סֻכָּה
𐤎𐤊𐤄
çukkâh
H5521 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A shelter constructed from branches or other materials, often temporary in nature. In biblical contexts, סֻכָּה (sukkah) refers to a booth or hut constructed for shelter, particularly as used in agricultural settings or in the observance of the Israelite festival of Sukkot (Festival of Booths). The term may also denote a protective shelter for people, animals, or crops, or be used metaphorically for a canopy or covering in poetic texts.
Semantic Range
hut, booth, temporary shelter for people or animals, festival booth (Sukkot), lair, protective covering, pavilion, symbolic shelter (as in divine protection), fragile or makeshift dwelling
Root / Etymology
From the Hebrew root ס-כ-ך (סכך), which fundamentally means 'to cover, to shelter, to provide shade.' The word סֻכָּה is a feminine noun form derived from this root, denoting the structure that covers or shelters. The actual construction and use of a סֻכָּה may be contextually determined (agricultural, festive, or poetic).
Historical & Contextual Notes
In early Israelite practice, the סֻכָּה appears as a functional shelter for agricultural workers or livestock in the fields, reflecting the realities of harvest-time rural life. Its most prominent cultural role develops in relation to the festival of Sukkot, where Israelites were instructed (Leviticus 23:42-43) to dwell in booths as a reenactment of wilderness dwellings during the Exodus. Thus, while the original function was practical (shade/shelter), the festival use imbues the term with remembrance and ritual significance. Across biblical texts, סֻכָּה may denote simple, makeshift shelters (Genesis 33:17, Jonah 4:5), as well as poetic or symbolic coverings (e.g., God's protective shelter in Psalms). Later English translations may obscure these nuances, often rendering all occurrences as 'booth' or 'tabernacle,' but the underlying concept is a temporary shelter, not a permanent dwelling. In prophetic or poetic literature, the term sometimes signifies the security or vulnerability of a group (e.g., the 'fallen booth of David' in Amos 9:11).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of סֹךְ; a hut or lair; booth, cottage, covert, pavilion, tabernacle, tent.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
סכך (Sikut) — to cover, to shield, to protect
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4329 | מֵיסָךְ | sheltering portico of |
| H4539 | מָסָךְ | the screening-curtain |
| H4540 | מְסֻכָּה | your shelter |
| H5519 | סָךְ | dense throng |
| H5520 | סֹךְ | in his woven-shelter |
Word Forms
12 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5521-03 |
הַ/סֻּכּֽוֹת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
of Tabernacles | the shelter-booths | the shelter-booths | 9 |
H5521-01 |
בַּ/סֻּכּ֑וֹת | basukot | HRd/Ncfpa |
in booths | in the shelter-booths | in the shelter-booths | 6 |
H5521-08 |
סֻכּ֑וֹת | sukot | HNcfpa |
booths | shelter-booths | shelter-booths | 5 |
H5521-07 |
סֻכָּתֽ/וֹ | sukato | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his-canopy | his shelter-booth | his shelter-booth | 2 |
H5521-11 |
בַ/סֻּכּ֗וֹת | vasukot | HRd/Ncfpa |
in booths | in the shelter-booths | in the booth-shelters | 2 |
H5521-02 |
בְּ/סֻכָּ֗ה | besukah | HR/Ncfsa |
in-booth | in a sheltering-hut | in a sheltering-hut | 1 |
H5521-04 |
כְּ/סֻכָּ֣ה | kesukah | HR/Ncfsa |
like a booth | like a sheltering hut | like a sheltering hut | 1 |
H5521-05 |
סֻכָּ֗ה | sukah | HNcfsa |
a shelter | sheltering booth | a shelter | 1 |
H5521-06 |
סֻכַּ֥ת | sukat | HNcfsc |
booth of | sheltering booth of | sheltering booth of | 1 |
H5521-09 |
וּ֝/כְ/סֻכָּ֗ה | ukhesukah | HC/R/Ncfsa |
and like a booth | sheltering booth | and like a sheltering booth | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
31 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5521-08 |
Genesis 33:17 | סֻכֹּ֔ת | sukot | HNcfpa |
booths | shelter-booths | booths |
H5521-03 |
Leviticus 23:34 | הַ/סֻּכּ֛וֹת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
Booths | the shelter-booths | the shelter-booths |
H5521-01 |
Leviticus 23:42 | בַּ/סֻּכֹּ֥ת | basukot | HRd/Ncfpa |
in booths | in the shelter-booths | in the shelter-booths |
H5521-01 |
Leviticus 23:42 | בַּ/סֻּכֹּֽת | basukot-2 | HRd/Ncfpa |
in booths | in the shelter-booths | in the shelter-booths |
H5521-11 |
Leviticus 23:43 | בַ/סֻּכּ֗וֹת | vasukot | HRd/Ncfpa |
in booths | in the shelter-booths | in the booth-shelters |
H5521-03 |
Deuteronomy 16:13 | הַ/סֻּכֹּ֛ת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
of tabernacles | the shelter-booths | the shelter-booths |
H5521-03 |
Deuteronomy 16:16 | הַ/סֻּכּ֑וֹת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
of Booths | the shelter-booths | Booths |
H5521-03 |
Deuteronomy 31:10 | הַ/סֻּכּֽוֹת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
of Tabernacles | the shelter-booths | the shelter-booths |
H5521-01 |
2 Samuel 11:11 | בַּ/סֻּכּ֗וֹת | basukot | HRd/Ncfpa |
in booths | in the shelter-booths | in the shelter-booths |
H5521-08 |
2 Samuel 22:12 | סֻכּ֑וֹת | sukot | HNcfpa |
pavilions | shelter-booths | shelter-booths |
H5521-01 |
1 Kings 20:12 | בַּ/סֻּכּ֑וֹת | basukot | HRd/Ncfpa |
in the booths | in the shelter-booths | in the shelter-booths |
H5521-01 |
1 Kings 20:16 | בַּ/סֻּכּ֗וֹת | basukot | HRd/Ncfpa |
in the pavilions | in the shelter-booths | in the shelter-booths |
H5521-04 |
Isaiah 1:8 | כְּ/סֻכָּ֣ה | kesukah | HR/Ncfsa |
like a booth | like a sheltering hut | like a sheltering hut |
H5521-12 |
Isaiah 4:6 | וְ/סֻכָּ֛ה | vesukah | HC/Ncfsa |
and a shelter | sheltering booth | and a sheltering booth |
H5521-06 |
Amos 9:11 | סֻכַּ֥ת | sukat | HNcfsc |
booth of | sheltering booth of | sheltering booth of |
H5521-05 |
Jonah 4:5 | סֻכָּ֗ה | sukah | HNcfsa |
a shelter | sheltering booth | a shelter |
H5521-03 |
Zechariah 14:16 | הַ/סֻּכּֽוֹת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
of Tabernacles | the shelter-booths | of booths |
H5521-03 |
Zechariah 14:18 | הַ/סֻּכּֽוֹת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
of tabernacles | the shelter-booths | the shelter-booths |
H5521-03 |
Zechariah 14:19 | הַ/סֻּכּֽוֹת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
of Booths | the shelter-booths | the shelter-booths |
H5521-07 |
Psalms 18:12 | סֻכָּת֑/וֹ | sukato | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his-canopy | his shelter-booth | his shelter-booth |
H5521-02 |
Psalms 31:21 | בְּ/סֻכָּ֗ה | besukah | HR/Ncfsa |
in-booth | in a sheltering-hut | in a sheltering-hut |
H5521-09 |
Job 27:18 | וּ֝/כְ/סֻכָּ֗ה | ukhesukah | HC/R/Ncfsa |
and like a booth | sheltering booth | and like a sheltering booth |
H5521-07 |
Job 36:29 | סֻכָּתֽ/וֹ | sukato | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his-pavilion | his shelter-booth | his shelter-booth |
H5521-10 |
Job 38:40 | בַ/סֻּכָּ֣ה | vasukah | HRd/Ncfsa |
in the thicket | in the shelter-booth | in the thicket |
H5521-03 |
Ezra 3:4 | הַ/סֻּכּ֖וֹת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
of Tabernacles | the shelter-booths | the shelter-booths |
H5521-01 |
Nehemiah 8:14 | בַּ/סֻּכּ֛וֹת | basukot | HRd/Ncfpa |
in booths | in the shelter-booths | in the shelter-booths |
H5521-08 |
Nehemiah 8:15 | סֻכֹּ֖ת | sukot | HNcfpa |
booths | shelter-booths | shelter-booths |
H5521-08 |
Nehemiah 8:16 | סֻכּ֜וֹת | sukot | HNcfpa |
booths | shelter-booths | shelter-booths |
H5521-08 |
Nehemiah 8:17 | סֻכּוֹת֮ | sukot | HNcfpa |
booths | shelter-booths | shelter-booths |
H5521-11 |
Nehemiah 8:17 | בַ/סֻּכּוֹת֒ | vasukot | HRd/Ncfpa |
in the booths | in the shelter-booths | in the shelter-booths |
H5521-03 |
2 Chronicles 8:13 | הַ/סֻּכּֽוֹת | hasukot | HTd/Ncfpa |
of Tabernacles | the shelter-booths | the shelter-booths |