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שִׁיחָה

𐤔𐤉𐤇𐤄

shîychâh

H7882 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁוּחַ to sink, bow down, be brought low

Definition

A pit or trap, typically an artificial hole in the ground used for catching animals or as a snare. The word often denotes a concealed or covered pit intended to ensnare, symbolically extended to denote a place of danger, destruction, or entrapment. In poetic and prophetic usage, it may also signify a figurative 'pitfall'—a metaphor for peril, distress, or the threat of ruin.

Semantic Range

trap-pit, snare, concealed hole, place of destruction, peril, figurative pitfall or danger

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁוּחַ (sh-w-ḥ), meaning 'to sink down, bow down, be bowed down.' שִׁיחָה (shîychâh) is a feminine noun formed from the root, denoting that which causes to sink or makes one fall. The root's primary idea is of sinking down or being brought low, from which the concept of a physical pit, as an agent of causing to go down, is derived.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שִׁיחָה occurs primarily in poetical texts, especially in the Psalms and the Prophets, where it is used interchangeably with related terms like בּוֹר (bor, 'pit, cistern') and שַׁחַת (shakhat, 'pit, grave, destruction'). Unlike בור, which often designates a cistern or dungeon, שִׁיחָה specifically connotes a trap or snare pit. Its use is almost always metaphorical in later texts, reflecting existential danger or the threat of sudden calamity. English translations sometimes render it simply as 'pit,' but the nuance of deliberate entrapment is often lost. Notably, the term carries no necessary association with burial or natural caves, in contrast to other terms for 'pit.' During the monarchic and post-exilic periods, its figurative use was especially prominent in prayers for deliverance from calamity or evil intent.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

for שׁוּחָה; a pit-fall; pit.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שוח (sh-w-ḥ) — to sink down, bow down, be brought low

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3439 יְשׁוֹחָיָה Yahweh will bring low
H7744 שׁוּחַ Shuach
H7745 שׁוּחָה sunken pit
H7845 שַׁחַת in the pit
H7878 שִׂיחַ Meditate!

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7882-02 שִׁיח֑וֹת shichot HNcfpa pits trap-pits 1
H7882-03 שיחה shychh HNcfsa a pit sinking trap-pit 1
H7882-01 שִׁיחָ֑ה shichah HNcfsa a pit trap-pit 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7882-03 Jeremiah 18:22 שיחה shychh HNcfsa a pit sinking trap-pit
H7882-01 Psalms 57:7 שִׁיחָ֑ה shichah HNcfsa a pit trap-pit
H7882-02 Psalms 119:85 שִׁיח֑וֹת shichot HNcfpa pits trap-pits
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