Hebrew word · H5997

עָמִית

'amitekha

neighbor

Fellow, associate, companion, neighbor. A rare word, found about a dozen times: all in Leviticus (5:21 twice; 18:20; 19:11, 15, 17; 24:19; 25:14 twice, 15, 17) except Zech 13:7 ('the man who is my associate').

Appears 12 times in 10 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

relation, neighbour, associate, fellow

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Leviticus 19:11

Range of meaning

Fellow, associate, companion, neighbor. A rare word, found about a dozen times: all in Leviticus (5:21 twice; 18:20; 19:11, 15, 17; 24:19; 25:14 twice, 15, 17) except Zech 13:7 ('the man who is my associate'). Probably related to 'am, 'people, kin-group', so its basic sense is a fellow member of your people.

Against the English

BSB/WEB/KJV/NIV 'one another', NASB/ESV-type 'neighbor'. These are fair. The word carries a sense of standing as equals and belonging together: the person you sit with at the gate and trade with in the market.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Leviticus it is used much like rea' ('neighbor', 19:13, 16, 18) and 'aḥ ('brother', 19:17). In Lev 25:14–17 it names the other party in land sales ('you shall not wrong one another'). The Greek translation (LXX) usually renders it plēsion, 'the one near', the same word Lev 19:18 uses for 'love your neighbor'.

From the study of Leviticus 19:17

Range of meaning

Fellow, associate, companion, someone in a close social or business relationship. It occurs about 12 times, nearly all in Leviticus (5:21 [Eng 6:2]; 18:20; 19:11, 15, 17; 24:19; 25:14–17), plus Zech 13:7, where God calls the struck shepherd "the man who is my associate."

Against the English

"Neighbor" (most versions) is acceptable, but to modern readers it suggests just the person next door. Amit means the person you deal with: you trade with him, entrust goods to him, live in community with him. "Fellow" (YLT) or "associate" is closer.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Leviticus amit appears in laws about deposits and fraud (5:21), fair trade (25:14), injury (24:19) and fair judgment (19:15). These are the places where relationships rub and grievances arise. The Septuagint translates it ho plēsion, "the one near," the same word later used in "love your neighbor."

From the study of Leviticus 19:15

Range of meaning

Fellow, associate, companion, peer: someone you are connected with in the community. It is a rare word, used about a dozen times, almost all in Leviticus (5:21; 18:20; 19:11, 15, 17; 24:19; 25:14–17). Outside Leviticus it appears only in Zech 13:7 ("the man who is my associate").

Against the English

KJV/BSB/WEB "neighbour", YLT "fellow". "Neighbour" is acceptable, but the word stresses peer relationship and belonging to the same community, not living next door.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Leviticus 19 it alternates with rea' ("neighbour, companion", 19:13, 16, 18) and "your brother" and "the sons of your people" (19:17–18). This builds up to "love your neighbour (rea') as yourself" in 19:18.

Where it appears

Leviticus · 11

  1. Leviticus 6:2 בַּעֲמִית֜וֹ עֲמִיתֽוֹ׃ <in> fellow citizen his, fellow citizen his

    “If someone sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in regard to a deposit or security entrusted to him or stolen, or if he extorts his neighbor

    Here: 'To his fellow.' This is a fellow member of the community he deals with, and nearly every use of the word is in Leviticus. Paired with the verb, it means 'lies to' or 'deals falsely with' him.

  2. Leviticus 18:20 עֲמִֽיתְךָ֔ fellow citizen your

    You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.

  3. Leviticus 19:11 בַּעֲמִיתֽוֹ׃ with fellow citizen his

    You must not steal. You must not lie or deceive one another.

    Here: 'Against / with his fellow.' The preposition be- here marks the person wronged ('toward' or 'against'). 'Amit is a rare word, used almost only in Leviticus, for a fellow member of the community, someone you live and trade beside. It belongs to the most likely grammatical object of all three verbs, though most naturally to the last two.

  4. Leviticus 19:15 עֲמִיתֶֽךָ׃ fellow citizen your

    You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

    Here: "Your fellow": a peer, a fellow member of the community standing on the same level as you. The word nearly always appears in Leviticus, and it quietly puts poor and great on equal footing as simply "your fellow".

  5. Leviticus 19:17 עֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ fellow citizen your

    You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him.

    Here: "Your fellow." A rare word, found almost only in Leviticus. It means someone you live alongside and deal with: a neighbor, a business partner, a fellow member of the community. It puts the reproof inside everyday relationships.

  6. Leviticus 24:19 בַּעֲמִית֑וֹ on fellow citizen his

    If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him:

  7. Leviticus 25:14 לַעֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ to fellow citizen your, fellow citizen your

    If you make a sale to your neighbor or a purchase from him, you must not take advantage of each other.

    Here: 'To your fellow'. The word is rare and almost only found in Leviticus. It means a fellow member of the people, someone you stand alongside in the covenant community. It is more than the man next door. The 'your' is singular: each person is addressed directly.

  8. Leviticus 25:15 עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ fellow citizen your

    You are to buy from your neighbor according to the number of years since the last Jubilee; he is to sell to you according to the number of harvest years remaining.

    Here: "Your fellow": a fellow member of your own people. Verse 14 pairs it with "his brother." It puts the sale inside the covenant family, not on an open market among strangers.

  9. Leviticus 25:17 עֲמִית֔וֹ fellow citizen his

    Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

    Here: 'His fellow', someone who stands on the same footing as you: a fellow member of the covenant people, your counterpart in a transaction. Rare word, found almost only in Leviticus' legal sections. It stresses that the person you are tempted to cheat is your equal and kin before God.

Zechariah · 1

  1. Zechariah 13:7 עֲמִיתִ֔י community my

    Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.

    Here: 'My fellow' or 'my associate'. Outside Leviticus the word appears only here. In Leviticus it means a fellow member of the community, someone you deal with on equal footing and owe fairness to. Yahweh uses it to call this shepherd someone who stands right beside him.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.