← H5640 H5642 →

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.

Translation Consistency

primary "hide" 16 occurrences

“Hide” is the most natural, common English verb that covers the full semantic range of סָתַר — literal and figurative concealment, reflexive hiding, and passive states (“be hidden”). It matches the majority of existing renderings (hide/hidden/hid) and is more idiomatic than the more formal “conceal,” so it yields consistent, readable translations across all forms.

Alternatives (34 occurrences):
"hidden" (11x) "hid" (10x) "conceal" (3x) "concealed" (3x) "hidden ones" (2x) "hidden things" (1x) "hid yourself" (1x) "who conceals" (1x) "hidden ourselves" (1x) "hidden one" (1x)

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 recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

סתר (Setur) — to hide, conceal, keep secret

Root סתר 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 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5641-26 תַּסְתֵּ֬ר taseter HVhj2ms hide may you conceal hide 5
H5641-27 תַסְתִּ֑יר tasetir HVhi2ms do you hide you cause to hide do you hide 5
H5641-06 הַסְתֵּ֨ר haseter HVha hide to cause to conceal to cause to hide 4
H5641-17 מִסְתַּתֵּ֨ר misetater HVtrmsa hide the one hiding himself the one hiding himself 4
H5641-09 הִסְתַּ֔רְתִּי hisetareti HVhp1cs I hid I concealed I hid 3
H5641-20 נִסְתָּ֑רָה nisetarah HVNp3fs is hidden she was hidden it was hidden 3
H5641-29 תַּ֭סְתִּירֵ/נִי tasetireni HVhi2ms/Sp1cs hide me you will hide me you will hide me 3
H5641-50 יִסָּתֵ֥ר yisater HVNi3ms a man hides he will be hidden he will be hidden 3
H5641-01 אַסְתִּ֤יר asetir HVhi1cs I will hide I will conceal I will hide 2
H5641-03 אֶסָּתֵ֑ר esater HVNi1cs hide myself I will hide myself I will hide myself 2

Occurrences in Scripture

82 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5641-03 Genesis 4:14 אֶסָּתֵ֑ר esater HVNi1cs I will be hidden I will hide myself I will hide myself
H5641-18 Genesis 31:49 נִסָּתֵ֖ר nisater HVNi1cp we are hidden we will be hidden we are hidden
H5641-35 Exodus 3:6 וַ/יַּסְתֵּ֤ר vayaseter HC/Vhw3ms And hid he caused to hide and he hid
H5641-45 Numbers 5:13 וְ/נִסְתְּרָ֖ה veniseterah HC/VNq3fs and she is secluded and she was hidden 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 and the hidden ones
H5641-05 Deuteronomy 29:28 הַ֨/נִּסְתָּרֹ֔ת hanisetarot HTd/VNrfpa the hidden things the hidden ones the hidden things
H5641-41 Deuteronomy 31:17 וְ/הִסְתַּרְתִּ֨י vehisetareti HC/Vhq1cs and-I-will-hide I will cause to hide and I will hide
H5641-06 Deuteronomy 31:18 הַסְתֵּ֨ר haseter HVha hide to cause to conceal to cause to hide
H5641-01 Deuteronomy 31:18 אַסְתִּ֤יר asetir HVhi1cs I will hide I will conceal I will hide
H5641-02 Deuteronomy 32:20 אַסְתִּ֤ירָה asetirah HVhh1cs I will hide let me conceal I will conceal
H5641-48 1 Samuel 20:2 יַסְתִּ֨יר yasetir HVhi3ms would hide he will conceal he will conceal
H5641-44 1 Samuel 20:5 וְ/נִסְתַּרְתִּ֣י venisetareti HC/VNq1cs that I may hide and I will hide myself and I will hide myself
H5641-22 1 Samuel 20:19 נִסְתַּ֥רְתָּ nisetareta HVNp2ms you hid yourself you hid yourself you hid yourself
H5641-38 1 Samuel 20:24 וַ/יִּסָּתֵ֥ר vayisater HC/VNw3ms hid himself and he hid himself and he hid himself
H5641-17 1 Samuel 23:19 מִסְתַּתֵּ֨ר misetater HVtrmsa hide the one hiding himself the one hiding himself
H5641-17 1 Samuel 26:1 מִסְתַּתֵּר֙ misetater HVtrmsa hiding himself the one hiding himself the one hiding himself
H5641-43 1 Kings 17:3 וְ/נִסְתַּרְתָּ֙ venisetareta HC/VNp2ms and hide you hid yourself and hide yourself
H5641-37 2 Kings 11:2 וַ/יַּסְתִּ֧רוּ vayasetiru HC/Vhw3mp and they hid they concealed they concealed
H5641-04 Isaiah 8:17 הַ/מַּסְתִּ֥יר hamasetir HTd/Vhrmsa who is hiding the one who conceals the one who conceals
H5641-25 Isaiah 16:3 סַתְּרִי֙ sateri HVpv2fs Hide Conceal! Conceal
H5641-21 Isaiah 28:15 נִסְתָּֽרְנוּ nisetarenu HVNp1cp we have hidden ourselves we hid ourselves we have hidden ourselves
H5641-32 Isaiah 29:14 תִּסְתַּתָּֽר tisetatar HVti3fs will be hidden she will hide herself will be hidden
H5641-13 Isaiah 29:15 לַ/סְתִּ֣ר lasetir HR/Vhc to hide to cause to hide to hide
H5641-23 Isaiah 40:27 נִסְתְּרָ֤ה niseterah HVNp3fs is hidden she was hidden is hidden
H5641-17 Isaiah 45:15 מִסְתַּתֵּ֑ר misetater HVtrmsa who hides the one hiding himself the one hiding himself
H5641-11 Isaiah 49:2 הִסְתִּירָֽ/נִי hisetirani HVhp3ms/Sp1cs he hid me he concealed me he concealed me
H5641-09 Isaiah 50:6 הִסְתַּ֔רְתִּי hisetareti HVhp1cs I hid I concealed I hid
H5641-09 Isaiah 54:8 הִסְתַּ֨רְתִּי hisetareti HVhp1cs I hid I concealed I hid
H5641-06 Isaiah 57:17 הַסְתֵּ֣ר haseter HVha I hid to cause to conceal to cause to hide
H5641-12 Isaiah 59:2 הִסְתִּ֧ירוּ hisetiru HVhp3cp have hidden they concealed have hidden
H5641-08 Isaiah 64:6 הִסְתַּ֤רְתָּ hisetareta HVhp2ms you have hidden you concealed you hid
H5641-24 Isaiah 65:16 נִסְתְּר֖וּ niseteru HVNp3cp they have been hidden they were hidden they were hidden
H5641-24 Jeremiah 16:17 נִסְתְּר֖וּ niseteru HVNp3cp are hidden they were hidden are hidden
H5641-50 Jeremiah 23:24 יִסָּתֵ֨ר yisater HVNi3ms he hide he will be hidden he will be hidden
H5641-09 Jeremiah 33:5 הִסְתַּ֤רְתִּי hisetareti HVhp1cs I have hidden I concealed I hid
H5641-07 Jeremiah 36:19 הִסָּתֵ֖ר hisater HVNv2ms hide Hide yourself! hide yourself
H5641-36 Jeremiah 36:26 וַ/יַּסְתִּרֵ֖/ם vayasetirem HC/Vhw3ms/Sp3mp and hid them he concealed them he concealed them
H5641-33 Ezekiel 39:23 וָ/אַסְתִּ֥ר vaasetir HC/Vhw1cs and-I-hid and I concealed and I hid
H5641-33 Ezekiel 39:24 וָ/אַסְתִּ֥ר vaasetir HC/Vhw1cs and I hid and I concealed and I hid
H5641-01 Ezekiel 39:29 אַסְתִּ֥יר asetir HVhi1cs I-will-hide I will conceal I will hide
H5641-50 Hosea 13:14 יִסָּתֵ֥ר yisater HVNi3ms will be hidden he will be hidden will be hidden
H5641-51 Amos 9:3 יִסָּ֨תְר֜וּ yisateru HVNi3mp they-hide-themselves they will be hidden they will be hidden
H5641-46 Micah 3:4 וְ/יַסְתֵּ֨ר veyaseter HC/Vhi3ms and-he-will-hide and he conceals and he will hide
H5641-31 Zephaniah 2:3 תִּסָּ֣תְר֔וּ tisateru HVNi2mp you will be hidden you will be hidden you will be hidden
H5641-10 Psalms 10:11 הִסְתִּ֥יר hisetir HVhp3ms He has hidden he concealed he hid
H5641-27 Psalms 13:2 תַּסְתִּ֖יר tasetir HVhi2ms will you hide you cause to hide you will cause to hide
H5641-29 Psalms 17:8 תַּסְתִּירֵֽ/נִי tasetireni HVhi2ms/Sp1cs hide me you will hide me you will hide me
H5641-19 Psalms 19:7 נִ֝סְתָּ֗ר nisetar HVNsmsa hidden hidden one hidden one
H5641-16 Psalms 19:13 מִֽ/נִּסְתָּר֥וֹת minisetarot HR/VNrfpa hidden faults hidden ones from hidden ones
H5641-10 Psalms 22:25 הִסְתִּ֣יר hisetir HVhp3ms hid he concealed he hid
← H5640 Hebrew Lexicon H5642 →