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שׂוּט

𐤔𐤅𐤈

sûwṭ

H7750 verb

SILEX Entry

Root שׂוט to rove, to roam, to wander, to patrol, to go about, to travel

Definition

To rove, roam, travel about, or wander (without fixed destination), generally with the sense of moving back and forth; by extension, to go about, range, or patrol within an area. In some contexts, it can refer to the act of searching or exploring, especially for information, or to travel with a purpose (such as patrolling or investigating).

Semantic Range

to rove, to roam about, to wander aimlessly or systematically, to travel throughout an area, to patrol or survey, to search, to go to and fro, to go about with purpose (e.g., scouting, census-taking)

Root / Etymology

Root שוּט is an onomatopoetic root suggesting movement or roaming (cf. Akkadian šūṭu, 'to go to and fro'). The core meaning of the root relates to motion—specifically, moving about or roaming. The verb שׂוּט ('to rove, wander') and its variants are derived directly from this root, emphasizing the action of movement with no necessary implication of aimlessness or wrongdoing.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שׂוּט primarily appears with reference to physical movement—traveling or scouting, especially in a repeated or systematic manner. For example, it is used in Numbers 11:8 where the Israelites 'go about' (שָׂטוּ) to gather manna, connoting purposeful movement. In 2 Samuel 24:2 and elsewhere, it conveys traveling throughout a region (the land of Israel) as part of taking a census. The infrequent use in poetic texts (e.g., Job 1:7, Zechariah 4:10) extends the imagery to angelic or divine figures roaming or surveying the earth. While some older translations (including those influenced by the KJV) occasionally render this root as 'to err' or 'to turn aside (to wrongdoing, especially idolatry),' these are interpretive extrapolations; the verb itself does not inherently denote moral deviation. The sense of 'turn aside' belongs more properly to the root סוּט (H7751), which is sometimes confused in the tradition. The emphasis in שׂוּט is on the movement itself rather than the purpose or moral quality of that movement. Later Hebrew and Aramaic retain the idea of travel or thorough searching. This word should be distinguished from directional terms like סָבַב ('to go around, encircle') and from errant behavior implied by סוּר ('to turn aside') or סוּט ('to swerve'), which focus more on deviation from a path or standard rather than the act of roaming or traveling itself.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (by permutation) סוּט; a primitive root; to detrude, i.e. (intransitively and figuratively) become derelict (wrongly practise; namely, idolatry); turn aside to.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שוט (š-w-ṭ) — to rove, to roam, to wander, to patrol, to go about, to travel

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4880 מָשׁוֹט oar
H7751 שׁוּט the roaming ones
H7752 שׁוֹט with the whips
H7846 שֵׂט turn-asiders
H7850 שֹׁטֵט and to a roaming-one

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7750-02 וְ/שָׂטֵ֥י vesatey HC/Vqrmpc and-revolters and roaming ones of 1
H7750-01 סֵטִ֥ים setim HNcmpa those who turn aside rovers 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7750-02 Psalms 40:5 וְ/שָׂטֵ֥י vesatey HC/Vqrmpc and-revolters and roaming ones of
H7750-01 Psalms 101:3 סֵטִ֥ים setim HNcmpa those who turn aside rovers
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