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סָךְ

𐤎𐤊

çâk

H5519 noun

SILEX Entry

Root סכך to cover, to weave together, to shelter

Definition

A dense or interwoven mass, commonly referring to a gathering or crowd of people, with the sense of compactness or close grouping. The term evokes the image of individuals or objects aggregated so closely as to form a thicket or impenetrable assembly. In context, it connotes a multitude or large group, occasionally with an implication of overwhelming number or density.

Semantic Range

a dense thicket, crowd, multitude, a compact group, a mass of people or things, an impenetrable aggregation

Root / Etymology

The word סָךְ derives from the root סָכַךְ (s-k-k), whose core meaning relates to covering, enclosing, or weaving together. While the root typically yields verbs and nouns relating to protection, enclosures, or shelters (e.g., סֻכָּה, 'booth'), in this noun form, it transfers the imagery of interweaving or enclosing to the assembling of people. The term here metaphorically extends 'thicket' to a crowd, focusing on compactness and density rather than protection or shelter.

Historical & Contextual Notes

סָךְ occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible and is often found in highly poetic or metaphorical settings (e.g., Isaiah 9:17[18]). It conveys the sense of a dense, overwhelming mass, whether of people or, by extension, of other entities. The common English translations 'multitude' or 'crowd' sometimes miss the particular nuance of density and impenetrability suggested by the term. The earlier root סָכַךְ generally designates covering or shelter, but סָךְ uniquely applies that imagery to social aggregates. There is overlap with other terms for 'assembly' (e.g., קָהָל, עֵדָה), but קָהָל and עֵדָה more clearly assume organized or purposeful assembly, while סָךְ emphasizes undifferentiated density. The term is not directly associated with any official or cultic gatherings. No attested post-biblical developments are known for this form, and its usage remains rare and context-bound.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from סָכַךְ; properly, a thicket of men, i.e. a crowd; multitude.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

סכך (s-k-k) — to cover, to weave together, to shelter

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4329 מֵיסָךְ sheltering portico of
H4537 מָסַךְ screening curtain
H4539 מָסָךְ the screening-curtain
H4540 מְסֻכָּה your shelter
H5520 סֹךְ in his woven-shelter

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5519-01 בַּ/סָּךְ֮ basakhe HRd/Ncmsa in-the-booth dense throng 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5519-01 Psalms 42:5 בַּ/סָּךְ֮ basakhe HRd/Ncmsa in-the-booth dense throng
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