Lexical Definition

‎גַּם‎ gam (gam) also ^H:Conj
by contraction from an unused root meaning to gather

again, alike, also, (so much) as (soon), both (so)...and, but, either...or, even, for all, (in) likewise (manner), moreover, nay...neither, one, then(-refore), though, what, with, yea.

• properly, assemblage
• used only adverbially also, even, yea, though
• often repeated as correl. both...and

1) also, even, indeed, moreover, yea
1a) also, moreover (giving emphasis)
1b) neither, neither...nor (with negative)
1c) even (for stress)
1d) indeed, yea (introducing climax)
1e) also (of correspondence or retribution)
1f) but, yet, though (adversative)
1g) even, yea, yea though (with 'when' in hypothetical case)
2) (TWOT) again, alike

See Greek: ἀληθῶς

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎גַּם‎₇₆₈ adverb denoting addition, also, moreover, yea (Moabite id., also Zinjirli (Lzb²⁵⁰ Cooke¹⁶⁶); probably akin to √ ; compare (accusative) in a mass, altogether) —

1. also, moreover, emphasizing sometimes the thought of an entire sentence, but more usually the word immediately following, as Gen 3:6 ‎וַתִּתֵּן גַּם לְאִישָׁהּ‎ and gave also to her husband, vGen 3:27 and take also of the tree of life, Gen 7:3; Gen 19:21; Gen 24:19; Gen 26:21; Gen 29:27; Gen 30:15; Gen 32:21* (‎גַּם הִגֵּה ֗֗֗ ‎: so Esth 7:9) Gen 48:11; Exod 8:28*; Exod 12:32b Deut 1:37; 1Sam 28:20; 2Sam 11:12; 2Kgs 9:27; Isa 7:13 +. Often before pronouns, Gen 4:4 ‎וְהֶבֶל הֵבִיא גַם הוּא‎ and Abel, he also brought, Gen 20:5 ‎וְהִיאגַֿםהִֿוא‎ (so only here) and she herself also, vGen 20:6; Gen 27:31 ‎וַיַּעַשׂ גַּם הוּא‎, Gen 30:8; Deut 3:20; Judg 3:31; Judg 6:35; Judg 9:19; 1Sam 19:20-24; Jer 12:6; Jer 48:26 etc. (compare MI⁶ ‎ויאמר גם הא‎): especially in genealogies of J (Bu^{Urg. 220}) Gen 4:22; Gen 4:26; Gen 10:21; Gen 19:38; Gen 22:20; Gen 22:24 compare Judg 8:31. ‎גַּם‎ followed by pronoun also begins a sentence with emphasis in an elevated style, thou (they) also, Isa 14:10; Jer 12:6 (twice in verse); Jer 48:7; Ezek 16:52; Nah 3:11 (twice in verse). After a pronoun in an oblique case (Ges^{«GKC:135»§ 135}, 2) Gen 27:34; 1Sam 19:23; 2Sam 17:5; Jer 25:14; Jer 27:7 +. ‎וְגַם‎ and also (more often than ‎גַּם‎ alone attaching a sentence) Gen 6:4; Gen 14:16; Gen 15:14; Gen 17:16; Gen 20:12; Gen 24:14; Gen 24:46; Gen 30:6; Gen 37:7; Gen 38:24; Gen 42:28; Exod 2:19; Exod 3:9; Exod 4:14; Josh 7:11 (5 t.) 1Sam 4:17; 1Kgs 21:19 + often; with a negative = neither Exod 5:2; Exod 34:3 and elsewhere — ‎גַּם ֗֗֗ גַּם‎ (like et ... et) both ... and Gen 44:16; Gen 47:3; Gen 47:19; Num 18:3; Jer 51:12; Ps 49:3* +: ‎גַּם ֗֗֗ גַּם‎ ‎֗֗֗ גַּם‎ Gen 24:25; Judg 8:22; Eccl 9:6: with a negative neither ... nor Num 23:25; 1Sam 20:27; 1Kgs 3:26, and (3 t.) Gen 43:8; Exod 4:10; 1Sam 28:6. So (but seldom) ‎גַּםוְ֗֗֗גַם‎ Gen 24:44; Gen 1:26; Gen 12:14; Gen 26:25: with negative 1Sam 21:9*. — *N.B. In poetry independence and emphasis is sometimes given by ‎גַּם‎ to a new idea, where in English we should be satisfied with and: Ps 107:5; Ps 137:1; Job 24:19; Song 7:14**; Lam 4:15.

2. with stress on a particular word, even, Exod 4:9; Num 22:33 ‎גַּם אוֺתְךָ‎ even thee I had slain, and kept her alive, 2Sam 17:10; Jer 2:33; Ps 132:12; Prov 14:13 even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, vProv 14:20; Prov 17:28; Prov 20:11; Ruth 2:15; Neh 3:35* and so often after ‎כִּי‎, Deut 12:31 for even their sons they burn in the fire to their gods, 1Sam 22:17; Isa 26:12; Jer 6:11; Jer 12:6; Jer 14:5; Hos 9:12 ‎כִּיגַֿםאֿוֺי לָהֶם‎ for even woe is it to them when I depart from them; ‎הֲגַם‎ Gen 16:13; 1Sam 10:11; 1Sam 10:12 = 1Sam 19:24; 1Kgs 17:20; Ps 78:20; Job 41:1*; Esth 7:8. Other cases: — 1Sam 24:12* ‎רְאֵה גַּם רְאֵה‎ see, yea see ! (but Hup^{Qu. Job vi.} ‎גַּם רָאֹה‎: compare below) Ps 118:11; Job 2:10 ‎גַּם אֶתהַֿטּוֺב נְקַבֵּל‎ shall we receive good (emphatic) from God and not evil ? Job 21:7 interposed once between a substantive and adjective Gen 20:4 gentemne etiam justam interficies? emphasizing ‎כֹּל‎, Deut 28:61; Judg 9:49b 1Sam 22:7 ‎גַּםֿ‎ ‎לְכֻלְּכֶם‎ to all (emphatic) of you will he give ...? 2Sam 19:31* ‎גַּם אֶתהַֿכֹּל יִקָּ֑ח‎ yea, the whole let him take! Isa 26:12 ‎אֶחָד‎ 2Sam 17:12b and we will not leave ‎גַּם אֶחָד ֗֗֗ ‎ even one (similarly v2Sam 17:13 b), Ps 14:3 (= Ps 53:4*) ‎אֵין גַּם אֶחָד‎; an infinitive or cognate accusative attached to a verb, Gen 31:15; Gen 46:4; Num 11:15; Num 16:13; 1Sam 1:6. ‎גַּם שְׁנֵיהֶם‎ literally even both i.e. the one as well as the other (German alle beide) is said idiomatically, Gen 27:45 (‎שְׁנֵיכֶם‎), Deut 22:22; Deut 23:19*; 1Sam 25:43 (‎שְׁתֵּיהֶן‎), Prov 17:15; Prov 20:10; Prov 20:12; Ruth 1:5.

3. introducing a climax, yea, especially in a rhetorical style, Gen 27:33; Deut 23:3*; Deut 23:4*; Judg 5:4 (twice in verse); Isa 13:3; Isa 14:8; Isa 43:13 yea, from to-day I am the same, Isa 44:12 ‎גַּם רָעֵב‎ yea, he is hungry, and has no strength, Isa 47:3; Isa 48:8 (3 t. in verse); Isa 57:7; Jer 46:16; Jer 48:2; Jer 51:44; Hos 7:9; Ps 41:10*; Ps 84:7*; Ps 139:12; Isa 66:8 ‎כִּיחָֿ֫לָה גַּםיָָֽֿלְדָה‎, ‎צִיּוֺן אֶתבָּֿנֶיהָ‎, Jer 5:28; Jer 12:2; Ezek 24:5; Job 21:7; Song 8:1: emphasizing an extreme, or aggravated, case, yea, even, Isa 49:15 yea, these may forgot, Jer 8:17 yea, the stork knoweth, etc., Isa 23:12 ‎גַּם שָׁם‎ even there no rest shall be for thee (so Ps 139:10), Isa 49:25; Isa 57:6; Jer 23:11b; Mal 3:15; Ps 84:4*.

4. expressing correspondence, especially in the matter of retribution (the ‎גַּם‎ correlativum), so frequently ‎גַּם אֲנִי‎, ‎גַּם אָנֹכִי‎ I also (on my part): — Gen 20:6 I also [as well as thyself] know that thou hast done this innocently, Josh 24:18; Judg 2:21; 1Sam 1:28 (compare Dr) 1Sam 28:22 ‎גַּם אַתָּה‎ thou also (as I have done v1Sam 28:21), 2Sam 12:13 ‎׳‎‎י‎ also [responding to thy confession] hath removed thy sin, 2Kgs 2:3; 2Kgs 2:5; Isa 31:2; Isa 66:3-4 (‎גם ֗֗֗ גם‎, emphasizing the action of both parties), Jer 2:36; Jer 4:12 now will I also [in correspondence with their deeds] speak judgments with them, Jer 7:11; Jer 51:49 (‎גם ֗֗֗ גם‎), Ezek 5:8; Ezek 5:11; Ezek 16:43 (‎וְגַם‎ = therefore also), Ezek 23:35; Hos 4:6 because thou hast forgotten the direction of thy God, I also (on my part) will forget thy children, Ps 52:7* (thou lovest evil, etc.) ‎גַּם‎ ‎אֵל יִתָּצְךָ‎ God also (on his part) will pluck thee up, Ps 71:22; Ps 133:1; Prov 1:26; Job 7:11; Job 12:3; Job 16:4 so ‎וְגַם‎ Judg 2:3; Amos 4:6; Amos 4:7; Mic 6:13; Mal 2:9. In the apodosis (uncommon): Gen 13:16 if a man could number the dust of the earth, ‎גַּם זַרְעֲךָ יִמָּנֶה‎ thy seed also should be numbered, Jer 31:36; Jer 31:37; Jer 33:21; Jer 33:26; Zech 8:6. The correspondence is sometimes of the nature of a climax: Gen 27:33; Gen 30:8 I have wrestled, ‎גַּם יָכֹלְתִּי‎ (compare 1Kgs 22:22 ‎וְגַם תּוּכָ֔ל‎, Jer 50:24), Isa 66:8.

5. connecting two ideas which express (or imply) a contradiction, ‎גַּם‎ acquires sometimes an adversative force (compare ‎אַף‎ 1 end), yet, but, though: Ps 95:9 they tried me, but also (Che) saw my work (namely of judgment), Ps 129:2; Jer 6:15 = Jer 8:12; Ezek 20:23; Eccl 4:8; Eccl 4:16; Eccl 5:18*; Neh 6:1. So ‎וְגַם‎ Ezek 16:28; Ezek 20:15; Eccl 3:13; Eccl 6:7; Neh 5:8.

6. ‎גַּם כִּי‎ (with imperfect) yea, when Lam 3:8, even when Prov 22:6 yea though (stating an imagined case) Isa 1:15; Hos 8:10; Hos 9:16; Ps 23:4 (so ‎גַּם אִם‎ Eccl 8:17); also (is it) that Ruth 2:21 (see ‎כִּי‎ 1 d). ‎כִּי גַם‎ = for even (see above 2); = though even, although (conceding a fact) Eccl 4:14 (see De) Eccl 8:12.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References