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גֵּז

𐤂𐤆

gêz

H1488 noun

SILEX Entry

Root גזז to shear, to cut off

Definition

A mass of cut wool, especially as shorn from a sheep—'fleece'; secondarily, by extension, a mass of what is cut or shorn, such as mown grass or herbage. The term describes a collective entity resulting from an act of shearing or mowing, and metaphorically relates to abundance or sum of yield.

Semantic Range

fleece of a sheep, heap of shorn wool, cut or mown grass, mass of anything sheared or mown, yield or product of shearing/mowing, (rarely) metaphorical abundance or pile

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root גזז (g-z-z), which means 'to shear' or 'to cut.' The noun גֵּז (gêz) designates the product of shearing, specifically the fleece of a sheep, and by semantic extension, a pile or heap of anything cut or shorn, like mown grass.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, גֵּז predominantly refers to sheep's fleece, especially in contexts related to the shearing season, a significant economic and social event in ancient Israelite pastoral culture (cf. Genesis 31:19, 38:12). The word occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible, and in later usage or poetic contexts (e.g., Psalms 72:6), can refer metaphorically to a pile of mown grass or cut plants. The meaning is distinct from גִּזָּה (gizzāh), which always means 'fleece,' emphasizing the mass itself, whereas גֵּז focuses on the act and result of shearing. English translations sometimes render גֵּז as 'mowing' or 'grass cuttings,' but 'fleece' is contextually predominant. There is no direct connection between this term and later ritual or religious terminology; it is rooted in agrarian and pastoral vocabulary reflecting subsistence patterns in ancient Israel. In post-biblical Hebrew, the meaning tends to narrow to fleece alone, but the original semantic range in the Bible included both animal and vegetal material produced by shearing or mowing.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from גַּזָז; a fleece (as shorn); also mown grass; fleece, mowing, mown grass.

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Root Family

גזז (g-z-z) — to shear, to cut off

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1492 גָּזַּה in the shorn fleece
H1494 גַּזָז in shearing
H1495 גָּזֵז Shearer

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1488-01 גֵּ֥ז gez HNcmsc of the shearing fleece of fleece of 2
H1488-03 וּ/מִ/גֵּ֥ז umigez HC/R/Ncmsc and-from fleece and from fleece-of and from the fleece 1
H1488-02 גִּזֵּ֥י gizey HNcmpc the-mowings-of fleeces of mowings of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1488-01 Deuteronomy 18:4 גֵּ֥ז gez HNcmsc of the shearing fleece of fleece of
H1488-02 Amos 7:1 גִּזֵּ֥י gizey HNcmpc the-mowings-of fleeces of mowings of
H1488-01 Psalms 72:6 גֵּ֑ז gez HNcmsa the mown grass fleece of the mown grass
H1488-03 Job 31:20 וּ/מִ/גֵּ֥ז umigez HC/R/Ncmsc and-from fleece and from fleece-of and from the fleece
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