3. specifically (as denominative from H6016) to gather grain

bind sheaves, make merchandise of

A primitive root; properly, apparently to heap; figuratively, to chastise (as if piling blows); specifically (as denominative from omer) to gather grain -- bind sheaves, make merchandise of.

see HEBREW omer

[עִמֵּר] verb Pi`el denominative bind sheaves (Late Hebrew id., so ᵑ7 Psalm 129:7, compare Christian-Palestinian Aramaic Schw^{Idioticon 69}); — Participle מְעַמֵּר Psalm 129:7 (in simile; "" קוֺצֵר).

II. [עָמַר] verb Hithpa`el deal tyrannically with (ב) (Arabic cherish enmity, rancour, malice, III. plunge into a conflict, rancour, malice); — Perfect3masculine singular וְהִתְעַמֶּרֿ consecutive Deuteronomy 24:7; Imperfect2masculine singular תִּתְעַמֵּר Deuteronomy 21:14.

Root and Semantic Range

Although appearing only three times in the Old Testament, עָמַר supplies two complementary pictures. In agrarian speech it refers to binding or tying up harvested stalks (Psalm 129:7); in jurisprudential settings it describes binding a person by force—enslaving, trafficking, or treating as mere property (Deuteronomy 21:14; Deuteronomy 24:7). In both senses the core idea is the act of confining or controlling what has been gathered, whether grain or human life.

Occurrences in Canonical Context

1. Deuteronomy 21:14 addresses an Israelite who has taken a foreign woman captive in war and then wishes to send her away: “you must not sell her for money or treat her as merchandise”.
2. Deuteronomy 24:7 legislates capital punishment for kidnapping and human trafficking: “If a man is found kidnapping a fellow Israelite … and he enslaves him or sells him, that thief must die”.
3. Psalm 129:7 portrays the impotence of the wicked under divine judgment: “with which the reaper cannot fill his hands or the binder of sheaves his arms”.

Moral and Legal Implications in Deuteronomy

The two Deuteronomic laws stand as definitive reproofs of exploitation. By forbidding any commercial profit from a female captive (21:14) and prescribing death for the kidnapper-trafficker (24:7), the Torah defends the dignity and liberty of every person. The presence of עָמַר in both statutes underlines that any attempt to “bind” a human being for personal gain is an affront to the covenant community. Israel was reminded that they had been “slaves in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 24:18); therefore they were never to replicate Egyptian oppression in their own land.

Pastoral and Prophetic Echoes in Psalm 129

Psalm 129 is a corporate lament turned triumph, recounting Israel’s repeated afflictions and God’s faithful deliverance. The psalmist contrasts flourishing righteousness with chaff-like wickedness, declaring that evildoers will be as withered grass “on the rooftops” (Psalm 129:6). When harvest comes, the “binder of sheaves” (עֹמֵר) finds nothing to gather. Thus, the very act of binding that symbolizes oppression in Deuteronomy is inverted: the oppressor will himself be left with empty arms. The agricultural metaphor assures worshipers that God’s justice will strip the wicked of their ill-gotten power.

Christological and Redemptive Trajectory

The legal prohibitions against enslaving another prefigure the greater liberation accomplished by Jesus Christ. Where sin had “bound” humanity (Romans 6:6), Christ proclaims liberty to the captives (Luke 4:18). In the harvest imagery of Psalm 129 the New Testament sees a foretaste of the final judgment, when the Son of Man will send His angels to “gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin” (Matthew 13:41). Those who repent and trust in Him are gathered as wheat into His barn; those who persist in oppression are left empty-handed.

Application for Contemporary Ministry

• Opposing modern slavery: Human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual exploitation directly mirror the offenses condemned in Deuteronomy. The church must speak, pray, give, and act to free the bound.
• Valuing human dignity: Every ministry—prison outreach, refugee aid, foster care—should reflect God’s hatred of treating people as commodities and His delight in restoring their worth.
• Encouraging perseverance: Psalm 129 reassures believers suffering under oppressive systems that the Lord will ultimately leave their persecutors with nothing to show for their cruelty.
• Preaching freedom in Christ: As the word עָמַר moves from literal binding to metaphorical bondage, so the gospel moves from literal emancipation to spiritual liberation. Pastors can employ this rich semantic field to proclaim full salvation—body and soul—in the One who “always leads us in triumphal procession” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

וְהִתְעַמֶּר־ והתעמר־ מְעַמֵּֽר׃ מעמר׃ תִתְעַמֵּ֣ר תתעמר mə‘ammêr mə·‘am·mêr meamMer ṯiṯ‘ammêr ṯiṯ·‘am·mêr titamMer vehitammer wə·hiṯ·‘am·mer- wəhiṯ‘ammer-Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts