שַׂרְסְכִים
𐤔𐤓𐤎𐤊𐤉𐤌
Saresekhim
H8310 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name, denoting a high-ranking official of Babylon, specifically referenced as one of the chief officers present at the capture of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 39:3). The term indicates a title or rank rather than a personal name, suggesting a person of authority, possibly military or administrative, in the Neo-Babylonian state.
Semantic Range
proper name denoting a Babylonian official or title; title of rank among Babylonian court officials; name of a military or administrative figure
Root / Etymology
etymology uncertain. The word does not derive from a known Hebrew root and is of foreign, likely Akkadian or Babylonian, origin. Attempts have been made to connect it to the Babylonian title šar(ru) sukkallu ('king's vizier' or 'chief official'), but direct derivation remains uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
שַׂרְסְכִים appears only once in the Hebrew Bible (Jeremiah 39:3), where it is listed among Babylonian officials during the capture of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. The form and context suggest it should be read as either a title or a proper name. Babylonian administrative titles were commonly rendered with transliterations in the biblical text when referring to foreign officials, reflecting historical realities of Babylonian governance. In translations, such officials are sometimes generically labeled as 'princes' or 'generals,' but this oversimplifies the probable nuance of the office. The similarity to Akkadian terms for high-ranking officers (sukkallu) provides a plausible background for the function of the individual, but the exact official position is not conclusive. Later translation traditions sometimes treat the word as a personal name ('Sarsechim'), though it is more likely a title or rank. The term has no parallel in other biblical texts and remains a marker of the Neo-Babylonian context depicted in Jeremiah.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of foreign derivation; Sarsekim, a Babylonian general; Sarsechim.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׂרר (ś-r-r) — to rule, to govern, to exercise authority
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5493 | סוּר | Princess |
| H5620 | סַר | Princess |
| H5627 | סָרָה | Princess |
| H8269 | שַׂר | the ruler |
| H8272 | שַׁרְאֶצֶר | ruling-chief |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8310-02 |
סְכִ֣ים | sekhim | HNp |
sekim | Babylonian high official | 1 |
H8310-01 |
שַׂר | sar | HNp |
Sar | ruling-official of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8310-01 |
Jeremiah 39:3 | שַׂר | sar-2 | HNp |
Sar | ruling-official of |
H8310-02 |
Jeremiah 39:3 | סְכִ֣ים | sekhim | HNp |
sekim | Babylonian high official |