אָמָה

n.f. maid, handmaid (Ph. אמת, Arabic أَمَةٌ, Sab. אמת in n.pr. Sab.Denkm.20, Aramaic ܐܰܡܬܳܐ Assyrian amtu ZimBP 67)—א׳ abs. Gn 21:10 +; sf. אֲמָתִי Gn 30:3 +, etc.; pl. abs. אֲמָהֹת Gn 31:33 2 S 6:22; cstr. אַמְהוֹת 2 S 6:20; אַמְהֹתַי Jb 19:15 etc.—maid, handmaid. lit. maidservant (= שִׁפְחָה q.v., wh. however sometimes more servile; rarely P in Hex) Gn 30:3; 31:33 (‖ שִׁפְחָה 29:24, 29 P 30:4 f. J etc.) Ex 2:5 (all E); 2 S 6:20, 22 Jb 19:15 Na 2:8 (sf. refers to mistress, except Jb 19:15 cf. 2 S 6:20, 22); in legisl. (‖ עֶבֶד) Ex 20:10, 17; 21:20, 26, 27, 32 (all E) Lv 25:6, 44(×2) (H) Dt 5:14(×2), 18; 12:12, 18; 15:17 (cf. v. 12) 16:11, 14; cf. also Jb 31:13 Ezr 2:65 Ne 7:67; applied to concubine (sf. of master) Gn 20:17; 21:12 Ex 23:12 (all E) Ju 9:18; 19:19; also Gn 21:10(×2), 13 (16:1 f. P שִׁפְחָה q.v.) Ex 21:7 (all E), vid. on this StaGesch. i. p. 380. fig. in address, אֲמָֽתְךָ etc., referring to speaker, in token of humility; Ru 3:9(×2) (‖ שׁפחה 2:13) 1 S 1:16 (‖ id. v 18) 25:24(×2), 25, 28, 31, 41 (‖ id. v 27) 2 S 14:15, 16 (‖ id. v 6, 7, 12, 15, 17, 19); 20:17; 1 K 1:13, 17; 3:20; in addressing God (never שׁפחה) 1 S 1:11(×3), cf. בֶּן־א׳ ψ 86:16; 116:16.