צוֹאָה
𐤑𐤅𐤀𐤄
tsôwʼâh
H6675 noun
SILEX Entry
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.
Translation Consistency
Most occurrences in the P2 renderings use “excrement,” and the term clearly and unambiguously covers human waste and the extended sense of filthy/unclean matter. It’s more precise than “filth” (which is broader/figurative) and more appropriate for human waste than “dung,” while remaining natural English rather than overly clinical Latinisms like “feces.” This single word best preserves the typical literal and figurative ranges of tsôwʼâh.
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 recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
צוא (tsôwʼ) — to go forth, to issue, 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 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6675-03 |
צוֹאָתָ֗/ם | tsoatam | HNcfsc/Sp3mp |
their | their excrement | their excrement | 2 |
H6675-01 |
צֹאָ֑ה | tsoah | HNcfsa |
filth | expelled waste | filth | 1 |
H6675-02 |
צֹאַ֣ת | tsoat | HNcfsc |
the filth | excrement of | excrement of | 1 |
H6675-04 |
וּ֝/מִ/צֹּאָת֗/וֹ | umitsoato | HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and from his filth | and from his excrement | and from his excrement | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6675-03 |
2 Kings 18:27 | צוֹאָתָ֗/ם | tsoatam | HNcfsc/Sp3mp |
their | their excrement | their excrement |
H6675-02 |
Isaiah 4:4 | צֹאַ֣ת | tsoat | HNcfsc |
the filth | excrement of | excrement of |
H6675-01 |
Isaiah 28:8 | צֹאָ֑ה | tsoah | HNcfsa |
filth | expelled waste | filth |
H6675-03 |
Isaiah 36:12 | צוֹאָתָ֗/ם | tsoatam | HNcfsc/Sp3mp |
their excrement | 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 | and from his excrement |