7813. sachu
Lexical Summary
sachu: To bow down, to prostrate

Original Word: שָׂחוּ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: sachuw
Pronunciation: sah-khoo
Phonetic Spelling: (saw'-khoo)
KJV: to swim in
NASB: swim
Word Origin: [from H7811 (שָׂחָה - swim)]

1. a pond (for swimming)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
to swim in

From sachah; a pond (for swimming) -- to swim in.

see HEBREW sachah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from sachah
Definition
swimming
NASB Translation
swim (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
שָׂ֔חוּ noun [masculine] Sta§ 192 a] swimming (on formation (and tone) Ges§ 84 a cii. I, 60, 497); — ׳מֵי שׂ Ezekiel 47:5.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Semantics

The term שָׂחוּ (sachu) is drawn from the verb “to swim” and denotes the act or capacity of swimming. In Ezekiel 47:5 it serves as a substantive idea—“waters to swim in”—signifying a depth that can no longer be forded on foot but must be negotiated by floating or stroking through the water.

Biblical Occurrence

Ezekiel 47:5 is the sole canonical use: “Again he measured a thousand cubits, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed.” (Berean Standard Bible). The prophet, escorted by an angelic guide, observes the trickle from the temple threshold enlarge until ordinary traversal becomes impossible; one must swim.

Historical and Cultural Insights

1. Swimming in the Ancient Near East. Although Israel was bordered by the Mediterranean and pierced by the Jordan, textual references to swimming are rare, suggesting it was not commonplace in everyday life. The image therefore carries weight: crossing is no longer a pedestrian activity but an immersive experience, demanding total bodily engagement.
2. Ritual and Temple Context. The river issues from the millennial temple (Ezekiel 40–48), a vision given during the Babylonian exile. Waters that compel swimming underscore abundance and super-abundant blessing in contrast with exilic drought, both literal and spiritual.

Theological Significance

1. Overwhelming Grace. The deepening flow illustrates the inexhaustible grace of God. What begins as ankle-deep becomes a torrent. The believer’s experience of salvation parallels this progression—grace first apprehended, then waded, finally requiring full surrender.
2. Life-giving Presence. Subsequent verses describe trees yielding fruit every month and salt waters healed (Ezekiel 47:8–12). Swimming depth prefaces life-giving transformation, highlighting that divine presence cannot be sampled casually; it must be entered completely.
3. Eschatological Hope. The river prefigures the crystal river flowing “from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). In both visions, the worship center becomes the fountainhead of universal renewal.

Related Biblical Themes

• Rivers of Eden (Genesis 2:10–14) – Original provision and fellowship.
• Crossing the Jordan (Joshua 3:15–17) – Passage into inheritance; now recast as an irreversible, unfordable abundance.
• Living water (John 7:37–39) – The Spirit as personal, inward river.
• Baptism imagery (Romans 6:3–4) – Identification with Christ in death and resurrection resembles being submerged and brought through water.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Discipleship Progression. Teachers can illustrate spiritual growth: start where the water touches the ankles (initial faith), proceed to knees (prayer life), loins (strength and fruitfulness), and finally lose footing, trusting God entirely.
2. Worship and Mission. Corporate worship should point congregants to the source—God’s presence—while mission sends believers outward with streams of mercy (John 4:14).
3. Counseling and Encouragement. When trials feel overwhelming, Ezekiel’s river reminds the faithful that what seems uncontrollable is precisely where God’s sustaining buoyancy is experienced.

Christocentric Fulfillment

The temple river finds its ultimate embodiment in Jesus Christ, “the fountain of living water” (Jeremiah 17:13; John 4:14). He is both temple (John 2:21) and spring. Through union with Him, believers do not merely observe the flow; they enter it—“deep enough to swim in.”

Summary

שָׂחוּ portrays the moment when divine provision surpasses human ability, compelling total immersion. From exile-era prophecy to eschatological consummation, it beckons every generation to forsake the safety of the riverbank and plunge into the fullness of God’s life-giving stream.

Forms and Transliterations
שָׂ֔חוּ שחו śā·ḥū Sachu śāḥū
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ezekiel 47:5
HEB: הַמַּ֙יִם֙ מֵ֣י שָׂ֔חוּ נַ֖חַל אֲשֶׁ֥ר
NAS: [enough] water to swim in, a river
KJV: waters to swim in, a river
INT: the water water to swim A river after

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7813
1 Occurrence


śā·ḥū — 1 Occ.

7812
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