צַח
𐤑𐤇
tsach
H6703 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Bright, radiant, or shining in appearance, often used to describe something that is gleaming or conspicuously white. It can convey both literal brightness (such as sunlight or a shining object) and figurative clarity or evident quality. In poetic and descriptive passages, it may refer to vivid brightness, freshness, or purity of appearance.
Semantic Range
bright, dazzling, shining, radiant, conspicuously white, vivid, clear, fresh, plainly evident
Root / Etymology
From the root צָחַח (ts-ch-ḥ), which has the sense of being dazzling or gleaming from brightness. The form צַח is an adjective derived directly from this root, emphasizing the quality of shining or being conspicuously bright.
Historical & Contextual Notes
צַח appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible, most notably in Song of Songs 5:10 ('dazzling and ruddy'), where it describes a strikingly bright or radiant quality, likely of skin or complexion, in poetic imagery. The word's use is distinct from other terms for white such as לָבָן (lavan), which simply denotes the color white. צַח emphasizes brilliance, vividness, or eye-catching radiance rather than mere whiteness, and can suggest freshness or purity as well. English translations often use 'white,' 'bright,' or 'radiant,' but 'white' does not fully capture the nuance of luminosity inherent in the Hebrew. In later Hebrew and in post-biblical literature, צַח continues to carry connotations of luminous purity and radiance, sometimes broadening to clarity or freshness (such as in the phrase for clear water: מים צחים).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from צָחַח; dazzling, i.e. sunny, bright, (figuratively) evident; clear, dry, plainly, white.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
צחח (ts-ḥ-ḥ) — to shine, to be bright, to gleam
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6705 | צָחַח | they blazed white |
| H6706 | צְחִיחַ | in the sunlit heights |
| H6707 | צְחִיחָה | parched land |
| H6708 | צְחִיחִי | in parched exposures |
| H6710 | צַחְצָחָה | in parched places |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6703-01 |
צַח֙ | tsach | HAamsa |
clear | radiant | 3 |
H6703-02 |
צָחֽוֹת | tsachot | HAafpa |
clearly | radiant ones | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6703-01 |
Isaiah 18:4 | צַח֙ | tsach | HAamsa |
clear | radiant |
H6703-02 |
Isaiah 32:4 | צָחֽוֹת | tsachot | HAafpa |
clearly | radiant ones |
H6703-01 |
Jeremiah 4:11 | צַ֤ח | tsach | HAamsa |
scorching | radiant |
H6703-01 |
Song of Songs 5:10 | צַח֙ | tsach | HAamsa |
radiant | radiant |