רָסִיס
𐤓𐤎𐤉𐤎
râçîyç
H7447 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A small fragment, shard, or drop, with primary senses including a tiny piece broken off from a larger whole and a small quantity of liquid such as a dew-drop. In physical contexts, most often describes a minute portion resulting from breaking, shattering, or dripping, whether of solid materials (such as pottery) or liquid (such as dew).
Semantic Range
fragment, shard, small piece (of pot or other material); drop, small quantity of liquid (dew-drop); minute portion, residue after ruin
Root / Etymology
From the root רָסַס (to shatter, break to pieces, crumble), the noun רָסִיס is formed to refer to something resulting from the action of breaking—hence a fragment (especially of a hard substance), or by extension, a drop or minute portion (especially of liquid). The root is associated with shattering or breaking in pieces, conveying the idea of something reduced to smaller components or particles.
Historical & Contextual Notes
רָסִיס appears infrequently in the Hebrew Bible, most commonly referring to small fragments produced by destruction, such as the shattering of objects (e.g., pottery shards), or minute drops of liquid (e.g., dew-drops, rain-drops). In poetic and prophetic contexts, the term evokes imagery of complete ruin or the minuteness of what remains after catastrophe. English translations may use 'fragment', 'shard', or 'drop', but risk flattening the sense if they select only one possible meaning in context. The Greek Septuagint often renders the term as ῥανίς (drop) or σπλάγχνον/θραύσμα (shard/fragment) depending on context, confirming its semantic flexibility. The overlap with terms like חֶרֶס (shard) or נֵטֶף (drop) should be noted; רָסִיס emphasizes the result of destructive action (breaking or dripping) rather than merely the state of being small. No significant development in meaning is attested across the major stages of biblical Hebrew, though later post-biblical usage may narrow to either the 'drop' or 'fragment' sense as context determines.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רָסַס; properly, dripping to pieces, i.e. a ruin; also a dew-drop; breach, drop.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רסס (r-s-s) — to shatter, break in pieces, crush
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7447-01 |
רְסִ֥יסֵי | resisey | HNcmpc |
the drops | fragments of | 1 |
H7447-02 |
רְסִיסִ֑ים | resisim | HNcmpa |
into-fragments | fragments | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7447-02 |
Amos 6:11 | רְסִיסִ֑ים | resisim | HNcmpa |
into-fragments | fragments |
H7447-01 |
Song of Songs 5:2 | רְסִ֥יסֵי | resisey | HNcmpc |
the drops | fragments of |