סָתַר
𐤎𐤕𐤓
çâthar
H5641 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To hide, conceal, keep something or someone out of sight or knowledge, either literally (covering, withdrawing from view) or figuratively (withholding information, acting secretly). Used with both physical and metaphorical nuance: to hide oneself, to be hidden, to make something secret, or to be concealed by another. In some contexts, may imply secrecy, protection, or deliberate absence.
Semantic Range
to hide, to conceal, to keep secret, to withdraw from view, to hide oneself, to be hidden, to act secretly, to be absent, to keep out of sight
Root / Etymology
From the root סתר, which conveys the central action of hiding or covering. The root meaning is 'to hide, cover, keep secret,' and the verb inherits this range of 'concealing by separating from view.' The formation is triliteral, standard for Hebrew verbal roots.
Historical & Contextual Notes
סָתַר appears throughout the Hebrew Bible describing acts of hiding or concealment. In its literal sense, it is used of people physically hiding (e.g., from danger or pursuit, Joshua 2:16; Jeremiah 36:19). Figuratively, it describes God hiding or withholding (e.g., God 'hiding His face' as a sign of displeasure or non-intervention, Deuteronomy 31:17–18; Psalms 13:2), which expresses alienation or divine distancing rather than mere absence. The passive or reflexive forms (niphal, hitpael) frequently bear the nuance of being hidden or hiding oneself. In later biblical Hebrew (e.g., Daniel), the verbal form persists but sometimes connotes deeper secrecy or esoteric concealment. Modern translations sometimes paraphrase these nuances as 'keep secret' or 'keep oneself secret,' but these can underplay the emotional or relational dynamics in the context. The semantic field overlaps with כסה ('to cover'), but סָתַר stresses separation from view rather than mere coverage. The word does not inherently imply deceptive concealment unless contextual factors indicate such. Patterns of usage remain consistent from pre-exilic to post-exilic periods, though the idiom of God 'hiding His face' becomes especially prominent as an articulation of the crisis of exile and perceived divine abandonment.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to hide (by covering), literally or figuratively; be absent, keep close, conceal, hide (self), (keep) secret, [idiom] surely.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
סתר (s-t-r) — to hide, conceal, keep secret
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4563 | מִסְתּוֹר | and for a hiding place |
| H4564 | מַסְתֵּר | and as a hiding-place of |
| H4565 | מִסְתָּר | in the hiding-place |
| H5639 | סְתוּר | Hidden One |
| H5642 | סְתַר | he concealed him |
Word Forms
51 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5641-26 |
תַּסְתֵּ֬ר | taseter | HVhj2ms |
hide | may you conceal | 5 |
H5641-27 |
תַּסְתִּ֖יר | tasetir | HVhi2ms |
do you hide | you cause to hide | 5 |
H5641-17 |
מִסְתַּתֵּ֨ר | misetater | HVtrmsa |
hide | the one hiding himself | 4 |
H5641-06 |
הַסְתֵּ֨ר | haseter | HVha |
hide | to cause to conceal | 4 |
H5641-09 |
הִסְתַּ֔רְתִּי | hisetareti | HVhp1cs |
I hid | I concealed | 3 |
H5641-50 |
יִסָּתֵ֨ר | yisater | HVNi3ms |
a man hides | he will be hidden | 3 |
H5641-29 |
תַּסְתִּירֵֽ/נִי | tasetireni | HVhi2ms/Sp1cs |
hide me | you will hide me | 3 |
H5641-20 |
נִסְתָּֽרָה | nisetarah | HVNp3fs |
is hidden | she was hidden | 3 |
H5641-01 |
אַסְתִּ֤יר | asetir | HVhi1cs |
I will hide | I will conceal | 2 |
H5641-10 |
הִסְתִּ֥יר | hisetir | HVhp3ms |
He has hidden | he concealed | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
82 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5641-03 |
Genesis 4:14 | אֶסָּתֵ֑ר | esater | HVNi1cs |
I will be hidden | I will hide myself |
H5641-18 |
Genesis 31:49 | נִסָּתֵ֖ר | nisater | HVNi1cp |
we are hidden | we will be hidden |
H5641-35 |
Exodus 3:6 | וַ/יַּסְתֵּ֤ר | vayaseter | HC/Vhw3ms |
And hid | he caused to hide |
H5641-45 |
Numbers 5:13 | וְ/נִסְתְּרָ֖ה | veniseterah | HC/VNq3fs |
and she is secluded | and she was hidden |
H5641-40 |
Deuteronomy 7:20 | וְ/הַ/נִּסְתָּרִ֖ים | vehanisetarim | HC/Td/VNrmpa |
and those who hide themselves | and the hidden ones |
H5641-05 |
Deuteronomy 29:28 | הַ֨/נִּסְתָּרֹ֔ת | hanisetarot | HTd/VNrfpa |
the hidden things | the hidden ones |
H5641-41 |
Deuteronomy 31:17 | וְ/הִסְתַּרְתִּ֨י | vehisetareti | HC/Vhq1cs |
and-I-will-hide | I will cause to hide |
H5641-06 |
Deuteronomy 31:18 | הַסְתֵּ֨ר | haseter | HVha |
hide | to cause to conceal |
H5641-01 |
Deuteronomy 31:18 | אַסְתִּ֤יר | asetir | HVhi1cs |
I will hide | I will conceal |
H5641-02 |
Deuteronomy 32:20 | אַסְתִּ֤ירָה | asetirah | HVhh1cs |
I will hide | let me conceal |