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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 recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

uncertain (Baleadan) — uncertain

Root uncertain uncertain (no Hebrew root); possibly 'chief official, high-ranking officer' in Akkadian
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1002 בִּירָה the citadel
H105 אֲגַרְטָל bowls of
H1081 בַּלְאֲדָן Baladan
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8310-01 שַׂר sar HNp Sar ruling-official of Saresekhim 1
H8310-02 סְכִ֣ים sekhim HNp sekim Babylonian high official Saresekhim 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8310-01 Jeremiah 39:3 שַׂר sar-2 HNp Sar ruling-official of Saresekhim
H8310-02 Jeremiah 39:3 סְכִ֣ים sekhim HNp sekim Babylonian high official Saresekhim
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