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שִׁקּוּץ

𐤔𐤒𐤅𐤑

shiqqûwts

H8251 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁקץ to detest, abhor, regard as abominable

Definition

An object or thing regarded as detestable, abominable, or ritually abhorrent, especially used for items, practices, or idols associated with cults considered forbidden or impure in the Hebrew Bible. The term communicates intense aversion or condemnation, particularly toward foreign religious objects or acts considered ritually or morally unacceptable to Israelite norms.

Semantic Range

object regarded as detestable or abhorrent, object or image used in forbidden cultic practice, idol regarded as ritually impure, abominable thing, object causing ritual defilement

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁקץ (to detest, abhor, regard as abominable). The noun form שִׁקּוּץ functions as a substantive denoting something that is intensely detested, commonly an object (often a cultic item or idol) designated as ritually impure or unacceptable.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שִׁקּוּץ appears predominantly in exilic and post-exilic literature (especially Ezekiel and Daniel), underscoring attitudes toward foreign cults and practices. In these texts, it often refers directly to foreign idols or idolatrous practices, marking them as not merely foreign, but actively polluting and incompatible with Israelite worship. In the Second Temple period, especially for Daniel, the term expands to designate desecrations of sacred space (e.g., the 'abomination of desolation'). The rendering 'abomination' in English aligns with the strength of the Hebrew term, but sometimes obscures its specific association with forbidden cultic objects. The term should be contrasted with תּוֹעֵבָה (toʿevah), which carries a broader sense of 'abomination' covering ethical, sexual, or ritual transgressions without the particular focus on cultic impurity. שִׁקּוּץ is nearly always used polemically in Israelite and Judean discourse to mark boundaries between permissible worship of YHWH and illicit, non-Israelite cultic objects or practices. Later traditions render the term as 'abomination' or 'abomination that causes desolation,' and in some early modern translations, these concepts became associated—anachronistically—with later religious controversies involving 'Jewish' identity, but the biblical term itself is much more concerned with ritual and cultic impurity.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or שִׁקֻּץ; from שָׁקַץ; disgusting, i.e. filthy; especially idolatrous or (concretely) an idol; abominable filth (idol, -ation), detestable (thing).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁקץ (š-q-ṣ) — to detest, abhor, regard as abominable

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8262 שָׁקַץ to intensely treat as detestable

Word Forms

11 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8251-07 שִׁקּ֣וּצֵי/הֶ֔ם shiqutseyhem HNcmpc/Sp3mp their abominations their detestable objects 7
H8251-03 שִׁקֻּ֖ץ shiquts HNcmsc the abomination detested cult-object 6
H8251-09 שִׁקּוּצִ֖ים shiqutsim HNcmpa abominations detestable cult-objects 3
H8251-04 שִׁקּוּצָ֑יִ/ךְ shiqutsayikhe HNcmpc/Sp2fs your detestable acts your detestable objects 2
H8251-10 וּ/בְ/שִׁקּוּצֵי/הֶ֖ם uveshiqutseyhem HC/R/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and in their abominations and in their detestable objects 2
H8251-02 הַ/שִּׁקֻּצִ֗ים hashiqutsim HTd/Ncmpa detestable things the abhorred objects 2
H8251-05 שִׁקּוּצֵ֤י shiqutsey HNcmpc detestable things abhorrent objects of 2
H8251-11 וְ/שִׁקֻּצָי/ו֙ veshiqutsayv HC/Ncmpc/Sp3ms and-abominations-of-it and his detestable things 1
H8251-06 שִׁקּוּצֶ֛י/הָ shiqutseyha HNcmpc/Sp3fs its-detestable-things her detestable objects 1
H8251-01 הַ/שִּׁקּ֥וּץ hashiquts HTd/Ncmsa the abomination the detestable object 1

Occurrences in Scripture

28 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8251-07 Deuteronomy 29:16 שִׁקּ֣וּצֵי/הֶ֔ם shiqutseyhem HNcmpc/Sp3mp abominations their detestable objects
H8251-03 1 Kings 11:5 שִׁקֻּ֖ץ shiquts HNcmsc the detestable detested cult-object
H8251-03 1 Kings 11:7 שִׁקֻּ֣ץ shiquts HNcmsc the abomination detested cult-object
H8251-03 1 Kings 11:7 שִׁקֻּ֖ץ shiquts-2 HNcmsc the abomination detested cult-object
H8251-03 2 Kings 23:13 שִׁקֻּ֣ץ shiquts HNcmsc the abomination detested cult-object
H8251-03 2 Kings 23:13 שִׁקֻּ֣ץ shiquts-2 HNcmsc the abomination detested cult-object
H8251-02 2 Kings 23:24 הַ/שִּׁקֻּצִ֗ים hashiqutsim HTd/Ncmpa detestable things the abhorred objects
H8251-10 Isaiah 66:3 וּ/בְ/שִׁקּוּצֵי/הֶ֖ם uveshiqutseyhem HC/R/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and in their abominations and in their detestable objects
H8251-08 Jeremiah 4:1 שִׁקּוּצֶ֛י/ךָ shiqutseykha HNcmpc/Sp2ms your detestable things your detested objects
H8251-07 Jeremiah 7:30 שִׁקּֽוּצֵי/הֶ֗ם shiqutseyhem HNcmpc/Sp3mp their abominations their detestable objects
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