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בׇּאְשָׁה

𐤁𐤀𐤔𐤄

boʼshâh

H890 noun

SILEX Entry

Root באש to stink, emit a bad smell, be offensive

Definition

Noxious plant or weed, primarily any plant with an unpleasant odor or considered harmful and undesirable, especially in cultivated fields. Also used more generally for a worthless or poisonous plant that disrupts crops or is a sign of neglect or judgment.

Semantic Range

noxious plant, stinkweed, weed with bad odor, noxious or useless herb, metaphor for desolation or judgment

Root / Etymology

From the root בָּאַשׁ (b–ʼ–sh), meaning 'to stink, emit a bad smell.' The noun בׇּאְשָׁה is the feminine substantive form, indicating a stinking or offensive (plant).

Historical & Contextual Notes

בׇּאְשָׁה appears in the Hebrew Bible in poetic and prophetic contexts, such as Isaiah 34:13, to describe overgrowth and desolation resulting from devastation, often paired with other wild or undesirable plants. The term signifies not only the literal presence of a malodorous or harmful weed but is also employed metaphorically to signify judgment, chaos, or the undoing of cultivated order. English older translations such as 'cockle' may be misleading—while the term refers broadly to any fetid or unwanted weed, it does not specify a particular botanical species. In later tradition and translation, the term sometimes came to be associated with various local weedy species, but the biblical use remains general and focuses on the negative qualities of the plant. Related terms include זִיז, קוֹצ, and דַּרְדַּר, each with nuanced differences (e.g., thorny vs. malodorous).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of בְּאֹשׁ; stink-weed or any other noxious or useless plant; cockle.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

באש (b-ʾ-sh) — to stink, emit a bad smell, be offensive

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H887 בָּאַשׁ to cause to stink
H889 בְּאֹשׁ stench of
H891 בְּאֻשִׁים foul berries

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H890-01 בָאְשָׁ֑ה vaeshah HNcfsa cockle stink-weed 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H890-01 Job 31:40 בָאְשָׁ֑ה vaeshah HNcfsa cockle stink-weed
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