◄ 7864. Sheya ►
Lexical Summary
Sheya: Desolation, emptiness

Original Word: שְׁיָא
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Shya'
Pronunciation: shay-yah
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh-yaw')
KJV: Sheva (from the margin)
Word Origin: [for H7724 (שְׁוָא - Vanity)]

1. Sheja, an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Sheva

For Shva'; Sheja, an Israelite -- Sheva (from the margin).

see HEBREW Shva'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
see Sheva.

Topical Lexicon
Conceptual Field

שְׁיָא belongs to the semantic sphere of human waste. In Scripture this field is employed to portray extreme deprivation, humiliation, and uncleanness—realities that arise when covenant protection is withdrawn. Closely-related forms occur in two siege scenes: 2 Kings 18:27 and Isaiah 36:12. In both records the Assyrian spokesman warns that Jerusalem’s defenders will “eat their own dung and drink their own urine”, an image of total disgrace designed to break morale.

Occurrences and Literary Context

The exact form numbered as Strong’s 7864 does not surface in the Hebrew text, yet its cognate appears in the twin narratives above. These passages are not casual vulgarities; they are deliberate propaganda crafted to intimidate Judah into surrender. The threat presupposes the horrors of a blockade: starvation, thirst, and the collapse of ceremonial purity (compare Deuteronomy 28:53-57; Lamentations 4:4-10). Thus the vocabulary of excrement becomes a vehicle for theological commentary on covenant curses.

Historical Background

Assyrian siegecraft regularly included psychological warfare. Royal inscriptions boast of “making them drink water of their own…”—a phrase mirrored by Rabshakeh’s taunt. Archaeological findings from Lachish and other Judean sites confirm that blockades produced desperate sanitary conditions. The biblical writers integrate this geopolitical reality into sacred history, asserting that such public disgrace is not random but the outworking of divine judgment when a nation trusts foreign alliances rather than the LORD.

Theological Significance

1. Covenant Curses Realized

Moses warned that rebellion would bring “extraordinary plagues” and “distress” (Deuteronomy 28:59). Siege conditions—including the consumption of waste—are cataloged as ultimate covenant sanctions. Isaiah and the Chronicler later interpret Sennacherib’s invasion within that covenant framework.

2. Holiness and Uncleanness

Levitical law treats human waste as defiling (Deuteronomy 23:12-14). The threat that soldiers will ingest what should be expelled overturns the created order and dramatizes moral inversion: when people cast off God’s rule, even bodily functions lose proper boundaries (Romans 1:24).

3. Deliverance by Divine Intervention

Although humiliation is threatened, Hezekiah’s prayer (2 Kings 19:14-19) and Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 37:33-35) show that repentance and faith can reverse impending disgrace. God spares the city, underscoring His freedom to show mercy despite human helplessness.

New Testament Resonances

While the New Testament employs different vocabulary, the motif of uncleanness revealing inner corruption persists (Mark 7:20-23; Philippians 3:8). The eschatological plagues of Revelation echo the covenant curses, reminding readers that final judgment includes the undoing of earthly comforts (Revelation 16:1-11).

Practical Ministry Observations

• Preaching and Teaching

The imagery surrounding שְׁיָא cautions against trivializing sin. It provides vivid material for illustrating the degradations that accompany rebellion yet also highlights God’s power to deliver.

• Pastoral Care

Believers enduring shame—whether self-inflicted or imposed—can take hope from Hezekiah’s story: humiliation is not the last word for those who turn to the Lord.

• Apologetics

The frank language of Scripture about bodily functions reflects historical realism rather than crudeness. Acknowledging such candor can help modern readers appreciate the Bible’s integrity in portraying both glory and degradation without embellishment or denial.

Summary

Though Strong’s 7864 itself is unrecorded in the canonical text, its cognate serves as a stark symbol of covenantal humiliation under siege. The word group reminds readers that sin leads to defilement, but that humble reliance on God can transform threatened shame into vindication, affirming the consistent biblical message of judgment tempered by grace.

Links
Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts
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