6704. tsicheh

Lexical Summary

tsicheh: Dryness, drought

Original Word: צִחֶה
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: tsicheh
Pronunciation: tsee-kheh
Phonetic Spelling: (tsee-kheh')
KJV: dried up
NASB: parched
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to glow]

1. parched

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

dried up

From an unused root meaning to glow; parched -- dried up.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
parched
NASB Translation
parched (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[צִחֶה] adjective intensive parched (compare Ges^{§ 84 b c}); — construct צִחֵה צָמָא Isaiah 5:13 parched with thirst.

Topical Lexicon

Scriptural Context

Isaiah 5 records a prophetic indictment against Judah and Jerusalem. Within that chapter, verse 13 employs the word צִחֶה to describe the grievous state of the nation: “Therefore My people go into exile for lack of understanding; their honored men will go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst” (Isaiah 5:13). The single use of the term underscores a moment of covenantal crisis in which physical dryness mirrors spiritual deprivation.

Imagery of Dryness and Thirst

1. Physical Hardship
• Drought was a familiar threat in the Ancient Near East. Agricultural societies relied on seasonal rains, so “parched with thirst” captured the terror of crop failure and famine (Deuteronomy 11:13-17).
2. Spiritual Bankruptcy
• Scripture frequently employs thirst to symbolize separation from God’s life-giving presence. David cries, “My soul thirsts for You” (Psalm 63:1). Isaiah uses identical imagery later: “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none… I, the LORD, will answer them” (Isaiah 41:17).
3. Judicial Consequence
• The context of Isaiah 5 places the dryness as covenantal judgment for persistent injustice, greed, and idolatry (Isaiah 5:7-12). The thirst is not random but divinely imposed discipline meant to bring the nation to repentance.

Historical Background

Isaiah prophesied during the eighth century B.C., a period marked by political intrigue, social disparity, and looming foreign aggression from Assyria. The imagery of parched multitudes anticipated real exile and deprivation that Judah would later experience under Babylon. Archaeological evidence of drought layers in the Levant further corroborates that such meteorological crises were not uncommon and carried severe societal fallout.

Theological Significance

1. Covenant Faithfulness
• Dryness serves as a covenant lawsuit motif, validating the warnings embedded in Deuteronomy 28:23-24. When the people violate Torah, heaven becomes “bronze,” earth becomes “iron,” and rain ceases.
2. Prophetic Revelation
• The single occurrence of צִחֶה does not diminish its weight; it crystallizes the prophetic principle that outward conditions often mirror inward realities.
3. Salvific Expectation
• Isaiah later counterbalances the judgment with promises of abundant water (Isaiah 55:1; Isaiah 58:11), foreshadowing messianic restoration and ultimately the living water offered by Jesus Christ (John 7:37-38).

Connections to Broader Biblical Themes

• Wilderness Testing: Exodus 17:3 depicts Israel’s complaint, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt… to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Parched conditions test faith.
• Prophetic Famine of the Word: Amos 8:11 warns of “a famine of hearing the words of the LORD,” tying spiritual drought to judgment.
• Eschatological Reversal: Revelation 7:16 promises, “Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst,” portraying ultimate deliverance.

Ministry Implications

1. Preaching and Teaching
• The passage exhorts leaders to provide sound doctrine lest congregations suffer spiritual dehydration (2 Timothy 4:2-3).
2. Social Justice
• Isaiah links dryness to societal sin; modern ministry must confront injustice and exploitation that provoke divine displeasure (James 5:4).
3. Intercessory Prayer
• Persistent prayer for revival parallels pleading for rain on parched ground (Zechariah 10:1).

Practical Application

• Personal Devotion: Believers examine whether neglect of Scripture and prayer has left their souls dry, then seek renewal through God’s Word (Psalm 19:7-10).
• Corporate Worship: Churches can incorporate laments and petitions for renewal, acknowledging collective need.
• Missions and Mercy: Providing literal water in humanitarian efforts symbolizes and facilitates the proclamation of living water in Christ.

Christological Reflections

Jesus embodies the antidote to Isaiah’s indictment. On the cross He declared, “I thirst” (John 19:28), entering humanity’s parched condition. His resurrection inaugurates the promised streams in the desert (Isaiah 35:6). Pentecost’s outpoured Spirit fulfills Isaiah’s vision of refreshment (Isaiah 44:3).

Related Themes for Further Study

Dry bones in Ezekiel 37; water from the rock in Numbers 20; the river of life in Ezekiel 47; righteousness and justice as covenant rain in Hosea 10:12.

In a single, potent occurrence, צִחֶה epitomizes the dire consequences of covenant unfaithfulness and the gracious promise of divine restoration. Its message remains vital for every generation tempted to forsake the living God and risk the drought of soul that inevitably follows.

Forms and Transliterations

צִחֵ֥ה צחה ṣi·ḥêh ṣiḥêh tziCheh

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 5:13
HEB: רָעָ֔ב וַהֲמוֹנ֖וֹ צִחֵ֥ה צָמָֽא׃
NAS: And their multitude is parched with thirst.
KJV: and their multitude dried up with thirst.
INT: are famished and their multitude is parched thirst

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6704
1 Occurrence

ṣi·ḥêh — 1 Occ.