Lexical Summary cchiy: Filth, refuse Original Word: סְחִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance offscouring From cachah; refuse (as swept off) -- offscouring. see HEBREW cachah Brown-Driver-Briggs סְחִי noun [masculine] offcouring; — וּמָאוֺס תְּשִׂימֵנוּ ׳ס Lamentations 3:45. Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Hebrew 5501 marks a graphic image of extreme degradation. The noun appears a single time in the Hebrew Scriptures, within Jeremiah’s lament over Jerusalem’s humiliation. By choosing so vivid a term, the inspired author underscores the depth of disgrace Judah experienced under divine discipline. Biblical Setting in Lamentations 3 Lamentations 3 forms the emotional center of the book. The prophet speaks personally yet represents the nation. Verse 45 reads, “You have made us scum and refuse among the nations” (Berean Standard Bible). The doubling—“scum and refuse”—amplifies the shame. The word סְחִי draws the reader’s eye to the imagery of scraped-off filth, the unwanted remnants discarded after cleaning a vessel. Judah, once a royal priesthood (Exodus 19:6), now finds herself likened to the dregs washed down a gutter. The context reminds the reader that covenant violation brings covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:37; 2 Chronicles 36:16-17). Symbolism of Defilement and Worthlessness 1. Ritual Defilement: In the tabernacle system, uncleanness barred worshipers from God’s presence (Leviticus 13:45-46). By calling the nation “scum,” the prophet presents Judah as ceremonially unfit, mirroring her moral uncleanness. Related Old Testament Motifs • “Offscouring” language recurs with different Hebrew terms: Ezekiel 22:18-22 speaks of “dross” in the furnace; Nahum 3:6 foretells Nineveh becoming “vile and set up as a spectacle.” Such parallels reinforce the theological principle that sin reduces any people, whether covenant nation or pagan empire, to worthlessness before the holy God. New Testament Parallels Paul adopts similar self-description: “We have become like the scum of the world, the refuse of all, to this very moment” (1 Corinthians 4:13). The apostle embraces the imagery voluntarily for the sake of Christ, contrasting Judah’s enforced humiliation. His usage confirms the continuity of Scripture’s vocabulary of shame and turns it toward redemptive service. Historical Interpretation Early Jewish commentators treated the term as evidence of complete national abasement, while Christian expositors such as Jerome and Matthew Henry saw in it a picture of the sinner’s state apart from grace. During the Reformation, the verse was cited to illustrate the severity of divine judgment and the purity of God’s justice. Modern archaeological findings of debris-filled destruction layers in sixth-century-BC Jerusalem provide visual corroboration of the prophet’s metaphor. Theological Reflections • Divine Sovereignty: The verse attributes Judah’s condition to God’s action—“You have made us.” Human enemies are secondary; the LORD remains the primary actor in redemptive history. Implications for Ministry 1. Preaching: The term urges pastors to portray sin’s ugliness without euphemism, preparing hearts for the beauty of salvation. Devotional Considerations Meditating on סְחִי teaches humility. Recognition of one’s own helplessness apart from Christ fosters gratitude. As the hymn proclaims, “Nothing in my hand I bring,” echoing Judah’s emptiness, believers cling to God’s mercy renewed each morning. Key Reference Lamentations 3:45 – “You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.” Forms and Transliterations סְחִ֧י סחי sə·ḥî seChi səḥîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Lamentations 3:45 HEB: סְחִ֧י וּמָא֛וֹס תְּשִׂימֵ֖נוּ NAS: [You have made us mere] offscouring and refuse KJV: Thou hast made us [as] the offscouring and refuse INT: offscouring and refuse have made |
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