a primitive root; properly, apparently to heap; figuratively, to chastise (as if piling blows); specifically (as denominative from עֹמֶר); to gather grain; bind sheaves, make merchandise of.
### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **ʻâmar**, represented by `{{H6014}}`, is a primitive root with meanings that range from agricultural labor to human exploitation. Its base definition includes concepts like to **gather grain**, **bind sheaves**, and to **make merchandise of**. It appears only **3 times** in **3 unique verses**, making each instance highly significant.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the Law, `{{H6014}}` is used to establish severe prohibitions against the commodification of people. It forbids a man from making **merchandise** of a captive woman he no longer desires, because he has humbled her [[Deuteronomy 21:14]]. The law is even more severe in the case of kidnapping, stating that anyone who steals a fellow Israelite and **maketh merchandise** of him shall be put to death [[Deuteronomy 24:7]]. A different context appears in the Psalms, where the word is used literally to describe the one who **bindeth sheaves** as part of a harvest [[Psalms 129:7]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words clarify the contexts in which `{{H6014}}` is used:
* `{{H4376}}` **mâkar** (to sell): This action is explicitly prohibited alongside making merchandise of a person in the Law, highlighting the sin of treating a human being as a commercial good ([[Deuteronomy 21:14]], [[Deuteronomy 24:7]]).
* `{{H1589}}` **gânab** (to thieve): This is the criminal act of stealing a person that leads to the capital offense of making merchandise of him [[Deuteronomy 24:7]].
* `{{H7114}}` **qâtsar** (to reap): This word for a mower or reaper appears in parallel with the one who "bindeth sheaves," connecting `{{H6014}}` directly to its agricultural meaning of gathering a harvest [[Psalms 129:7]].
* `{{H6031}}` **ʻânâh** (to afflict, humble): This term provides the moral basis for the prohibition in [[Deuteronomy 21:14]]; because the captive woman has been humbled, she cannot be further degraded by being sold as merchandise.
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H6014}}` is centered on ethics and justice.
* **Prohibition of Human Trafficking:** The use of `{{H6014}}` in Deuteronomy establishes a clear legal and moral boundary against human commodification. Treating a person as merchandise is a grave sin, with the law demanding the death penalty for enslaving a fellow Israelite [[Deuteronomy 24:7]].
* **Protection of the Vulnerable:** The law specifically protects a humbled captive woman from being made merchandise of, underscoring a divine concern for the afflicted and exploited who cannot defend themselves [[Deuteronomy 21:14]].
* **Agricultural Judgment:** In Psalms, the inability of the mower and the one who **bindeth sheaves** `{{H6014}}` to achieve a full harvest illustrates a curse against the wicked, linking agricultural futility to divine judgment [[Psalms 129:7]].
### Summary
In summary, **ʻâmar** `{{H6014}}` is a term with a sharp ethical divide in its application. While it can refer to the neutral agricultural task of binding sheaves [[Psalms 129:7]], its primary weight in Scripture comes from its use in the Law. It forms the basis of a strict prohibition against treating people as property, forbidding one to **make merchandise** of another human being ([[Deuteronomy 21:14]], [[Deuteronomy 24:7]]). This rare word thus carries a powerful message about human dignity and the distinction between righteous labor and sinful exploitation.
TRV