Introduction: Once and awhile, the meaning of a passage, such as Psalm 142:7 turns on the meaning of a verb. And, once and awhile, the verb has meanings which are so diverse, that it appears, at first, as though there is no way to pin down a proper, definitive meaning.
An Examination of All Scriptural Occurrences of the Word Gâmal (ל-מָ) |
1. Pronunciation and spelling: gâmal (לַמָ) [pronounced gaw-MAHL].
2. KJV renderings: to do; to reward, to recompense, to bestow, to deal bountifully; to wean; to ripen.
3. BDB rendering: deal fully, adequately with, deal out to, do to, deal bountifully with [with ׳al]; recompense, reward, repay, requite; wean; ripen (BDB #168)
4. Strong's renderings: A primitive root; to treat a person (well or ill), that is, benefit or requite; by implication (of toil) to ripen, that is, (specifically) to wean: - bestow on, deal bountifully, do (good), recompense, requite, reward, ripen, + serve, wean, yield. Strong's #1580.
5. Gesenius: to give, to do, to show [to anyone, good or evil]; to do good to anyone, doing good to himself; to
repay [anyone, good or evil]; to wean [an infant]; to ripen [fruit].
6. Gesenius adds the following: This primary signification and the origin and connection of the other meanings
are well illustrated by Albert Schultens (on Prov. 3:30); comparing Arabic لﻌﻏ preposition. To cover with
fomentations, to produce warmth, to cherish, which notion of cherishing and warming is applied —(a) to
ripening fruit. — (b) to a weaned child. — (c) to benefits conferred on anyone, and with which as it were we
cherish him; nor is it difficult to understand how such a word afterwards became used in a bad sense (see
ר-ָ). Gesenius adds to this: But the verb لﻌﻏ can only refer to the significations in No. II (to wean an infant,
to ripen fruit); while for those in No. I, we may compare ל-מָע, Arabic لﻌﻋ which means, to labor, to do.
7. The problem with Strong’s explanation is that they appear to have it backward—the meaning that we are attempting to ascertain seems to come from weaning, ripening, rather than the other way around, which Schultens seems to favor. In any case, whereas the meanings to wean, to ripen are self-evident (all of the passages are listed below), the other meanings are not. I need to add one additional point missed in all of these discussions: weaning and ripening all come at a particular stage of growth. At that stage of growth, the infant is weaned or the fruit ripens.
a. Masculine noun: gemûwl (למ) [pronounced ge-MOOL], and it means [proper] recompense, dealing, benefit. Strong’s #1576 BDB #168.
b. Feminine noun: gemûwlâh (הָלמ) [pronounced ge-moo-LAW], which means reward, dealing, recompense. Strong’s #1578 BDB #168.
c. Masculine noun: tagemûwl (למ-) [pronounced tah-ge-MOOL], which means benefit. Only found in Psalm 116:12. Incorrectly listed in my BDB as Strong’s #1583 (an obvious misprint). Strong’s #8408 BDB #168.
d. These cognates are found over 20 times in Scripture, in total, and are therefore less subject to scrutiny.
9. Therefore, we must be able to associate the idea of reward, benefit, and recompense with this verse.
10. Passages: all listed below:
Passage |
Morphology and Additional Comments |
Gen. 50:15: When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph should bear a grudge against us and pay us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” |
1st person plural, Qal perfect of gâmal plus the sign of the direct object and the 3rd person masculine singular suffix. Gesenius says that gâmal has to do with how a person is treated, whether poorly or well. |
Joseph’s brothers said that his father charged him not to treat his brothers harshly. Gen. 50:17b: “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.” |
3rd person plural, Qal perfect preceded by the word evil. |
Deut. 32:6b: “Do you thus repay Jehovah, O foolish and unwise people?” |
2nd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect. Jehovah is preceded by the lâmed preposition. |
I Sam. 24:17: And he said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you.” |
2nd person masculine singular, Qal perfect with a 1st person singular suffix; followed by a 1st person singular, Qal perfect with the 2nd person masculine singular suffix. With the first use of the gâmal, we have the good and with the second use, we have the evil. |
II Sam. 19:36: “Your servant would merely cross over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king compensate me with this reward?” |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect with the 1st person singular suffix. This reward is not preceded by any preposition. |
II Sam. 22:21a: “Jehovah has rewarded me according to my righteousness.” |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect with the 1st person masculine singular suffix. My righteousness is preceded by the kaph preposition. |
II Chron. 20:11: “Listen, they are rewarding us, by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance.” |
Masculine plural, Qal active participle. This is followed by the ׳al preposition and the 1st person plural suffix. |
Psalm 7:5: If I have reward evil to my friend, or have plunder him who without cause was my adversary. |
1st person singular, Qal perfect followed by a suffixal Qal active participle (my friend) and the word evil. This is a Davidic psalm. |
Psalm 13:6b: I will sing to Jehovah because He has dealt bountifully with me. |
The 3rd person masculine singular, Qal perfect followed by ׳al affixed to a 1st person masculine singular suffix. A Davidic psalm. |
Psalm 18:20: For Jehovah has rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands, He has recompensed me. |
34d person masculine singular, Qal imperfect with the 1st person singular suffix. Put into parallel with the verb to be caused to return, to bring, to be caused to turn back mentally, reminisce, to return something, to restore, to bring back, to regain, to recover, to make restitution. The kaph preposition is used twice. |
Psalm 103:10: He has not dealt with us according to our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal perfect. Set in parallel with to do, to make, to construct. Followed by ׳al and the 1st person plural suffix. Our iniquities is preceded by the kaph preposition. A Davidic psalm. |
Psalm 116:7b: ...for Jehovah has dealt bountifully with you. |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal perfect followed by the ׳al preposition. A Davidic psalm. |
Psalm 137:8: O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, How blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us. |
2nd person masculine singular, Qal perfect followed by the lâmed preposition. Recompense is the noun cognate of gâmal. Also, set in parallel with the Hebrew verb to make secure, to keep safe, to complete, to finish, to restore, to requite, to recompense. |
Psalm 142:7b: The righteous ones will surround me for You will deal bountifully with me. |
2nd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect followed by the ׳al preposition. |
Prov. 3:30: Do not contend with a man without cause if he has done you no harm. |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal perfect with the 2nd person masculine singular suffix and the feminine singular noun evil, harm. |
Prov. 11:17: The man of grace does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm. |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect. |
Prov. 31:12: She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. |
3rd feminine singular, Qal perfect with the 3rd person masculine singular suffix. This is followed by good and not evil. |
Isa. 3:9b: Woe to them, for they have brought evil on themselves. |
3rd person plural, Qal perfect followed by ׳al and the 3rd person masculine plural suffix, followed by the word evil. |
Isa. 63:7: I will make mention of the grace of Jehovah, the glories of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah has done [to] us and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He has done [to] them according to His compassion and according to the riches of His grace. |
In both instances, we have the 3rd person masculine singular, Qal perfect of gâmal with the 3rd person masculine plural suffix. |
Joel 3:4: “Moreover, what are you to Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you [rendering] Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense on your head.” |
The masculine plural, Qal active participle of gâmal. The two words in italics are singular noun cognates of gâmal. |
We therefore come to the following conclusions: this word specifically refers to either being weaned (generally a passive sense, so it is in the Niphal); or a plant or tree producing (grapes or almonds). These are things which come at a specific period or stage of growth, or are the result of coming to a specific period or stage of growth. The plant or tree produces the fruit, so this word is used more figuratively for to do, to make. Since it is often the result of reaching a particular stage of growth, we have the renderings reward, recompense, which are not exactly accurate, but I don’t know of any other word in the English which would convey quite the same thing. |
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You will note that in the more literal sense, when active, the subject of gâmal appears to act upon itself. The plant produces grapes; the rod produced almonds. However, most of the rest of the time, we have one person (or persons) acting on another. Probably the most correct understanding of this verb is to do to, to give, to reward, to recompense, to bestow [as a result of a particular stage of growth]. When follow by the ׳al preposition, we understand that the object of the verb is the recipient of great benefits, possibly as a result of a stage of growth. |
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11. Conclusion: the meaning of gâmal is, to produce [fruit]; to do, to make; to give, to reward, to recompense; to bestow [blessings as a result of a stage of growth; when followed by ל-ע].