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סִיסְרָא

𐤎𐤉𐤎𐤓𐤀

Sisera

H5516 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain; as a proper name, does not encode core root meaning in Hebrew

Definition

Proper noun designating two individuals in the Hebrew Bible: (1) Sisera, commander of the Canaanite king Jabin's forces at Hazor during the time of the Judges, and (2) a member of the group of Nethinim (temple servants) returning from exile. The name is not Hebrew in origin, and does not have a definable lexical meaning within Hebrew.

Semantic Range

(1) Sisera, Canaanite commander in Judges; (2) ancestor of a group of Nethinim returning from exile

Root / Etymology

Uncertain. The name סִיסְרָא appears to be of non-Hebrew (likely non-Semitic) origin, possibly from a language spoken among the Canaanite or Near Eastern peoples, such as Hurrian or Hittite. No credible derivation from Hebrew roots has been proposed in scholarly literature.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name first appears in the narrative of Judges 4–5 as the military leader opposing the Israelites under Deborah and Barak. His defeat is a central event in the early period of Israelite settlement in Canaan. The recurrence of the name among the Nethinim in Ezra-Nehemiah (Ezra 2:53, Nehemiah 7:55) most likely reflects a family or group with ancestral connection to the earlier Sisera, or the adoption of the name within temple-servant groups of unclear ethnic origin after the exile. In both cases, the term is purely nominal, without inherent descriptive meaning. English translations typically transliterate the name directly (Sisera), as it is a personal name. The identification of Sisera as a 'king' in Strong's gloss is incorrect; he is a commander or chieftain, serving under king Jabin. The later appearance among the Nethinim does not imply ethnic Canaanite status, as the Nethinim were a diverse group by the post-exilic era. Unlike most Israelite names, סִיסְרָא is not transparently meaningful in Hebrew, reinforcing its foreign origin.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; Sisera, the name of a Canaanitish king and of one of the Nethinim; Sisera.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

uncertain (uncertain) — none; proper name without lexical meaning in Hebrew

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar
H1114 בִּלְשָׁן Bilshan
H1150 בִּנְעָא Bin'a
H116 אֱדַיִן and then

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5516-03 סִֽיסְרָ֔א sisera HNp Sisera Sisera 17
H5516-02 לְ/סִֽיסְרָ֑א lesisera HR/Np for Sisera to Sisera 2
H5516-04 וְ/סִֽיסְרָא֙ vesisera HC/Np And Sisera and Sisera 1
H5516-01 כְּֽ/סִֽיסְרָ֥א kesisera HR/Np like Sisera like Sisera 1

Occurrences in Scripture

21 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5516-03 Judges 4:2 סִֽיסְרָ֔א sisera HNp Sisera Sisera
H5516-03 Judges 4:7 סִֽיסְרָא֙ sisera HNp Sisera Sisera
H5516-03 Judges 4:9 סִֽיסְרָ֑א sisera HNp Sisera Sisera
H5516-02 Judges 4:12 לְ/סִֽיסְרָ֑א lesisera HR/Np to Sisera to Sisera
H5516-03 Judges 4:13 סִֽיסְרָ֜א sisera HNp Sisera Sisera
H5516-03 Judges 4:14 סִֽיסְרָא֙ sisera HNp Sisera Sisera
H5516-03 Judges 4:15 סִֽיסְרָ֨א sisera HNp Sisera Sisera
H5516-03 Judges 4:15 סִֽיסְרָ֛א sisera-2 HNp Sisera Sisera
H5516-03 Judges 4:16 סִֽיסְרָא֙ sisera HNp of Sisera Sisera
H5516-04 Judges 4:17 וְ/סִֽיסְרָא֙ vesisera HC/Np And Sisera and Sisera
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