What does שָׁחַח (šāḥaḥ) mean in the Bible?
שָׁחַח (šāḥaḥ): Movement from upright to lowered posture; physically signals submission, humility, or defeat before God or authority.
Hebrew · H7817
שָׁחַח
To sink or depress (reflexive or causative)
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שָׁחַח H7817
Pronunciation šāḥaḥ
What does שָׁחַח (šāḥaḥ) mean in the Bible?
שָׁחַח (šāḥaḥ): Movement from upright to lowered posture; physically signals submission, humility, or defeat before God or authority.
Full entry for שָׁחַח (H7817) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H7817?
The BSB source-word alignment has 21 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include are you downcast (3), will be brought low (2), and beaten down (1), and bow down (1), and brought low (1).
Where does שָׁחַח (šāḥaḥ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Job 9:13. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (8), Psalms (8), Job (2), Ecclesiastes (1).
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 are you downcast 3× Psalms 42:5, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 43:5
will be brought low 2× Isaiah 2:17, Isaiah 5:15
and beaten down 1× Psalms 10:10
and bow down 1× Isaiah 60:14
and brought low 1× Psalms 38:6
and humbled 1× Psalms 107:39
bow 1× Proverbs 14:19
brought low 1× Isaiah 2:11
collapsed 1× Habakkuk 3:6
cower 1× Job 9:13
despairs 1× Psalms 42:6
grow faint 1× Ecclesiastes 12:4
He has humbled 1× Isaiah 26:5
I was bowed down 1× Psalms 35:14
is brought low 1× Isaiah 2:9
they crouch 1× Job 38:40
will be brought down 1× Isaiah 25:12
will be muffled 1× Isaiah 29:4
Show sample aligned rows
Job 9:13 שָׁ֝חֲח֗וּ to cower Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Job 38:40 יָשֹׁ֥חוּ to they crouch Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Psalms 10:10 יָשֹׁ֑חַ to and beaten down Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Psalms 35:14 שַׁחֽוֹתִי׃ to I was bowed down Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Psalms 38:6 שַׁחֹ֣תִי to and brought low Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Psalms 42:5 תִּשְׁתּ֬וֹחֲחִ֨י׀ to are you downcast Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person feminine singular Psalms 42:6 תִשְׁתּ֫וֹחָ֥ח to despairs Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person feminine singular Psalms 42:11 תִּשְׁתּ֬וֹחֲחִ֨י׀ to are you downcast Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person feminine singular Psalms 43:5 תִּשְׁתּ֬וֹחֲחִ֨י׀ to are you downcast Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person feminine singular Psalms 107:39 וַיָּשֹׁ֑חוּ to and humbled Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Job 9:13
Aligned rows 21
Books represented 6
Job 2 Psalms 8 Proverbs 1 Ecclesiastes 1 Isaiah 8 Habakkuk 1
Source forms
תִּשְׁתּ֬וֹחֲחִ֨י׀ 3x tiš·tō·w·ḥă·ḥî Psalms 42:5, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 43:5
וַיִּשַּׁ֥ח 2x way·yiš·šaḥ Isaiah 2:9, Isaiah 5:15
הֵשַׁ֥ח 1x hê·šaḥ Isaiah 25:12
הֵשַׁח֙ 1x hê·šaḥ Isaiah 26:5
וְיִשַּׁ֖חוּ 1x wə·yiš·ša·ḥū Ecclesiastes 12:4
וַיָּשֹׁ֑חוּ 1x way·yā·šō·ḥū Psalms 107:39
וְשַׁ֖ח 1x wə·šaḥ Isaiah 2:11
וְשַׁח֙ 1x wə·šaḥ Isaiah 2:17
Parsing patterns
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person feminine singular 3x Psalms 42:5, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 43:5
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural 3x Job 9:13, Proverbs 14:19, Habakkuk 3:6
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x Isaiah 2:9, Isaiah 5:15
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular 2x Isaiah 2:11, Isaiah 2:17
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2x Isaiah 25:12, Isaiah 26:5
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular 2x Psalms 35:14, Psalms 38:6
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1x Ecclesiastes 12:4
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1x Psalms 107:39
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Movement from upright to lowered posture; physically signals submission, humility, or defeat before God or authority.
Strong's H7817
Lexical occurrences 21 verses Word forms 4 forms 15 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Proverbs 12:25 Source Gloss
to sink or depress (reflexive or causative)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Movement from upright to lowered posture; physically signals submission, humility, or defeat before God or authority.
to sink or depress (reflexive or causative) BDB: bow Usage: bend, bow (down), bring (cast) down, couch, humble self, be (bring) low, stoop.
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 4 Aligned forms 15
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 8×
Perfect Hab 3:6 · Job 9:13 · Prov 14:19 · Ps 35:14 · Ps 38:7 5×
Imperfect Job 38:40 · Ps 10:10 2×
Infinitive construct Isa 60:14 1×
Hithpolel 4×
Imperfect Ps 42:6 · Ps 42:12 · Ps 43:5 · Ps 42:7 4×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 2×
Perfect Isa 25:12 · Isa 26:5 2×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 1×
Imperfect Isa 29:4 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
anxiety or worry that depresses or weighs down the human heart
Showing 1 selected witness from 21 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
שָׁחַח 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