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סֵתֶר

𐤎𐤕𐤓

çêther

H5643 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A place or condition of concealment, shelter, or protection; denotes both literal hiding places (such as a physical refuge or shelter) and figurative states of secrecy, privacy, or protection, including metaphoric use for divine shelter or hiddenness.

Semantic Range

hiding place, shelter, secret (place), protection, concealment, secrecy, privacy, covert, place of refuge, divine or human protection

Root / Etymology

From the root סתר meaning 'to hide, conceal, keep secret.' The noun סֵתֶר (seter) functions primarily as a concrete or abstract noun denoting a place or state that affords concealment or secrecy.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, סֵתֶר most commonly refers to literal hiding places (e.g., caves, shelters) or places of natural seclusion but is also frequently employed metaphorically, particularly in poetic and wisdom texts, to describe the protective presence of YHWH or the condition of being hidden from danger or observation. The feminine form, סִתְרָה, occurs more rarely (notably in Deuteronomy 32:38). Later texts, especially in the Psalms, extend the meaning to include abstract 'shelter' or 'protection,' reinforcing the metaphoric association with divine refuge. The English rendering 'secret place' in many translations can obscure the word's range, which includes external, physical hiding as well as metaphorical and relational concealment. Contrast with סֻכָּה (booth, shelter), which emphasizes a constructed shelter, whereas סֵתֶר is more focused on the aspect of concealment or being hidden. The term's usage remains consistent from early narrative to late poetic and wisdom literature, with contextual nuance determining whether physical or figurative concealment is in view. In much later periods, the concept becomes thematic in discussions of divine hiddenness or protection, but its basic lexical sense in the Hebrew Bible remains centered on the act or place of hiding or guarding from sight or harm.

Translation Consistency

primary "hiding place" 10 occurrences

“Hiding place” best captures the full SILEX range: literal concealment/refuge and figurative secrecy or divine shelter. It is a natural, traditional English rendering (common in Psalms and other contexts) that clearly communicates both protection and concealment better than the more ambiguous single word “secret” or the narrower “shelter”/“refuge.” Using “hiding place” consistently will preserve the typical sense across all occurrences.

Alternatives (26 occurrences):
"secret" (12x) "hiding-place of" (7x) "hiding-place" (5x) "hiding places" (1x) "slander" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (feminine) סִתְרָה; (Deuteronomy [32:38), from סָתַר; a cover (in a good or a bad, a literal or a figurative sense); backbiting, covering, covert, [idiom] disguise(-th), hiding place, privily, protection, secret(-ly, place).

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
H5641 סָתַר I will conceal

Word Forms

12 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5643-02 בַּ/סֵּ֣תֶר baseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding-place in secret 7
H5643-03 בְּ/סֵ֣תֶר beseter HR/Ncmsc in the hiding place in hiding-place of in hiding-place of 7
H5643-11 בַ/סֵּ֖תֶר vaseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding place in secret 5
H5643-06 סֵ֥תֶר seter HNcmsa a hiding place hiding place hiding place 4
H5643-12 וְ/סֵ֥תֶר veseter HC/Ncmsa And a covering hiding place and a hiding place 4
H5643-01 בַּ/סָּ֑תֶר basater HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding-place in the hiding-place 3
H5643-04 סָֽתֶר sater HNcmsa backbiting hiding place of slander 1
H5643-05 סְתָרִ֣ים setarim HNcmpa secret hiding places hiding places 1
H5643-07 סִתְרָֽה siterah HNcfsa hiding place hiding-place hiding-place 1
H5643-08 סִתְרִ֣/י siteri HNcmsc/Sp1cs my hiding place my hiding place my hiding place 1

Occurrences in Scripture

36 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5643-02 Deuteronomy 13:7 בַּ/סֵּ֣תֶר baseter HRd/Ncmsa secretly in the hiding-place in secret
H5643-01 Deuteronomy 27:15 בַּ/סָּ֑תֶר basater HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding-place in the hiding-place
H5643-01 Deuteronomy 27:24 בַּ/סָּ֑תֶר basater HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding-place in the hiding-place
H5643-01 Deuteronomy 28:57 בַּ/סָּ֑תֶר basater HRd/Ncmsa secretly in the hiding-place in the hiding-place
H5643-07 Deuteronomy 32:38 סִתְרָֽה siterah HNcfsa hiding place hiding-place hiding-place
H5643-06 Judges 3:19 סֵ֥תֶר seter HNcmsa secret hiding place hiding place
H5643-11 1 Samuel 19:2 בַ/סֵּ֖תֶר vaseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding place in the hiding place
H5643-03 1 Samuel 25:20 בְּ/סֵ֣תֶר beseter HR/Ncmsc by the covert in hiding-place of in hiding-place of
H5643-10 2 Samuel 12:12 בַ/סָּ֑תֶר vasater HRd/Ncmsa secretly in the hiding place in secret
H5643-06 Isaiah 16:4 סֵ֥תֶר seter HNcmsa a hiding place hiding place hiding place
H5643-12 Isaiah 28:17 וְ/סֵ֥תֶר veseter HC/Ncmsa and the hiding place hiding place and a hiding place
H5643-12 Isaiah 32:2 וְ/סֵ֣תֶר veseter HC/Ncmsc and a shelter hiding place and a hiding place
H5643-11 Isaiah 45:19 בַ/סֵּ֣תֶר vaseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding place in secret
H5643-02 Isaiah 48:16 בַּ/סֵּ֣תֶר baseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding-place in secret
H5643-02 Jeremiah 37:17 בַּ/סֵּ֔תֶר baseter HRd/Ncmsa secretly in the hiding-place in secret
H5643-02 Jeremiah 38:16 בַּ/סֵּ֣תֶר baseter HRd/Ncmsa in-secret in the hiding-place in secret
H5643-11 Jeremiah 40:15 בַ/סֵּ֨תֶר vaseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding place in secret
H5643-09 Psalms 18:12 סִתְר֗/וֹ sitero HNcmsc/Sp3ms his-hiding-place his hiding-place his hiding-place
H5643-03 Psalms 27:5 בְּ/סֵ֣תֶר beseter HR/Ncmsc in the secret place in hiding-place of in hiding-place of
H5643-03 Psalms 31:21 בְּ/סֵ֥תֶר beseter HR/Ncmsc in-secret-place in hiding-place of in hiding-place of
H5643-06 Psalms 32:7 סֵ֥תֶר seter HNcmsa my hiding place hiding place hiding place
H5643-12 Psalms 61:5 בְ/סֵ֖תֶר veseter HR/Ncmsc in the covert hiding place in the hiding place
H5643-03 Psalms 81:8 בְּ/סֵ֣תֶר beseter HR/Ncmsc in the secret place in hiding-place of in hiding-place of
H5643-03 Psalms 91:1 בְּ/סֵ֣תֶר beseter HR/Ncmsc in the shelter in hiding-place of in hiding-place of
H5643-11 Psalms 101:5 בַ/סֵּ֨תֶר vaseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding place in secret
H5643-08 Psalms 119:114 סִתְרִ֣/י siteri HNcmsc/Sp1cs my hiding place my hiding place my hiding place
H5643-11 Psalms 139:15 בַ/סֵּ֑תֶר vaseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding place in secret
H5643-05 Proverbs 9:17 סְתָרִ֣ים setarim HNcmpa secret hiding places hiding places
H5643-02 Proverbs 21:14 בַּ֭/סֵּתֶר baseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding-place in secret
H5643-04 Proverbs 25:23 סָֽתֶר sater HNcmsa backbiting hiding place of slander
H5643-02 Job 13:10 בַּ֝/סֵּ֗תֶר baseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding-place in secret
H5643-06 Job 22:14 סֵֽתֶר seter HNcmsa hiding place hiding place hiding place
H5643-12 Job 24:15 וְ/סֵ֖תֶר veseter HC/Ncmsc And a covering hiding place and a hiding place
H5643-02 Job 31:27 בַּ/סֵּ֣תֶר baseter HRd/Ncmsa in secret in the hiding-place in secret
H5643-03 Job 40:21 בְּ/סֵ֖תֶר beseter HR/Ncmsc in the hiding place in hiding-place of in hiding-place of
H5643-03 Song of Songs 2:14 בְּ/סֵ֨תֶר֙ beseter HR/Ncmsc in the hiding place in hiding-place of in hiding-place of
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