Lexical Summary
asham: To be guilty, to offend, to trespass
Original Word:אָשַׁם
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:asham
Pronunciation:ah-shahm
Phonetic Spelling:(aw-sham')
KJV: X certainly, be(-come, made) desolate, destroy, X greatly, be(-come, found, hold) guilty, offend (acknowledge offence), trespass
NASB:guilty, becomes guilty, become guilty, held guilty, condemned, acknowledge their guilt, bear their guilt
Word Origin:[a primitive root; to be guilty]
1. (by implication) to be punished or perish
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
Definitionto offend, be guilty
NASB Translationacknowledge 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
, (Arabic
,
id.,
sin, offence,
,
,
requital, fault, guilt, mulct, compare Ethiopic
) —
Leviticus 5:19;
Numbers 5:7;
Habakkuk 1:11 7t.;
Numbers 5:6;
Proverbs 30:10;
Ezekiel 22:4;
Leviticus 4:13;
ImperfectHosea 4:15 13t.;
Infinitive absoluteLeviticus 5:19;
Ezekiel 25:12; —
commit an offence, a trespass, do a wrong, oran injury, withhe hath done a great wrong to Yahweh (in violating the commands)Leviticus 5:19 (P);and he shall give it (restitution)to him to whom he did wrongNumbers 5:7 (P), compare 2 Chronicles 19:10 (twice in verse);and they committed lasting wrong (irreparable wrong, the Edomites against Judah)Ezekiel 25:12.
be orbecome guiltyJudges 21:22;Jeremiah 50:7;Hosea 4:15;Habakkuk 1:11; in offences requiring sin-offeringLeviticus 4:13,22,27 (P), of trespass-offeringLeviticus 5:2,3,17;Leviticus 5:23;Numbers 5:6 (P); withguilty ofLeviticus 5:4,5 (P), within orthroughEzekiel 22:4;Hosea 13:1.
be held guilty, bear punishmentPsalm 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 ).
suffer punishmentJoel 1:18 (si vera lectio; Me We and others , √ , compare Dron the passage).
Imperfect suffixdeclare them guiltyPsalm 5:11.
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Scopeאָשַׁם (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 inNumbers 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.
2. Uncertain transgression (Leviticus 5:17–19). Even possible guilt required atonement, underscoring the seriousness of holiness.
3. Social fraud or oppression (Leviticus 6:1–7). Restitution plus twenty percent preceded sacrificial atonement.
4. Purification of healed lepers (Leviticus 14:12–18, 24–25). The guilt offering restored the cleansed person to the covenant community.
5. Nazirite defilement (Numbers 6:12). A ram for guilt signified fresh dedication after an accidental corpse-contact.
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 (seeLuke 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.
In2 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.
2. Satisfaction: Divine justice is honored through both sacrifice and restitution.
3. Restoration: The offender is readmitted to worship and society.
4. Anticipation: The repeated offerings foreshadow a definitive atonement accomplished by Messiah.
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).
• Preaching the gospel benefits from the asham template: objective substitution, personal responsibility, and relational restoration.
• Pastoral care should weigh both vertical reconciliation with God and horizontal repair within the community.
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 yesheMu
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