סָחָה
𐤎𐤇𐤄
çâchâh
H5500 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
A verb meaning to sweep away, clear off, or scrape. Its primary semantic field relates to the act of removing or clearing a surface, especially by sweeping or scraping. In its attestations, it indicates deliberate removal, erasure, or cleaning motion, whether of debris, material, or even people metaphorically.
Semantic Range
to sweep away, to clear off, to scrape, to remove by sweeping or scraping
Root / Etymology
Root סחה (ס־ח־ה) is rare, likely meaning 'to sweep' or 'to scrape' based on contextual usage. The formation aligns with other verbs of motion or removal, though the root is not widespread in the Hebrew Bible. Derived forms carry forward the sense of clearing or sweeping.
Historical & Contextual Notes
סָחָה occurs only in a few passages in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Isaiah 28:17), making it a hapax legomenon or near-hapax. In context, it denotes sweeping away a surface, such as water clearing away refuse or debris. Unlike more common roots like מחה ('to wipe'), סָחָה emphasizes the movement over a surface with the goal of removal, perhaps with a tool or by hand. Later Hebrew does not widely attest this root, and the semantic field does not strongly develop in post-biblical literature. The verb is not used with the sense of 'to destroy' in the broader existential or military sense, but specifically the act of physical clearing. English translations often reflect this narrow sense as 'sweep away,' but may obscure the specific nature of action implied in imagery of cleansing or clearing.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to sweep away; scrape.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
סחה (s-ḥ-h) — to sweep, to clear off, to scrape
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5501 | סְחִי | swept-off refuse |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5500-01 |
וְ/סִֽחֵיתִ֥י | vesicheyti | HC/Vpq1cs |
and-I-will-scrape | and I will thoroughly sweep away | and I will scrape away | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5500-01 |
Ezekiel 26:4 | וְ/סִֽחֵיתִ֥י | vesicheyti | HC/Vpq1cs |
and-I-will-scrape | and I will thoroughly sweep away | and I will scrape away |