Lexical Summary tsachach: To be bright, to be dazzling, to be clear Original Word: צָחַח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be whiter A primitive root; to glare, i.e. Be dazzling white -- be whiter. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be dazzling NASB Translation whiter (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [צָחַח] verb be dazzling (ᵑ7 צַחְצַח polish; Syriac  be scorched, Aph`el declare in writing (make clear),  clarus, lucidus, fulgidus;  ,  , smooth, plain); — Qal Perfect3plural צַחוּ מֵחָלָב Lamentations 4:7 ("" זַכּוּ מִשֶּׁלֶג), they are more dazzling (i.e. whiter) than milk (of effeminate skin). Topical Lexicon Biblical Imagery and Meaning צָחַח depicts an intense, striking whiteness—“dazzling” rather than merely pale. In Scripture, brilliant white is consistently symbolic of moral purity, ceremonial cleanness, and divine glory. The term’s single occurrence highlights those themes with poetic force. Context within Lamentations Lamentations 4:7: “Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like lapis lazuli.” The prophet recalls the former condition of Jerusalem’s leaders (or Nazirites), describing them as incandescently pure. The next verse presents the startling reversal: “But now they are blacker than soot” (Lamentations 4:8). צָחַח therefore functions as the high point of an intentional contrast, underscoring how far the nation has fallen under covenant judgment. Purity and Holiness Motif By pairing צָחַח with snow and milk, the inspired author evokes well–known biblical images of cleanness (Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18). The dazzling whiteness of those once dedicated to God illustrates genuine holiness—separation from defilement and devotion to the Lord. The later darkness of the same people dramatizes sin’s power to stain what was once radiant (compare Ecclesiastes 9:8; Revelation 3:4). Contrast and Judgment Jeremiah’s lament is not nostalgia but theology. Judah’s covenant privileges had rendered its corruption all the more shocking (Amos 3:2). The verb צָחַח draws attention to the depth of the nation’s loss: when holiness is abandoned, even the most consecrated become unrecognizable. The vibrant sapphire-like vitality of verse 7 is extinguished; famine, disease, and exile replace royal dignity. The word thereby serves the prophetic message that outward privilege cannot preserve inward purity apart from ongoing faithfulness. Intertextual Echoes 1. Snow imagery of cleansing—Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18. Historical Significance for Judah The city’s elites, once paragons of covenant devotion, had embodied the Nazarite ideal of Numbers 6—a life publicly set apart. Their shining reputation gave weight to Judah’s witness among the nations (Deuteronomy 4:6-8). When that testimony darkened, the surrounding peoples questioned the greatness of Zion’s God (Lamentations 2:15-16). צָחַח thus marks both the height of Israel’s vocation and the tragedy of its betrayal. Christological Foreshadowing The radiant purity described in Lamentations 4:7 finds ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He alone remains perpetually, immutably “pure” (1 John 3:3) and “holy, innocent, undefiled” (Hebrews 7:26). Where Judah’s brightest fell into darkness, Christ’s light shines in the darkness and is not overcome (John 1:5). By His atoning work, the community of faith is promised garments “washed…white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14), achieving permanently what Lamentations only remembers. Ministry and Pastoral Application 1. Pursue visible holiness. צָחַח reminds believers that genuine purity ought to be observable, not merely internal (Matthew 5:16). Related Passages on Purity Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18; Daniel 12:10; Matthew 5:8; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Revelation 19:7-8. Forms and Transliterations צַח֖וּ צחו ṣa·ḥū ṣaḥū tzaChuLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Lamentations 4:7 HEB: נְזִירֶ֙יהָ֙ מִשֶּׁ֔לֶג צַח֖וּ מֵחָלָ֑ב אָ֤דְמוּ NAS: than snow, They were whiter than milk; KJV: than snow, they were whiter than milk, INT: her consecrated snow were whiter milk ruddy |
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