H816 — אָשַׁם (asham)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H816
Original: אָשַׁם
Transliteration: ʼâsham
Pronunciation: aw-sham'
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Root: Primitive root; noun H817 אָשָׁם and feminine noun H819 אַשְׁמָה derive from this root
Occurrences: 32 unique verses (42 tokens) across 13 books
First Occurrence: Lev 4:13 — "And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD... and are guilty"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to be guilty; by implication to be punished or perish: certainly, be(-come, made) desolate, destroy, greatly, be(-come, found, hold) guilty, offend (acknowledge offence), trespass.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Qal	33	be guilty, offend, trespass, become desolate
Niphal	1	be made desolate (Joel 1:18)
Hiphil	1	declare guilty, condemn (Ps 5:10)

The verb is overwhelmingly Qal (94%). The Qal perfect forms dominate in Leviticus legal formulas ("and is guilty"), while Qal imperfect forms appear primarily in prophetic texts (Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel). The single Niphal (Joel 1:18, of flocks "made desolate") and single Hiphil (Ps 5:10, "Destroy thou them" — causative: make them bear guilt) are both exceptional.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
guilty / be guilty / is guilty	~10	31%
offend / offended	~5	16%
trespass / trespassed	~4	13%
desolate / become desolate	~5	16%
destroy	1	3%
certainly (trespassed)	1	3%
faulty / found faulty	1	3%
acknowledge offence	1	3%
Other	~4	12%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hosea	5	2.5
Habakkuk	1	1.8
Joel	1	1.4
Leviticus	10	1.2
Zechariah	1	0.5
Numbers	2	0.2
Judges	1	0.2
Ezekiel	3	0.2
Isaiah	1	0.1
2 Chronicles	1	0.1
Psalms	3	0.1
Proverbs	1	0.1
Jeremiah	2	0.1

Concentrated in Leviticus (cultic-legal: 31% of all uses) and the prophets (Hosea, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah). Highest density in Hosea where guilt is a major theme. Entirely absent from the historical narratives (Samuel, Kings), wisdom literature (Job, Ecclesiastes), and most Pentateuchal narratives outside Leviticus-Numbers.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Legal/Cultic Guilt — Becoming Liable Before God¶

The dominant sense in Leviticus: a person incurs guilt by violating a commandment, often unwittingly, and must bring an offering. - Lev 4:13 — "the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance... and are guilty (asham)" - Lev 5:2 — "if a soul touch any unclean thing... and it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty (asham)" - Lev 5:4 — "if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good... and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty (asham)" - Lev 5:17 — "if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden... though he wist it not, yet is he guilty (asham)"

2. Moral/Relational Offense — Sinning Against God or Neighbor¶

Used outside ritual law for offenses against God's covenant or against other people. - Jer 2:3 — "all that devour him shall offend (asham); evil shall come upon them" - Jer 50:7 — "their adversaries said, We offend (asham) not, because they have sinned against the LORD" - Hos 13:1 — "when Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended (asham) in Baal, he died" - Hab 1:11 — "then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend (asham), imputing this his power unto his god"

3. Acknowledging Guilt — Confession and Accountability¶

Used for recognizing or being found in a state of guilt. - Hos 5:15 — "till they acknowledge their offence (asham), and seek my face" - Hos 10:2 — "now shall they be found faulty (asham)" - Zec 11:5 — "whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty (asham)" - Pro 30:10 — "Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty (asham)"

4. Desolation as Consequence of Guilt¶

A secondary sense where guilt results in devastation — the verb shades from "be guilty" into "bear the consequences (desolation)." - Isa 24:6 — "therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate (asham)" - Hos 13:16 — "Samaria shall become desolate (asham); for she hath rebelled against her God" - Eze 6:6 — "the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate (asham)" - Joel 1:18 — "the flocks of sheep are made desolate (asham)" [Niphal — the only passive form]

5. Imprecatory/Judicial Condemnation¶

Rare Hiphil use: causative — to hold or declare guilty, to condemn. - Ps 5:10 — "Destroy them (ha'ashimem), O God; let them fall by their own counsels" [Hiphil imperative — "declare/hold them guilty"] - Ps 34:21 — "evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (asham)" - Ps 34:22 — "none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (asham)"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
עָשָׂה (asah)	H6213	9x (28%)	"done somewhat against the commandments... and is guilty" — guilt triggered by action
חָטָא (chata)	H2398	6x (19%)	"sin... and be guilty" — sin and guilt paired as cause-effect
נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh)	H5315	6x (19%)	"if a soul (nephesh)... and is guilty" — Levitical formula for individual liability
אֶחָד (echad)	H259	6x (19%)	"guilty in one of these things" — specifying which commandment violated
מִצְוָה (mitsvah)	H4687	5x (16%)	"commandments of the LORD... and are guilty" — guilt defined against the mitsvot
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrael)	H3478	5x (16%)	National-level guilt: "congregation of Israel... are guilty"
עָלַם (alam)	H5956	4x (12%)	"hid from him... and is guilty" — hidden/unwitting nature of the offense

Word Family / Cognates¶

H817 אָשָׁם (asham) — masculine noun: guilt, guilt-offering, trespass offering (46 occurrences). The sacrificial-technical term: "trespass offering" in Lev 5–7, 14, 19; Isa 53:10 "when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin (asham)."
H818 אָשֵׁם (ashem) — adjective: guilty, faulty (3 occurrences: Gen 42:21, 2 Sam 14:13, Ezra 10:19).
H819 אַשְׁמָה (ashmah) — feminine noun: guilt, guiltiness, trespass, offense (19 occurrences). Concentrated in Ezra 9–10 and 2 Chronicles 28 — national/corporate guilt language.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
חָטָא (chata)	H2398	"offend," "sin," "trespass"	chata = miss the mark, the act of sinning; asham = the state of guilt incurred, liability before God
שָׁמֵם (shamem)	H8074	"desolate," "be desolate"	shamem = devastation/stunned emptiness (92v, primary desolation word); asham = desolation as consequence of guilt (secondary sense, ~5v)
חָרַב (charab)	H2717	"desolate," "waste"	charab = physical drying up, parching, destruction (40v); asham = moral guilt leading to ruin
יָשַׁם (yasham)	H3456	"be desolate"	yasham = lie waste (rare, 4v); same semantic overlap as shamem but much rarer

Semantic Domain¶

[002003003014] Guilty — Other words in domain: H817 אָשָׁם, H818 אָשֵׁם, H819 אַשְׁמָה, H2398 חָטָא, H2399 חֵטְא, H2400 חַטָּא

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
ἁμαρτάνω (hamartano)	G264	9	5.15	Primary rendering — "to sin"; maps asham's guilt-sense to the broader Greek sin concept
λανθάνω (lanthano)	G2990	3	7.47	"to be hidden" — captures the unwitting/hidden dimension of asham offenses
ἐντολή (entole)	G1785	5	4.27	"commandment" — co-occurs in passages about transgressing commandments
ψυχή (psyche)	G5590	6	2.69	"soul" — co-occurs in "if a soul... be guilty" formulas
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)	G266	4	2.95	"sin" (noun) — renders the noun asham (H817) in some contexts

No single dominant Greek equivalent with co-occurrence >= 20. The LXX translators rendered asham variously, most often as hamartano (G264), losing the distinction between "sinning" (chata) and "incurring guilt" (asham).