Original Word: עֶצֶם
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: `etsem
Pronunciation: EH-tsem
Phonetic Spelling: (eh'tsem)
KJV: body, bone, X life, (self-)same, strength, X very
NASB: bones, bone, same, very, very same, body, bone of my bones
Word Origin: [from H6105 (עָצַם - To be strong)]
1. a bone (as strong)
2. by extension, the body
3. (figuratively) the substance, i.e. (as pron.) selfsame
From atsam; a bone (as strong); by extension, the body; figuratively, the substance, i.e. (as pron.) Selfsame -- body, bone, X life, (self-)same, strength, X very.
see HEBREW atsam
1 bone:
a. of living person Micah 3:2,3(hyperbole), Job 10:11; Job 19:20; Lamentations 4:8; Psalm 102:6; Ecclesiastes 11:5 +; figurative of close relationship עֶצָם מֵעֲצָמַי Genesis 2:23, compare Genesis 29:14 (both J), Judges 9:2; 2 Samuel 5:1 = 1 Chronicles 11:1; 2 Samuel 19:13; 2 Samuel 19:14 (all + בָּשָׂר).
b. ׳ע + בָּשָׂר = body, Job 2:5, plural = bodily frame Jeremiah 20:9 (simile), limbs, members, לַעֲצָמֶיהָ Judges 9:29 i.e. limb by limb (GFM); as seat of vigour Job 20:11, etc.
c. (poetry) as seat of disease and pain Job 30:17,30 and (especially of personified Israel) Psalm 22:15; Psalm 31:11; Psalm 102:4; Lamentations 1:13; Habakkuk 3:16 +.
d. plural as representing entire person = one's whole being, (especially of personified Israel) Psalm 6:3 ("" נֶפֶשׁ Psalm 6:4), Psalm 35:10 ("" נֶפֶשׁ Psalm 35:9), Isaiah 66:14; of individual (including physical and moral) Proverbs 3:8; Proverbs 14:30; Proverbs 15:30; Proverbs 16:24.
e. singular = external body Lamentations 4:7 Ew Th and others, but dubious; Bi Bu bones (= branches) of coral (מְּנִינִים); Löhr עוֺרָם their skin.
f. especially of dead Numbers 19:16,18 (P), Ezekiel 37:1 +; often (plural) = remains Amos 6:10; Genesis 50:25; Exodus 13:19 (twice in verse); Joshua 24:32 (all E) +.
2 bone of animal Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12 (both P); Ezekiel 24:4,5 (symbolic); of (living) hippopotamus Job 40:18.
3 singular substance, self (compare גֶּרֶם
3): הַשָּׁמַיִם ׳כְּע Exodus 24:10 (JE), like the substance of the sky = the sky itself; תֻּמּוֺ ׳בְּע Job 21:23 i.e. full prosperity; especially ׳אֶתעֿ הַיּוֺם הַזֶּה Ezekiel 24:2 this selfsame day, ׳וגו ׳בְּע Ezekiel 24:2; Ezekiel 40:1; Genesis 7:13; Genesis 17:23,26; Exodus 12:17,41,51; Leviticus 23:21,28,29,30; Deuteronomy 32:48; Joshua 5:11 (all P), ׳וגו ׳עַדעֿ Ezekiel 2:3; Leviticus 23:14 (P), Joshua 10:27 (R). — Ezekiel 24:5a read הָעֵצִים (Bö Ew and others); Ezekiel 24:10 strike out הָעֲצָמוֺת (Co Toy); Job 7:15 read מֵעַצְּבוֺתָ֑י (Reiske Me Bu Du and others); Psalm 53:6 read perhaps מֵעֲצַת (compare "" Psalm 14:6 Bae; see Hup Che and others); Psalm 69:5 read מֵעַצְמוֺתַי (for ŋ0 מַצְמִיתַי), ŋ6 Ol Che Bae and others
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עֶצֶם carries the concrete sense of "bone" and the abstract notions of "substance, essence, self, strength." In Hebrew thought the bone is the innermost, enduring part of the body; therefore the word easily bridges literal anatomy and the immaterial core of a person or thing.
Literal Usage: Skeletal Frame and Mortality
1. Creation: "This is now bone of my bones..." (Genesis 2:23). The first marriage covenant is sealed with עֶצֶם, underscoring unity at the deepest level.
2. Patriarchal Burials: Jacob commands that his "bones" be carried to Canaan (Genesis 50:25; Exodus 13:19), expressing hope in the promises of God beyond death.
3. Physical Well-Being: Proverbs links marrowed bones with spiritual health: "It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones" (Proverbs 3:8).
4. Judgment and Suffering: Job laments, "My bones burn with heat" (Job 30:30), showing how pain pierces to the innermost part.
5. Protection: "He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken" (Psalm 34:20), a text echoed in the passion of Jesus Christ (John 19:36).
Figurative Usage: Strength, Core Identity, and Essence
• National Strength: Israel is called "very dry bones" in exile (Ezekiel 37:1–14), yet the Spirit re-members the nation, promising resurrection life.
• Personal Resolve: "Your bones will flourish like the grass" (Isaiah 66:14) pictures revitalized courage.
• Spiritual Integrity: Unrepented sin "wastes away" the bones (Psalm 32:3), while righteous delight "makes the bones fat" (Proverbs 15:30).
Covenantal and Relational Imagery
Adam’s exclamation in Genesis 2:23 becomes a biblical paradigm for covenant: kinship is "bone and flesh" (Judges 9:2; 2 Samuel 5:1). The phrase binds families, tribes, and kingdoms, anticipating the Church as Christ’s own body.
Ritual, Purity, and Eschatological Implications
Contact with human bones defiles (Numbers 19:16), foreshadowing the need for cleansing blood. The dry-bones vision (Ezekiel 37) previews bodily resurrection, later affirmed in Daniel 12:2 and consummated in 1 Corinthians 15.
Messianic and Prophetic Significance
Psalm 34:20, fulfilled at the crucifixion, reveals divine sovereignty over every detail of redemption. The valley of dry bones prefigures the messianic age; the same Spirit who raised Christ will "give life to your mortal bodies" (Romans 8:11).
Pastoral and Homiletic Reflections
• Assurance: God knows the believer to the bone (Psalm 139:15).
• Discipline: Sin saps inner strength (Psalm 38:3).
• Comfort: The Lord restores "to your bones new life" (Isaiah 58:11).
Occurrence Overview
Approximate distribution (126 total):
• Pentateuch – Genesis (11), Exodus (6), Leviticus (4), Numbers (8), Deuteronomy (5)
• Historical Books – Joshua to Esther (31)
• Wisdom Literature – Job (16), Psalms (18), Proverbs (9), Ecclesiastes (1)
• Major Prophets – Isaiah (9), Jeremiah (3), Ezekiel (11)
• Minor Prophets – Micah (1), Nahum (1), Zechariah (1)
Theological Trajectory into the New Testament
While עֶצֶם itself is Hebrew-bound, its themes continue:
• Incarnation – "A body You prepared for Me" (Hebrews 10:5).
• Church – believers are "members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones" (Ephesians 5:30).
• Resurrection Hope – the promise of re-embodied life (Philippians 3:21) fulfills Ezekiel’s vision.
Thus עֶצֶם moves from the dust of Eden to the glory of the resurrection, witnessing to God’s purpose to redeem the whole person—flesh, bone, and spirit—for His everlasting praise.
Genesis 2:23
HEB: הַפַּ֗עַם עֶ֚צֶם מֵֽעֲצָמַ֔י וּבָשָׂ֖ר מִבְּשָׂרִ֑י
NAS: bone of my bones, And flesh
KJV: bone of my bones, and flesh
INT: is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh
Genesis 7:13
HEB: בְּעֶ֨צֶם הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙
NAS: On the very same day Noah
KJV: In the selfsame day entered
INT: the very day them
Genesis 17:23
HEB: בְּשַׂ֣ר עָרְלָתָ֗ם בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה
NAS: of their foreskin in the very same day,
KJV: of their foreskin in the selfsame day,
INT: the flesh of their foreskin the very day he
Genesis 17:26
HEB: בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה
NAS: In the very same day Abraham
KJV: In the selfsame day was Abraham
INT: the very day he
Genesis 29:14
HEB: לָבָ֔ן אַ֛ךְ עַצְמִ֥י וּבְשָׂרִ֖י אָ֑תָּה
NAS: to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh.
KJV: to him, Surely thou [art] my bone and my flesh.
INT: Laban Surely are my bone and my flesh and he
Genesis 50:25
HEB: וְהַעֲלִתֶ֥ם אֶת־ עַצְמֹתַ֖י מִזֶּֽה׃
NAS: of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.
KJV: you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
INT: God shall carry my bones here
Exodus 12:17
HEB: הַמַּצּוֹת֒ כִּ֗י בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה
NAS: for on this very day
KJV: [the feast of] unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day
INT: Unleavened for very day this
Exodus 12:41
HEB: שָׁנָ֑ה וַיְהִ֗י בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה
NAS: and thirty years, to the very day, all
KJV: years, even the selfsame day
INT: years become to the very day he
Exodus 12:46
HEB: הַבָּשָׂ֖ר ח֑וּצָה וְעֶ֖צֶם לֹ֥א תִשְׁבְּרוּ־
NAS: nor are you to break any bone of it.
KJV: neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
INT: of the flesh outside bone nor to break
Exodus 12:51
HEB: וַיְהִ֕י בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה
NAS: And on that same day the LORD
KJV: And it came to pass the selfsame day,
INT: become same day he
Exodus 13:19
HEB: מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־ עַצְמ֥וֹת יוֹסֵ֖ף עִמּ֑וֹ
NAS: took the bones of Joseph
KJV: took the bones of Joseph
INT: took Moses the bones of Joseph with
Exodus 13:19
HEB: וְהַעֲלִיתֶ֧ם אֶת־ עַצְמֹתַ֛י מִזֶּ֖ה אִתְּכֶֽם׃
NAS: of you, and you shall carry my bones from here
KJV: you; and ye shall carry up my bones away
INT: God shall carry my bones here for
Exodus 24:10
HEB: לִבְנַ֣ת הַסַּפִּ֔יר וּכְעֶ֥צֶם הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם לָטֹֽהַר׃
NAS: as clear as the sky itself.
KJV: of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven
INT: paved of sapphire itself as the sky clear
Leviticus 23:14
HEB: תֹֽאכְל֗וּ עַד־ עֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה
NAS: Until this same day, until
INT: shall eat Until same day this
Leviticus 23:21
HEB: וּקְרָאתֶ֞ם בְּעֶ֣צֶם ׀ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה
NAS: On this same day
KJV: And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day,
INT: shall make same day this
Leviticus 23:28
HEB: לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֔וּ בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה
NAS: work on this same day, for it is a day
KJV: no work in that same day:
INT: shall not do same day this
Leviticus 23:29
HEB: לֹֽא־ תְעֻנֶּ֔ה בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה
NAS: himself on this same day,
KJV: [it be] that shall not be afflicted in that same day,
INT: will not humble same day this
Leviticus 23:30
HEB: כָּל־ מְלָאכָ֔ה בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה
NAS: work on this same day, that person
KJV: any work in that same day,
INT: any work same day this
Numbers 9:12
HEB: עַד־ בֹּ֔קֶר וְעֶ֖צֶם לֹ֣א יִשְׁבְּרוּ־
NAS: break a bone of it; according to all
KJV: nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances
INT: until morning A bone nor break
Numbers 19:16
HEB: בְמֵ֔ת אֽוֹ־ בְעֶ֥צֶם אָדָ֖ם א֣וֹ
NAS: a human bone or
KJV: or a dead body, or a bone of a man,
INT: has died or bone A human or
Numbers 19:18
HEB: וְעַל־ הַנֹּגֵ֗עַ בַּעֶ֙צֶם֙ א֣וֹ בֶֽחָלָ֔ל
NAS: and on the one who touched the bone or
KJV: that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain,
INT: and touched the bone or the one
Numbers 24:8
HEB: גּוֹיִ֣ם צָרָ֗יו וְעַצְמֹתֵיהֶ֛ם יְגָרֵ֖ם וְחִצָּ֥יו
NAS: And will crush their bones in pieces, And shatter
KJV: and shall break their bones, and pierce
INT: the nations his adversaries their bones and will crush his arrows
Deuteronomy 32:48
HEB: אֶל־ מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּעֶ֛צֶם הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה
NAS: to Moses that very same day,
KJV: unto Moses that selfsame day,
INT: to Moses very day he
Joshua 5:11
HEB: מַצּ֣וֹת וְקָל֑וּי בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃
NAS: the Passover, on that very day,
KJV: and parched [corn] in the selfsame day.
INT: unleavened and parched very day he
126 Occurrences
Strong's Hebrew 6106
126 Occurrences
‘ă·ṣā·may — 3 Occ.
‘ă·ṣā·māw — 2 Occ.
‘ă·ṣā·me·hā — 1 Occ.
‘ă·ṣā·mê·nū — 1 Occ.
‘ă·ṣā·mîm — 2 Occ.
‘ă·ṣā·mō·wṯ — 4 Occ.
‘ā·ṣem — 1 Occ.
‘aṣ·mām — 1 Occ.
‘aṣ·mə·ḵā — 2 Occ.
‘aṣ·mê·ḵem — 1 Occ.
‘aṣ·mî — 5 Occ.
‘aṣ·mōw — 2 Occ.
‘aṣ·mō·wṯ — 18 Occ.
‘aṣ·mō·ṯay — 10 Occ.
‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯām — 2 Occ.
‘aṣ·mō·ṯāw — 7 Occ.
‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯê·ḵem — 1 Occ.
‘aṣ·mō·ṯê·hem — 3 Occ.
‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯê·nū — 1 Occ.
ba·‘ă·ṣā·may — 2 Occ.
ba·‘e·ṣem — 1 Occ.
bə·‘aṣ·mō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
bə·‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯay — 3 Occ.
bə·‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯāw — 2 Occ.
bə·‘e·ṣem — 15 Occ.
‘e·ṣem — 8 Occ.
hā·‘ă·ṣā·mîm — 1 Occ.
hā·‘ă·ṣā·mō·wṯ — 5 Occ.
ka·‘ă·ṣā·mîm — 1 Occ.
la·‘ă·ṣā·me·hā — 1 Occ.
lā·‘ă·ṣā·mō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
lā·‘ā·ṣem — 1 Occ.
lə·‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯe·ḵā — 1 Occ.
mê·‘ă·ṣā·may — 1 Occ.
mê·‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯāy — 1 Occ.
ū·ḵə·‘e·ṣem — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇa·‘ă·ṣā·mō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
wa·‘ă·ṣā·may — 1 Occ.
wə·‘aṣ·mî- — 1 Occ.
wə·‘aṣ·mō·wṯ — 2 Occ.
wə·‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯay — 1 Occ.
wə·‘aṣ·mō·ṯe·ḵā — 1 Occ.
wə·‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯê·ḵem — 1 Occ.
wə·‘aṣ·mō·ṯê·hem — 1 Occ.
wə·‘e·ṣem — 3 Occ.
wə·hā·‘ă·ṣā·mō·wṯ — 1 Occ.