עָמַד

From the study of Zechariah 3:1

Range of meaning

'Standing before' someone was the idiom for serving a superior: priests and Levites 'stand before Yahweh to minister' (Deuteronomy 10:8; 18:7), and courtiers stand before a king (1 Kings 10:8). It was also the idiom for appearing in court before a judge (Numbers 35:12; Deuteronomy 19:17). The 'right hand' was a set position in court. An accuser stood there against a defendant (Psalm 109:6), and a protector or advocate could stand there for him (Psalm 16:8; 109:31; 110:5).

Against the English

English 'standing before' and 'at his right hand' are accurate, but modern readers seldom hear either the service sense or the courtroom positions.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 109:6, 31 sets up the same contrast. An accuser stands at the defendant's right hand to condemn him (v. 6), but Yahweh 'stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who would condemn his life' (v. 31).

From the study of Genesis 43:15

Range of meaning

'To stand before' someone. It can describe simple physical position. Very often it is court and service language: to appear before a king for an audience or judgment, or to serve as a courtier, priest or prophet ('the LORD before whom I stand,' 1 Kings 17:1).

Against the English

'Stood before Joseph' (KJV/ESV/BSB) keeps the court nuance if readers notice it. NIV's 'presented themselves to Joseph' makes the formal audience explicit but loses the picture of standing.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 41:46: Joseph was thirty 'when he stood before Pharaoh.' Genesis 47:7: Jacob is 'made to stand before Pharaoh.' Deuteronomy 1:38 and 1 Samuel 16:21–22 use it of attendants serving a superior.

From the study of Isaiah 6:2

Range of meaning

Stand, take a position, stay, endure. In court and temple contexts, "stand before" or "stand over" means to attend or serve: servants stand while a master sits or eats (Genesis 18:8, Abraham "standing over them" while his guests eat; 1 Kings 10:8, Solomon's servants "who stand before you"). Priests and Levites "stand to minister" (Deuteronomy 10:8). In Micaiah's vision the host of heaven is "standing" by the enthroned Lord (1 Kings 22:19).

Against the English

"Stood" in English suggests feet planted on a floor, which seems to clash with "they were flying" in the same verse. NLT's "attending him" catches the court sense.

How it drifted

Not a change in the English word over time. English "stand" simply lacks the Hebrew sense of attending a ruler.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common across Hebrew court language. Ancient Near Eastern royal scenes show attendants standing beside or behind the seated king, sometimes holding fans or sunshades above him.