← H6674 H6676 →

צוֹאָה

𐤑𐤅𐤀𐤄

tsôwʼâh

H6675 noun

SILEX Entry

Root צוא to go out, to discharge, to expel

Definition

Human excrement; bodily waste material expelled through defecation. In extended or figurative uses, denotes what is considered filthy, impure, or unclean, both in physical and ritual senses. The word can signal actual dung, refuse, or metaphorically describe corrupt or defiled conditions.

Semantic Range

excrement, human waste, dung, filth, refuse, pollution, uncleanness (physical or ritual), foul matter

Root / Etymology

Root: צוא, meaning 'to go out, to discharge.' The nominal form צוֹאָה draws from the root with the sense of what is excluded or expelled, specifically referring to matter expelled from the body. The lexical meaning develops this into both literal (excrement) and figurative (foulness, pollution) domains.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term צוֹאָה consistently appears in contexts concerning ritual impurity or physical uncleanness, particularly in legal or metaphorical texts (e.g., Leviticus 21:7; Ezekiel 4:12, 15). In Deuteronomic and Priestly legislation, concern with the disposal of צוֹאָה reflects cultural focus on purity, both social and religious. Later rabbinic tradition extends the term to cover various impurities, but in the Hebrew Bible, reference is often directly to human bodily waste and its associated impurity. Notably, צֹאָה is frequently used interchangeably with חֶרֶא—a more direct term for excrement—but the two can be differentiated by usage or force of expression. English Bible translations usually render it as 'dung,' 'filth,' or 'excrement,' but these do not always cover its association with ritual or moral impurity in metaphorical passages. No direct reference to Israelite ethnicity or later Judean religious identity is bound up in the term itself.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or צֹאָה ; feminine of צוֹא; excrement; generally, dirt; figuratively, pollution; dung, filth(-iness). Marg. for חֶרֶא.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

צוא (ṣ-w-ʾ) — to go out, to discharge, to expel

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6674 צוֹא the filth-soiled ones

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6675-03 צוֹאָתָ֗/ם tsoatam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their their excrement 2
H6675-01 צֹאָ֑ה tsoah HNcfsa filth expelled waste 1
H6675-02 צֹאַ֣ת tsoat HNcfsc the filth excrement of 1
H6675-04 וּ֝/מִ/צֹּאָת֗/וֹ umitsoato HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and from his filth and from his excrement 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6675-03 2 Kings 18:27 צוֹאָתָ֗/ם tsoatam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their their excrement
H6675-02 Isaiah 4:4 צֹאַ֣ת tsoat HNcfsc the filth excrement of
H6675-01 Isaiah 28:8 צֹאָ֑ה tsoah HNcfsa filth expelled waste
H6675-03 Isaiah 36:12 צוֹאָתָ֗/ם tsoatam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their excrement their excrement
H6675-04 Proverbs 30:12 וּ֝/מִ/צֹּאָת֗/וֹ umitsoato HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and from his filth and from his excrement
← H6674 Hebrew Lexicon H6676 →