6782. tsammim
Lexical Summary
tsammim: Desert creatures, wild beasts

Original Word: צַמִּים
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tsammiym
Pronunciation: tsam-meem'
Phonetic Spelling: (tsam-meem')
KJV: robber
NASB: schemer, trap
Word Origin: [from the same as H6777 (צַּמָּה - veil)]

1. a noose (as fastening)
2. (figuratively) destruction

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
robber

From the same as tsammah; a noose (as fastening); figuratively, destruction -- robber.

see HEBREW tsammah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as tsammah
Definition
perhaps a snare, trap
NASB Translation
schemer (1), trap (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
צַמִּים noun masculine doubtful word, usually snare, trap (from "" מַּח Job 18:9); — חֵילָם ׳וְשָׁאַף צ Job 5:5 and a snare snappeth at his wealth (so Bu BevJphil. xxvi. 304 f.; Vrss Di Du and most modern צְמֵאִים, or צָמֵא, the thirsty, sometiems with change ofוְשָׁאַף); Job 18:9 ("" מַּח; CheJq ix (1897), 578 צִירִים pangs, compare Isaiah 13:8).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Imagery

צַמִּים depicts a concealed, often spring-loaded snare set on the ground to seize an unsuspecting victim. The image invites thoughts of stealth, surprise, and inescapability. In the book of Job the figure is applied to the fate of the wicked whose own schemes recoil upon them.

Occurrences in Job

Job 5:5 shows the snare from the victim’s viewpoint: marauders strip a wicked man’s fields, and “the thirsty pant after his wealth.” The Hebrew places צַמִּים in parallel with the plunderers, suggesting a devouring force that stalks his substance the way a hidden trap stalks prey.

Job 18:9 speaks from the hunter’s side: “A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare holds him fast”. Here the word appears in climactic position among seven images of entrapment (net, snare, trap, rope, noose, snare, fire), emphasizing certainty of capture and the justice of God’s retribution.

Theological Themes

1. Divine recompense: Both verses belong to speeches stressing that evil is never finally secure. The snare motif assures hearers that God’s moral government remains intact, even when circumstances are ambiguous.
2. Human vulnerability: The snare is undetected until it is too late (compare Ecclesiastes 9:12). Pride blinds the wicked; humility keeps the righteous watchful (1 Corinthians 10:12).
3. Moral reversal: The hunter becomes the hunted. Similar reversals appear in Psalm 7:15-16 and Esther 7:10, reinforcing the principle that “whatever a man sows, he will reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Historical Background

Ancient trappers used spring poles, bent saplings, or noosed cords hidden under loose soil. The device relied on tension suddenly released, clamping the foot or heel. Such snares required intimate knowledge of animal paths—an apt metaphor for the calculated plots of the wicked and, ironically, for the precision of God’s judgment.

Broader Biblical Parallels

Although other Hebrew terms (מוֹקֵשׁ, פַּח, שַׁחַת) also denote snares, the imagery is consistent:
Psalm 91:3 promises deliverance “from the snare of the fowler.”
Proverbs 29:25 warns that “the fear of man is a snare.”
Isaiah 8:14-15 speaks of the Lord Himself as “a trap and a snare” to the rebellious nation.

Together these passages form a theology of entrapment: sin ensnares, idolatry ensnares, human scheming ensnares—but God both judges through snares and rescues His own from them.

Christological Reflection

At Calvary the forces of evil laid every possible trap for Jesus. Yet Acts 2:24 declares that “it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.” The resurrection broke the ultimate snare, providing believers with confidence that no device of Satan can finally imprison those who are “in Christ” (Romans 8:1).

Ministry Application

• Pastoral warning: hidden habits, unconfessed sins, and ungodly alliances function like ground-level snares. Regular self-examination (Psalm 139:23-24) keeps the path clear.
• Encouragement to sufferers: like Job, present distress does not cancel future vindication. The apparent success of wicked traps is temporary.
• Evangelistic appeal: unbelievers live amid invisible cords that will one day tighten (2 Timothy 2:26). The gospel proclaims the only sure deliverance.

Homiletic Insights

A sermon or study can trace the development of the snare motif from Job’s poetry through prophetic literature to New Testament fulfillment. Illustrations from modern wildlife trapping effectively convey the suddenness and violence of spiritual bondage, while testimonies of deliverance underscore the power of Christ to “set the captives free” (Luke 4:18).

Summary

צַמִּים paints a vivid portrait of unseen danger and inevitable justice. It warns the complacent, consoles the afflicted, and ultimately magnifies the God who both exposes and breaks every snare.

Forms and Transliterations
צַמִּ֣ים צַמִּֽים׃ צמים צמים׃ ṣam·mîm ṣammîm tzamMim
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Job 5:5
HEB: יִקָּחֵ֑הוּ וְשָׁאַ֖ף צַמִּ֣ים חֵילָֽם׃
NAS: it to a [place of] thorns, And the schemer is eager
KJV: of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up
INT: and take is eager and the schemer their wealth

Job 18:9
HEB: יַחֲזֵ֖ק עָלָ֣יו צַמִּֽים׃
NAS: [him] by the heel, [And] a trap snaps shut
KJV: [him] by the heel, [and] the robber shall prevail
INT: snaps and a trap

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6782
2 Occurrences


ṣam·mîm — 2 Occ.

6781b
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