Strong's Definition
a primitive word; a mother (as the bond of the family); in a wide sense (both literally and figuratively (like 1)
KJV Usage: dam, mother, X parting
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Hebrew Lexicon
אֵם (em) — mother. 1) mother 1a) of humans 1b) of Deborah's relationship to the people (fig.) 1c) of animals 2) point of departure or division
UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew
noun f
Relatives
mother = direct female progenitor; ≈ associated with affection and loyalty; often extended figuratively to refer to other objects that are regarded as feminine
GEN 2:24 · GEN 20:12 · GEN 21:21 · GEN 24:53 · GEN 24:55 · GEN 24:67 · GEN 24:67 · GEN 27:11 · GEN 27:13 · GEN 27:14 · GEN 27:14 · GEN 27:29 · GEN 28:2 · GEN 28:2 · GEN 28:5 · GEN 28:7 · GEN 29:10 · GEN 29:10 · GEN 29:10 · GEN 30:14 · GEN 32:12 · GEN 37:10 · GEN 43:29 · GEN 44:20 · EXO 2:8 · EXO 20:12 · EXO 21:15 · EXO 21:17 · EXO 22:29 · EXO 23:19 · EXO 34:26 · LEV 18:7 · LEV 18:7 · LEV 18:9 · LEV 18:13 · LEV 18:13 · LEV 19:3 · LEV 20:9 · LEV 20:9 · LEV 20:14 · LEV 20:17 · LEV 20:19 · LEV 21:2 · LEV 21:11 · LEV 22:27 · LEV 24:11 · NUM 6:7 · NUM 12:12 · DEU 5:16 · DEU 13:7 · DEU 14:21 · DEU 21:13 · DEU 21:18 · DEU 21:19 · DEU 22:6 · DEU 22:6 · DEU 22:7 · DEU 22:15 · DEU 27:16 · DEU 27:22 · DEU 33:9 · JOS 2:13 · JOS 2:18 · JOS 6:23 · JDG 5:7 · JDG 5:28 · JDG 8:19 · JDG 9:1 · JDG 9:1 · JDG 9:3 · JDG 14:2 · JDG 14:3 · JDG 14:4 · JDG 14:5 · JDG 14:6 · JDG 14:9 · JDG 14:16 · JDG 16:17 · JDG 17:2 · JDG 17:2 · JDG 17:3 · JDG 17:3 · JDG 17:4 · JDG 17:4 · RUT 1:8 · RUT 2:11 · 1SA 2:19 · 1SA 15:33 · 1SA 20:30 · 1SA 22:3 · 2SA 17:25 · 2SA 19:38 · 1KI 1:11 · 1KI 2:13 · 1KI 2:19 · 1KI 2:20 · 1KI 2:22 · 1KI 3:27 · 1KI 11:26 · 1KI 14:21 · 1KI 14:31 · 1KI 15:2 · 1KI 15:10 · 1KI 15:13 · 1KI 17:23 · 1KI 19:20 · 1KI 22:42 · 1KI 22:53 · 2KI 3:2 · 2KI 3:13 · 2KI 4:19 · 2KI 4:20 · 2KI 4:30 · 2KI 8:26 · 2KI 9:22 · 2KI 11:1 · 2KI 12:2 · 2KI 14:2 · 2KI 15:2 · 2KI 15:33 · 2KI 18:2 · 2KI 21:1 · 2KI 21:19 · 2KI 22:1 · 2KI 23:31 · 2KI 23:36 · 2KI 24:8 · 2KI 24:12 · 2KI 24:15 · 2KI 24:18 · 1CH 2:26 · 1CH 4:9 · 2CH 12:13 · 2CH 13:2 · 2CH 15:16 · 2CH 20:31 · 2CH 22:2 · 2CH 22:3 · 2CH 22:10 · 2CH 24:1 · 2CH 25:1 · 2CH 26:3 · 2CH 27:1 · 2CH 29:1 · EST 2:7 · EST 2:7 · JOB 1:21 · JOB 31:18 · PSA 22:10 · PSA 22:11 · PSA 27:10 · PSA 35:14 · PSA 50:20 · PSA 51:7 · PSA 69:9 · PSA 71:6 · PSA 109:14 · PSA 113:9 · PSA 131:2 · PSA 139:13 · PRO 1:8 · PRO 4:3 · PRO 6:20 · PRO 10:1 · PRO 15:20 · PRO 19:26 · PRO 20:20 · PRO 23:22 · PRO 23:25 · PRO 28:24 · PRO 29:15 · PRO 30:11 · PRO 30:17 · PRO 31:1 · ECC 5:14 · SNG 1:6 · SNG 3:4 · SNG 3:11 · SNG 6:9 · SNG 8:1 · SNG 8:2 · SNG 8:5 · ISA 8:4 · ISA 49:1 · ISA 66:13 · JER 15:8 · JER 15:10 · JER 16:3 · JER 16:7 · JER 20:14 · JER 20:17 · JER 22:26 · JER 52:1 · LAM 2:12 · LAM 2:12 · LAM 5:3 · EZK 16:3 · EZK 16:44 · EZK 16:45 · EZK 16:45 · EZK 22:7 · EZK 23:2 · EZK 44:25 · HOS 10:14 · MIC 7:6 · ZEC 13:3 · ZEC 13:3
Groups
Collocation: בֵּית אֵם
"mother's house" = mother's household = members of an extended family centered around one of the wives, together with other people associated with them, such as servants or slaves
Groups
mother > place of origin and sustenance = a nation or a city representing a nation, ◄ here compared to a mother, and its citizens to her children who are responsible for her well-being
ISA 50:1 · ISA 50:1 · JER 50:12 · EZK 19:2 · EZK 19:10 · HOS 2:4 · HOS 2:7 · HOS 4:5
Faithful
mother > faithful (town) = state in which a town is committed to fulfilling its obligations to the nation of which it is a part; ◄ here compared to a mother, who is considered a loyal and responsible part of a family
Roads
Collocation: אֵם הַדֶּרֶךְ
"the mother of the way" = the parting of a way = the place where a road splits into two or more other roads; ◄ here compared to a mother with multiple children
1 GEN 37:10 A special meaning "step-mother" here (HALOT, Holladay) is not required. 2 1KI 15:10 A special meaning "grandmother" has been suggested here (HALOT, Holladay | NAB, NIV, REB), due to apparent contradictions in the narrative. But see Cogan, 1 Kings, ad. loc.
UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon
אֵם 221 n.f. mother lit. (human) mother
fig. of Deborah as caring for her people
of animals, dam
= point of departure or division
base