צָנַח
𐤑𐤍𐤇
tsânach
H6795 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To descend or cause to descend, specifically as an action of coming down or bringing something down intentionally (not simply falling); in context, often refers to setting, letting down, or lowering an object or person, or forcing someone to leave a position, as in dismounting from an animal. The term can also mean to fix or fasten by letting down. The semantic range covers both intransitive descent and transitive lowering or causing to descend.
Semantic Range
to descend, to alight or dismount, to bring down, to cause to descend or drive down, to fix or fasten by letting down
Root / Etymology
Root: צנח. The root meaning is 'to descend' or 'to come down,' but with an added nuance of intentionality or causing descent, not simply falling or moving downward. The verb form found in biblical texts tends toward the causative or transitive sense, reflecting deliberate lowering or dispatching downward.
Historical & Contextual Notes
צָנַח appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible and is considered somewhat archaic or poetic. Its primary use is in idiomatic contexts involving movement from a height to a lower position, often used of people dismounting (e.g., from a donkey, as in Judges 1:14; Joshua 15:18), implying an intentional act. While related roots like ירד (yarad, 'to go down') and נפל (nafal, 'to fall') denote general descent or uncontrolled falling, צָנַח conveys a more purposeful motion. Translations such as 'alight,' 'dismount,' or 'cause to descend' capture the sense, but 'to fix' or 'to fasten' (as in nailing or securing by bringing down) also appear in post-biblical Hebrew developments. English translations often render the term simply as 'alighted' or 'dismounted' and sometimes obscure the specific nuance of intentional descent. The verb does not carry any specific religious or cultic connotations, and its limited occurrence provides little evidence of semantic development beyond the early periods of Israelite history.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to alight; (transitive) to cause to descend, i.e. drive down; fasten, light (from off).
Bantu Hebrew
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צנח (ts-n-ḥ) — to descend, to cause to descend, to bring down intentionally
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6795-01 |
וַ/תִּצְנַ֖ח | vatitsenach | HC/Vqw3fs |
and it went down | and she descended | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6795-01 |
Joshua 15:18 | וַ/תִּצְנַ֖ח | vatitsenach | HC/Vqw3fs |
and she alighted | and she descended |
H6795-01 |
Judges 1:14 | וַ/תִּצְנַ֖ח | vatitsenach | HC/Vqw3fs |
and she dismounted | and she descended |
H6795-01 |
Judges 4:21 | וַ/תִּצְנַ֖ח | vatitsenach | HC/Vqw3fs |
and it went down | and she descended |