שִׁגָּעוֹן
𐤔𐤂𐤏𐤅𐤍
shiggâʻôwn
H7697 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
State of madness, frenzy, or mental disturbance; refers to intense emotional or psychological agitation, a disordered or irrational mental state, sometimes characterized as divinely induced madness or senseless fury. The term primarily denotes a severe, outwardly observable mental disorder or irrational behavior, distinguished from typical sadness or grief. In certain contexts, functions as a condition attributed to a person's relationship to the divine or as an accusation against individuals viewed as having lost rational control.
Semantic Range
madness, mental disturbance, insanity, frenzy, irrational behavior, divinely induced madness, accusation of derangement
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root שָׁגַע (sh-g-ʿ), meaning 'to be mad, to behave irrationally, to rave' or 'to act with uncontrolled frenzy.' The nominal form adds a concrete aspect, referring not to the act of becoming mad, but to the enduring state or condition of madness. Root meaning and lexical sense are closely related, but the noun signifies the result or condition rather than the process.
Historical & Contextual Notes
שִׁגָּעוֹן appears in a small number of biblical passages (e.g., Psalm 7: title; Habakkuk 1:9, though manuscripts vary), often referencing the state or accusation of madness. In the title of Psalm 7, it is associated with David and his adversaries, possibly reflecting accusations of irrationality or frenzied behavior. The concept of madness (שִׁגָּעוֹן) in ancient Israelite thought could be associated either with psychological disorder or as a result of divine influence—seen in contexts where prophetic behavior or ecstatic experience is labeled as such by outsiders. This distinguishes it from terms like עַוְלָה ('iniquity') or אוּלָם ('folly'), which refer to deliberate moral failing or foolishness, not loss of rationality. English translations often narrow the sense to 'madness' or 'fury,' but historical usage allowed for broader interpretations, including both pathological and divinely inspired frenzy. In post-biblical Hebrew, the term retained the connotation of insanity, but also took on legal and medical dimensions.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שָׁגַע; craziness; furiously, madness.
Bantu Hebrew
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שׁגע (sh-g-ʿ) — to be mad, to rave, to lose one's mind, to behave irrationally
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7697-01 |
בַּ/שִּׁגָּע֑וֹן | bashigaon | HRd/Ncmsa |
with madness | in the madness | 1 |
H7697-03 |
בְ/שִׁגָּע֖וֹן | veshigaon | HR/Ncmsa |
in madness | state of madness | 1 |
H7697-02 |
בְּ/שִׁגָּע֖וֹן | beshigaon | HR/Ncmsa |
with madness | in a state of madness | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7697-02 |
Deuteronomy 28:28 | בְּ/שִׁגָּע֖וֹן | beshigaon | HR/Ncmsa |
with madness | in a state of madness |
H7697-03 |
2 Kings 9:20 | בְ/שִׁגָּע֖וֹן | veshigaon | HR/Ncmsa |
in madness | state of madness |
H7697-01 |
Zechariah 12:4 | בַּ/שִּׁגָּע֑וֹן | bashigaon | HRd/Ncmsa |
with madness | in the madness |