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בּוּס

𐤁𐤅𐤎

bûwç

H947 verb

SILEX Entry

Root בוס to trample, tread down, crush

Definition

To trample, crush, or tread down with the feet, often conveying an act of physical dominance, desecration, or contempt. In figurative usage, to treat with scorn, disdain, or disregard, especially as regards persons, objects, or boundaries considered inviolable in Israelite society. May imply an act of desecration in cultic or social settings.

Semantic Range

to trample underfoot, to crush, to treat with contempt, to dishonor, to profane by trampling, to disregard, to pollute by disrespectful action

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root בוס, which fundamentally conveys the act of pressing or stepping upon. While the core root relates to the physical act of trampling, the derived forms extend to connotations of contempt, violation, and profanation. The root is used consistently in both literal and extended figurative senses across Biblical Hebrew.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בּוּס occurs chiefly in poetic and prophetic contexts, describing not only literal trampling (e.g., trampling underfoot) but also the humiliation or contempt shown to people, cities, or holy places, particularly in the wake of military defeat or social disorder. In some later prophetic passages, it can describe YHWH's judgment upon enemies, using the imagery of trampling to signify utter defeat or rejection. In cultic contexts, trampling may connote desecration or impurity, aligning with the concept of a sacred boundary being violated. English translations often render the term as 'trample,' 'tread down,' or 'be scorned/disdained,' but these can fail to convey the deep sense of contempt or profanation implicit in the Hebrew. Related verbs such as רָמַס (ramas, 'to trample, crush') share physical imagery but sometimes lack the figurative or moral nuances of בּוּס. The nuance of pollution, noted in some English traditions, arises chiefly from the association of trampling with impurity or sacrilege in Israelite culture, not as a primary meaning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to trample (literally or figuratively); loath, tread (down, under (foot)), be polluted.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בוס (b-w-s) — to trample, tread down, crush

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1153 בְּסַי Treader-Down
H2982 יְבוּס Trampled Place
H4001 מְבוּסָה and trampling-down
H8395 תְּבוּסָה trampling-down of

Word Forms

9 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H947-02 בּוֹסְס֖וּ bosesu HVop3cp have trampled they have trampled down 2
H947-09 יָב֥וּס yavus HVqi3ms will trample he will trample down 2
H947-04 מִתְבּוֹסֶ֖סֶת miteboseset HVrrfsa squirming self-trampling one 2
H947-05 מוּבָֽס muvas HVHsmsa trampled trampled-down one 1
H947-08 וְ/אָב֤וּס veavus HC/Vqi1cs and I trod down I trample down 1
H947-06 נָב֥וּס navus HVqi1cp we tread down we trample down 1
H947-07 תָּב֣וּס tavus HVqi3fs loathes she tramples down 1
H947-03 בּוֹסִ֨ים bosim HVqrmpa treading down the trampling ones 1
H947-01 אֲבוּסֶ֑/נּוּ avusenu HVqi1cs/Sp3ms I will tread him down I will trample him 1

Occurrences in Scripture

12 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H947-05 Isaiah 14:19 מוּבָֽס muvas HVHsmsa trampled trampled-down one
H947-01 Isaiah 14:25 אֲבוּסֶ֑/נּוּ avusenu HVqi1cs/Sp3ms I will tread him down I will trample him
H947-08 Isaiah 63:6 וְ/אָב֤וּס veavus HC/Vqi1cs and I trod down I trample down
H947-02 Isaiah 63:18 בּוֹסְס֖וּ bosesu HVop3cp have trodden they have trampled down
H947-02 Jeremiah 12:10 בֹּסְס֖וּ bosesu HVop3cp have trampled they have trampled down
H947-04 Ezekiel 16:6 מִתְבּוֹסֶ֖סֶת miteboseset HVrrfsa squirming self-trampling one
H947-04 Ezekiel 16:22 מִתְבּוֹסֶ֥סֶת miteboseset HVrrfsa wallowing self-trampling one
H947-03 Zechariah 10:5 בּוֹסִ֨ים bosim HVqrmpa treading down the trampling ones
H947-06 Psalms 44:6 נָב֥וּס navus HVqi1cp we tread down we trample down
H947-09 Psalms 60:14 יָב֥וּס yavus HVqi3ms will tread down he will trample down
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