Lexical Summary seach: Bush, shrub Original Word: שֵׂחַ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance meditationFor siyach; communion, i.e. (reflexively) meditation -- thought. see HEBREW siyach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as siach Definition a thought NASB Translation thoughts (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [שֵׁךְַ] noun [masculine] thought; — suffix מַנִּיד לָאָדָם מַהֿ שֵּׂחוֺ Amos 4:13; read probably שִׂחוֺ (against BaNB 79, 80) unless otherwise corrupt. II. שׂיח (√ of following; compare perhaps Assyrian šâ—u, grow, grow up (of trees), ši—tu, apparently a shoot, sprout; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Punic שח; Syriac Topical Lexicon Word Overview and Canonical Location שֵׂחַ occurs a single time in the Scriptures, Amos 4:13. In that setting it denotes the innermost “thought” or “conversation of the heart,” the private meditation that ordinarily remains unknown to others. By choosing so rare a term, the prophet underscores the depth to which the Lord penetrates human consciousness. Context within Amos 4:13 Amos is warning a complacent Northern Kingdom that judgment is imminent. To shake his hearers, he piles up divine actions: forming mountains, creating wind, darkening dawn, and—most intimately—“reveals His thoughts to man” (Berean Standard Bible). After displaying cosmic power, the Lord turns the spotlight inward, asserting mastery over the secret realm of the mind. The climactic name formula, “Yahweh, God of Hosts, is His name,” seals the argument: the One who commands armies of heaven also surveils every unspoken word on earth. Semantic Nuance in Prophetic Rhetoric Prophets often confront hidden sin (Jeremiah 17:10; Ezekiel 11:5). By using שֵׂחַ Amos intensifies that theme. The word does not describe a fleeting notion but deliberate, shaped reflection—plans, schemes, or settled meditations. It exposes premeditated defiance rather than incidental lapse. Therefore Amos 4:13 confronts calculated apostasy more than mere negligence. Revelation and Accountability The verse proclaims a God who discloses, not merely detects, human thoughts. He brings them to light so that people may repent before judgment. Revelation is thus both diagnostic and remedial. When the Lord “reveals His thoughts to man,” He simultaneously strips away excuses and extends an opportunity for transformation (compare Psalm 139:23–24). Intertextual Echoes • Psalm 94:11 “The LORD knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile.” These passages form a canonical chorus affirming the truth that שֵׂחַ in Amos 4:13 proclaims: God’s omniscience is exhaustive and personal. Pastoral and Homiletical Applications 1. Self-examination: Believers are encouraged to invite divine scrutiny (Psalm 139:23). Christological Fulfillment Jesus embodied the God of Amos 4:13. He “knew what was in a man” (John 2:25), perceived unspoken criticism (Luke 5:22), and “testified about what He had seen and heard” (John 3:32). At Pentecost He poured out the Spirit, continuing to convict “of sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). Thus the ministry of unveiling שֵׂחַ reaches its fullness in the Lord Jesus and the Spirit He sends. Eschatological Horizon At the final judgment “God will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts” (1 Corinthians 4:5). The solitary appearance of שֵׂחַ anticipates that universal unveiling, reminding every generation that secrecy is temporary and that today is the day of repentance. Summary שֵׂחַ in Amos 4:13 is far more than a lexical curiosity; it is a theological beacon. By asserting that the Creator exposes the most guarded reflections of the human heart, the prophet grounds ethical summons, pastoral comfort, and eschatological warning in the unassailable reality of divine omniscience. Forms and Transliterations שֵּׂח֔וֹ שחו śê·ḥōw seCho śêḥōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
    |
artemisia Judaica, compare WetzstReisebericht 4, 41 Löw p.78, so Arabic 
Lane1628 (compare LagBN 159)).