What does צָמַח (ṣāmaḥ) mean in the Bible?
צָמַח (ṣāmaḥ): Organic growth from the ground up—literal vegetation or figurative flourishing of people, dynasties, messianic promise.
Hebrew · H6779
צָמַח
To sprout (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative)
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צָמַח H6779
Pronunciation ṣāmaḥ
What does צָמַח (ṣāmaḥ) mean in the Bible?
צָמַח (ṣāmaḥ): Organic growth from the ground up—literal vegetation or figurative flourishing of people, dynasties, messianic promise.
Full entry for צָמַח (H6779) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6779?
The BSB source-word alignment has 33 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include sprouted (3), grow (2), have grown back (2), to grow (2), to spring up (2).
Where does צָמַח (ṣāmaḥ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 2:5. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (8), Genesis (5), Psalms (4), Ezekiel (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It sprouted 3× Genesis 2:5, Genesis 41:6, Genesis 41:23
grow 2× Psalms 104:14, Psalms 132:17
have grown back 2× 2 Samuel 10:5, 1 Chronicles 19:5
to grow 2× Judges 16:22, Psalms 147:8
to spring up 2× Isaiah 61:11
and He will branch out 1× Zechariah 6:12
and make it sprout 1× Job 38:27
and sprout 1× Isaiah 55:10
and unproductive 1× Deuteronomy 29:23
bring about 1× 2 Samuel 23:5
gave growth 1× Genesis 2:9
grew 1× Ezekiel 16:7
has grown 1× Leviticus 13:37
I will cause to sprout 1× Jeremiah 33:15
it {will} yield 1× Genesis 3:18
it is coming 1× Isaiah 43:19
It sprouted 1× Ezekiel 17:6
of flourishing 1× Ecclesiastes 2:6
spring up 1× Isaiah 45:8
sprout 1× Job 5:6
sprouts 1× Psalms 85:11
that grows 1× Exodus 10:5
they spring forth 1× Isaiah 42:9
They will sprout 1× Isaiah 44:4
to sprout 1× Ezekiel 29:21
will come 1× Isaiah 58:8
will spring 1× Job 8:19
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 2:5 יִצְמָ֑ח to sprouted Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 2:9 וַיַּצְמַ֞ח to gave growth Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 3:18 תַּצְמִ֣יחַֽ to it {will} yield Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person feminine singular Genesis 41:6 צֹמְח֖וֹת to sprouted Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural Genesis 41:23 צֹמְח֖וֹת to sprouted Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural Exodus 10:5 הַצֹּמֵ֥חַ to that grows Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Leviticus 13:37 צָֽמַח־ to has grown Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 29:23 תַצְמִ֔חַ to and unproductive Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person feminine singular Judges 16:22 לְצַמֵּ֖חַ to to grow Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct 2 Samuel 10:5 יְצַמַּ֥ח to have grown back Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 2:5
Aligned rows 33
Books represented 14
Genesis 5 Exodus 1 Leviticus 1 Deuteronomy 1 Judges 1 2 Samuel 2 1 Chronicles 1 Job 3 Psalms 4 Ecclesiastes 1 Isaiah 8 Jeremiah 1 Ezekiel 3 Zechariah 1
Source forms
יְצַמַּ֥ח 2x yə·ṣam·maḥ 2 Samuel 10:5, 1 Chronicles 19:5
צֹמְח֖וֹת 2x ṣō·mə·ḥō·wṯ Genesis 41:6, Genesis 41:23
אַצְמִ֣יחַ 1x ’aṣ·mî·aḥ Psalms 132:17
אַצְמִ֥יחַ 1x ’aṣ·mî·aḥ Jeremiah 33:15
אַצְמִ֤יחַ 1x ’aṣ·mî·aḥ Ezekiel 29:21
הַמַּצְמִ֖יחַ 1x ham·maṣ·mî·aḥ Psalms 147:8
הַצֹּמֵ֥חַ 1x haṣ·ṣō·mê·aḥ Exodus 10:5
וְהִצְמִיחָ֑הּ 1x wə·hiṣ·mî·ḥāh Isaiah 55:10
Parsing patterns
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person feminine singular 4x Genesis 3:18, Deuteronomy 29:23, Isaiah 45:8, Isaiah 61:11
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular 3x Psalms 132:17, Jeremiah 33:15, Ezekiel 29:21
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular 3x Psalms 85:11, Isaiah 43:19, Isaiah 58:8
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 3x Genesis 2:5, Job 5:6, Zechariah 6:12
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x 2 Samuel 23:5, Isaiah 61:11
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x 2 Samuel 10:5, 1 Chronicles 19:5
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural 2x Genesis 41:6, Genesis 41:23
Article | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular 1x Psalms 147:8
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Organic growth from the ground up—literal vegetation or figurative flourishing of people, dynasties, messianic promise.
Strong's H6779
Lexical occurrences 33 verses Word forms 3 forms 25 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Isaiah 61:10-11 Source Gloss
to sprout (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Organic growth from the ground up—literal vegetation or figurative flourishing of people, dynasties, messianic promise.
to sprout (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative) BDB: sprout Usage: bear, bring forth, (cause to, make to) bud (forth), (cause to, make to) grow (again, up), (cause to) spring (forth, up).
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 25
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 10×
Imperfect Deut 29:22 · Gen 3:18 · Isa 45:8 · Isa 61:11 · Ezek 29:21 · Jer 33:15 · Ps 132:17 · 2Sam 23:5 9×
Participle active Ps 104:14 1×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 12×
Imperfect Gen 2:5 · Job 5:6 · Zech 6:12 · Isa 43:19 · Isa 58:8 · Ps 85:12 · Isa 42:9 · Job 8:19 8×
Participle active Eccl 2:6 · Gen 41:6 · Gen 41:23 3×
Perfect Lev 13:37 1×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 3×
Imperfect 1Chr 19:5 · 2Sam 10:5 2×
Perfect Ezek 16:7 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Figurative sense of righteousness and praise growing or sprouting before nations
Literal sense of vegetation sprouting or growing on the earth by divine provision
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 33 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
צָמַח is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain