5572. seneh

Lexical Summary

seneh: Seneh

Original Word: סְנֶה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: cnah
Pronunciation: seh'-neh
Phonetic Spelling: (sen-eh')
KJV: bush
NASB: bush
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to prick]

1. a bramble

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

bush

From an unused root meaning to prick; a bramble -- bush.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
perhaps blackberry bush
NASB Translation
bush (6).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

סְנֶה noun masculine^{Exodus 3:2} a thorny bush, perhaps black-berry bush (compare Löw^{No. 219}; rubus fruticosus Linn.; Aramaic סַנְיָא, thorn-bush, Assyrian sinû, Meissn^{ZA vi. 293} blackberry bush (Meissner thinks Aramaic ׳ס loan-word from this); Arabic senna, Lane¹⁴⁴⁹); — absolute ׳ס Exodus 3:2 (twice in verse); Exodus 3:4, מְנֶ֑ה Exodus 3:2; Exodus 3:3 (all E) Deuteronomy 33:16 (akin to E).

Topical Lexicon

Occurrences and Setting

סְנֶה appears six times, all clustered in the narrative of Moses’ call (Exodus 3:2 [×3], 3:3, 3:4) and in Moses’ final blessing (Deuteronomy 33:16). The setting is the wilderness of Horeb, “the mountain of God” (Exodus 3:1), where a low, thorny shrub becomes the stage for a profound theophany.

The Burning Bush Theophany

“Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. Moses looked and saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). By choosing an ordinary desert shrub rather than a lofty cedar, the Lord highlights His willingness to dwell among the lowly (compare Isaiah 57:15). The paradox of a bush ablaze yet unburned anticipates Israel’s preservation amid the furnace of Egyptian oppression and prefigures the believer’s endurance through trials (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Revelation of the Divine Name

From the midst of the סְנֶה God proclaims, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). The bush thus becomes inseparable from the revelation of Yahweh’s self-existence and covenant faithfulness. The ground around it is declared holy (Exodus 3:5), underscoring that holiness is defined by God’s presence, not by geography or vegetation.

Symbolic Resonances

• Humility: A thorn bush typifies barrenness and insignificance, yet it hosts the glory of God (compare 1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
• Purity and Preservation: Fire often purifies or consumes; in the סְנֶה it illuminates without destroying, portraying God’s purifying work that spares His people (Malachi 3:2-3).
• Mediation: The Angel of the LORD speaks from within the bush, foreshadowing the incarnate Mediator who would tabernacle among humanity (John 1:14).

Moses’ Call and Commission

The סְנֶה episode marks Moses’ transition from shepherd to deliverer. God’s assurance—“Certainly I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12)—links the fiery presence in the bush to the pillar of fire that later guides Israel (Exodus 13:21). The bush is therefore the inaugural sign of an abiding presence that will accompany the Exodus.

Echo in Moses’ Final Blessing

Deuteronomy 33:16 refers to “the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.” Moses looks back on the סְנֶה as the fountainhead of all covenant blessings bestowed on Joseph’s tribes and, by extension, on Israel. The singular event becomes a shorthand for divine favor throughout the nation’s history.

Ministry Applications

• Preaching: The סְנֶה encourages sermons on God’s transcendence and immanence—fire above, within a bush below.
• Pastoral Care: Suffering believers can be reminded that they, like the bush, may feel the heat yet will not be consumed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
• Missions: God meets shepherd Moses in obscurity, calling him to confront empire; likewise the Lord still commissions servants from humble settings to global impact.
• Worship: Hymns drawing on the burning bush theme celebrate divine holiness and grace (“the God of Abraham praise, Who reigns enthroned above, Ancient of everlasting days, And God of love”).

Apologetic Value

The convergence of holiness, revelation, and commissioning in a single, well-attested location provides internal coherence to the Pentateuch. The unconsumed bush counters naturalistic readings by presenting an event that defies ordinary combustion laws, inviting consideration of supernatural agency.

Theological Summary

סְנֶה stands as a living parable: God’s blazing holiness can reside among thorny, fragile humanity without annihilating it, because He Himself provides mediation and mercy. From Horeb’s humble shrub flows the Exodus, the covenant, and ultimately the hope fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the true “I AM” (John 8:58).

Forms and Transliterations

הַסְּנֶ֑ה הַסְּנֶ֗ה הַסְּנֶֽה׃ הַסְּנֶה֙ הסנה הסנה׃ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה והסנה סְנֶ֑ה סנה has·sə·neh hasseNeh hassəneh sə·neh seNeh səneh vehasseNeh wə·has·sə·neh wəhassəneh

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 3:2
HEB: אֵ֖שׁ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה
NAS: from the midst of a bush; and he looked,
KJV: out of the midst of a bush: and he looked,
INT: fire the midst of a bush looked and behold

Exodus 3:2
HEB: וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ
NAS: and behold, the bush was burning
KJV: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned
INT: looked and behold the bush was burning fire

Exodus 3:2
HEB: בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל׃
NAS: with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.
KJV: with fire, and the bush [was] not consumed.
INT: was burning fire the bush was not consumed

Exodus 3:3
HEB: לֹא־ יִבְעַ֥ר הַסְּנֶֽה׃
NAS: sight, why the bush is not burned up.
KJV: sight, why the bush is not burnt.
INT: is not burned the bush

Exodus 3:4
HEB: אֱלֹהִ֜ים מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֗ה וַיֹּ֛אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֥ה
NAS: to him from the midst of the bush and said,
KJV: unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said,
INT: God the midst of the bush and said Moses

Deuteronomy 33:16
HEB: וּרְצ֥וֹן שֹׁכְנִ֖י סְנֶ֑ה תָּב֙וֹאתָה֙ לְרֹ֣אשׁ
NAS: of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let it come
KJV: of him that dwelt in the bush: let [the blessing] come
INT: and the favor dwelt the bush come to the head

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5572
6 Occurrences

has·sə·neh — 4 Occ.
sə·neh — 1 Occ.
wə·has·sə·neh — 1 Occ.