5997. amith
Lexical Summary
amith: Companion, fellow, neighbor

Original Word: עָמִית
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `amiyth
Pronunciation: ah-MEETH
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-meeth')
KJV: another, fellow, neighbour
NASB: neighbor, another, companion, friend, associate, friend's, neighbor's
Word Origin: [from a primitive root meaning to associate]

1. companionship
2. hence (concretely) a comrade or kindred man

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
another, fellow, neighbor

From a primitive root meaning to associate; companionship; hence (concretely) a comrade or kindred man -- another, fellow, neighbour.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
an associate, fellow, relation
NASB Translation
another (2), associate (1), companion (2), friend (2), friend's (1), neighbor (3), neighbor's (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[עָמִית] noun masculineLeviticus 18:20 associate, fellow, relation (perhaps originally feminine abstract association, compare מֶּחָה); — always suffix: גֶּבֶר עֲמִיתִי Zechariah 13:7 a man (who is) my fellow; elsewhere only Leviticus: עֲמִיתוֺ Zechariah 5:21 (twice in verse); reciprocal אִישׁ בַּעֲמִיתוֺ Zech 19:11; Zech 24:19, cf . Zech 25:17; עֲמִיתְךָ Zech 18:20, עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ Zech 19:15; Zech 19:17; Zech 25:14 (twice in verse); Zech 25:15.

עַמִּיאֵל and similar proper names see below I. עמם.

Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and Concept

עָמִית (ʿāmît) designates a “fellow,” “associate,” or “companion” who stands on equal footing within the covenant community. The word always describes a peer‐to‐peer relationship in which mutual obligations are assumed. It is more personal than a mere “other person,” yet broader than an intimate friend. In Leviticus it points to the ordinary Israelite with whom one shares land, commerce, or social space; in Zechariah it rises to describe an exalted Companion standing next to the LORD Himself.

Distribution in Scripture

Twelve occurrences cluster in Leviticus (eleven times) and once in Zechariah:

Leviticus 6:2 (twice)
Leviticus 18:20
Leviticus 19:11, 15, 17
Leviticus 24:19
Leviticus 25:14 (twice), 15, 17
Zechariah 13:7

The concentration in Leviticus ties the term to the Holiness Code (Leviticus 17–26), where holiness is expressed not only in worship but in neighborly ethics. The solitary prophetic use in Zechariah endows the word with eschatological and messianic significance.

Ethical Mandates among the Covenant Community

In Leviticus 19:11 the LORD urgently links personal integrity with covenant loyalty: “You must not steal; you must not lie or deceive one another.” Betrayal of a peer is simultaneously a trespass against God (Leviticus 6:2). The repeated stress on one’s ʿāmît underscores that holiness is tested in ordinary dealings:

• Sexual purity: “You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife” (Leviticus 18:20).
• Judicial fairness: “Judge your neighbor fairly” (Leviticus 19:15).
• Relational honesty: “Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur sin on account of him” (Leviticus 19:17).
• Restorative justice: “If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him” (Leviticus 24:19).

Commercial Integrity and Social Justice

The Year of Jubilee legislation employs ʿāmît to prevent economic oppression:

“​If you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you are not to take advantage of one another” (Leviticus 25:14).

“You are to buy from your neighbor based on the number of years since the Jubilee” (Leviticus 25:15).

“You must not take advantage of each other, but you are to fear your God” (Leviticus 25:17).

Thus ʿāmît frames the marketplace as an arena for covenant faithfulness where profit must never eclipse the dignity of a fellow Israelite.

Relational Accountability and Conflict Resolution

Because an ʿāmît is a social equal, wrongs require honest confrontation and reparations, not harsh domination. Leviticus 6:2–5 details restitution with an added fifth, revealing God’s concern that damaged trust within the community be tangibly repaired.

Messianic Overtones in Zechariah 13:7

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My companion,” declares the LORD of Hosts. The application of ʿāmît to the Shepherd elevates the Companion to a unique status—distinct from yet alongside Yahweh. Jesus applies this verse to Himself on the eve of the crucifixion (Matthew 26:31), identifying His substitutionary suffering as the stricken Companion whose death scatters and eventually regathers the flock. The term therefore foreshadows the incarnation: God’s equal standing among His people to redeem them.

Continuity in New Testament Ethic

While the Hebrew term does not appear in Greek, its moral thrust echoes in commands such as “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) and “Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25). The church inherits Israel’s call to treat every brother and sister as an ʿāmît—an equal recipient of grace.

Implications for Christian Ministry

1. Interpersonal holiness: Discipleship must emphasize that sin against a fellow believer is sin against God.
2. Economic discipleship: Biblical stewardship resists exploitation and promotes Jubilee‐shaped generosity.
3. Restorative practice: Churches model covenant life by facilitating confession, restitution, and reconciliation.
4. Christological proclamation: The stricken Companion validates both the deity of Christ and His solidarity with humanity, providing the ultimate basis for loving one another.

In every context, עָמִית calls God’s people to honor one another, mirroring the faithfulness of the divine Companion who stood in our place.

Forms and Transliterations
בַּעֲמִית֑וֹ בַּעֲמִית֜וֹ בַּעֲמִיתֽוֹ׃ בעמיתו בעמיתו׃ לַעֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ לעמיתך עֲמִֽיתְךָ֔ עֲמִית֔וֹ עֲמִיתִ֔י עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ עֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ עֲמִיתֶֽךָ׃ עֲמִיתֽוֹ׃ עמיתו עמיתו׃ עמיתי עמיתך עמיתך׃ ‘ă·mî·ṯe·ḵā ‘ă·mî·ṯə·ḵā ‘ă·mî·ṯî ‘ă·mî·ṯōw ‘ămîṯeḵā ‘ămîṯəḵā ‘ămîṯî ‘ămîṯōw amiteCha amiTi amiTo ba‘ămîṯōw ba·‘ă·mî·ṯōw baamiTo la‘ămîṯeḵā la·‘ă·mî·ṯe·ḵā laamiTecha
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Englishman's Concordance
Leviticus 6:2
HEB: בַּיהוָ֑ה וְכִחֵ֨שׁ בַּעֲמִית֜וֹ בְּפִקָּד֗וֹן אֽוֹ־
NAS: and deceives his companion in regard to a deposit
KJV: and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered
INT: the LORD and deceives his companion to a deposit or

Leviticus 6:2
HEB: עָשַׁ֥ק אֶת־ עֲמִיתֽוֹ׃
NAS: [if] he has extorted from his companion,
KJV: or hath deceived his neighbour;
INT: or has extorted his companion

Leviticus 18:20
HEB: וְאֶל־ אֵ֙שֶׁת֙ עֲמִֽיתְךָ֔ לֹא־ תִתֵּ֥ן
NAS: intercourse with your neighbor's wife,
KJV: carnally with thy neighbour's wife,
INT: about wife your neighbor's shall not have

Leviticus 19:11
HEB: תְשַׁקְּר֖וּ אִ֥ישׁ בַּעֲמִיתֽוֹ׃
NAS: lie to one another.
KJV: neither lie one to another.
INT: deal to one another

Leviticus 19:15
HEB: בְּצֶ֖דֶק תִּשְׁפֹּ֥ט עֲמִיתֶֽךָ׃
NAS: but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
KJV: shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
INT: fairly judge your neighbor

Leviticus 19:17
HEB: תּוֹכִ֙יחַ֙ אֶת־ עֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ וְלֹא־ תִשָּׂ֥א
NAS: reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur
KJV: rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer
INT: may surely reprove your neighbor shall not incur

Leviticus 24:19
HEB: יִתֵּ֥ן מ֖וּם בַּעֲמִית֑וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה
NAS: injures his neighbor, just
KJV: a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done,
INT: cause A blemish his neighbor he done

Leviticus 25:14
HEB: תִמְכְּר֤וּ מִמְכָּר֙ לַעֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ א֥וֹ קָנֹ֖ה
NAS: a sale, moreover, to your friend or
KJV: ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest
INT: make A sale to your friend or buy

Leviticus 25:14
HEB: קָנֹ֖ה מִיַּ֣ד עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ אַל־ תּוֹנ֖וּ
NAS: buy from your friend's hand,
KJV: or buyest [ought] of thy neighbour's hand,
INT: buy hand your friend's shall not wrong

Leviticus 25:15
HEB: תִּקְנֶ֖ה מֵאֵ֣ת עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר שְׁנֵֽי־
NAS: you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell
KJV: thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, [and] according unto the number
INT: the jubilee shall buy your friend to the number of years

Leviticus 25:17
HEB: אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־ עֲמִית֔וֹ וְיָרֵ֖אתָ מֵֽאֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ
NAS: one another, but you shall fear
KJV: one another; but thou shalt fear
INT: wrong one another shall fear your God

Zechariah 13:7
HEB: וְעַל־ גֶּ֣בֶר עֲמִיתִ֔י נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה
NAS: the man, My Associate, Declares
KJV: and against the man [that is] my fellow, saith
INT: and against the man my Associate Declares God

12 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5997
12 Occurrences


‘ă·mî·ṯə·ḵā — 5 Occ.
‘ă·mî·ṯî — 1 Occ.
‘ă·mî·ṯōw — 2 Occ.
ba·‘ă·mî·ṯōw — 3 Occ.
la·‘ă·mî·ṯe·ḵā — 1 Occ.

5996
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