Lexical Summary tsamaq: To shrivel, to dry up, to wither Original Word: צָמַק Strong's Exhaustive Concordance dry A primitive root; to dry up -- dry. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to dry up, shrivel NASB Translation dry (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [צָמַק] vb dry up, shrivel (Late Hebrew id.; ᵑ7 Numbers 6:3 צְמִיקִין, for יְבֵשִׁים); — Qal Participle active plural שָׁדַיִם צֹמְקִים Hosea 9:14 shrivelling breasts (of women; "" רֶחֶם מַשְׁכִּיל). Topical Lexicon Root Idea and Imagery The verb embodies the picture of something once supple drawing in on itself until it is tight, withered, and no longer able to nourish life. When bodily applied—as in Hosea 9:14—the shrinking is pictured in a mother’s breasts becoming “dry”, an image of complete incapacity to sustain the next generation. Prophetic Setting in Hosea Hosea pleads, “Give them, LORD—What will You give? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry” (Hosea 9:14). The prophet is lamenting the moral collapse of the Northern Kingdom. Their covenant unfaithfulness has already produced spiritual sterility; the threatened physical sterility matches the inner reality. By invoking a single, sharp verb, Hosea compresses the nation’s plight into one vivid symptom: the life-giving flow has stopped. Covenantal Overtones The Mosaic covenant tied fertility of land, animals, and people to obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-11) and threatened the converse for rebellion (Deuteronomy 28:18). Hosea’s use of the term signals that the curses Moses foretold have arrived. The shriveling of maternal nourishment illustrates the broader withering of Israel’s covenant blessings, reminding readers that divine warnings are never idle. Wider Biblical Motifs Scripture frequently uses withering and dryness to depict judgment or spiritual decay: By standing within this constellation of images, the lone occurrence of צָמַק intensifies the prophetic chorus that sin saps vitality, but God alone can restore it. Pastoral and Ministry Implications 1. Diagnostic tool: Where gospel fruitfulness is lacking, Hosea’s picture warns that unseen roots of idolatry may be drawing the soul toward barrenness rather than abundance (John 15:5-6). Redemptive Outlook Though the verse speaks of sterility, Hosea’s larger prophecy ends with hope: “I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them” (Hosea 14:4). The God who permits withering also pledges renewal. In Jesus Christ, the curse finds its answer; barren hearts become fertile ground, and the shriveled places of life are watered by the Spirit (Romans 8:2). Thus the terse verb that signals judgment ultimately drives the reader toward the gospel’s promise of restoration. Forms and Transliterations צֹמְקִֽים׃ צמקים׃ ṣō·mə·qîm ṣōməqîm tzomeKimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Hosea 9:14 HEB: מַשְׁכִּ֔יל וְשָׁדַ֖יִם צֹמְקִֽים׃ NAS: womb and dry breasts. KJV: womb and dry breasts. INT: A miscarrying breasts and dry 1 Occurrence |
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