H2814 H2814
To be silent, keep quiet, or become still; ranging from chosen silence to hushing others to the calming of natural forces.
A word that moves through the whole spectrum of silence — from a deliberate decision to hold one's tongue, to the stillness of waves after a storm. In Ecclesiastes 3:7, it appears in the famous 'a time to be silent and a time to speak,' where the Qal simply names the state. But the Hifil sharpens the intention: in 2 Kings 2:3 and 5, Elisha commands the sons of the prophets to 'be silent' about Elijah's coming departure, and in Isaiah 42:14, God himself declares 'I have been silent' — a divine restraint that makes His eventual action all the more dramatic. Spanish consistently uses 'callar' across both stems, while French favors 'se taire.' The single appearance in Psalm 107:29, where the waves 'were hushed,' reveals the word's surprising range: silence is not only human but cosmic.
4. become still, be hushed — The stilling or hushing of natural forces, attested once in Psalm 107:29 where God calms the storm and the waves 'were hushed.' Spanish 'se aquietaron' captures the reflexive quality — the waves subsiding into stillness. This Qal usage extends the word beyond human speech into the natural world, depicting cosmic obedience to God's command in language that anticipates Jesus stilling the sea in the Gospels. 1×
AR["وَ-تَسكُت"]·ben["এবং-নীরব-হল"]·DE["und-waren-hushed"]·EN["and-were-hushed"]·FR["et-se-taire"]·heb["ו-יחשו"]·HI["और-शान्त-हुईं"]·ID["dan-berdiam"]·IT["e-tacque"]·jav["lan-sami-sirep"]·KO["그리고-잠잠하였도다"]·PT["e-as-ondas-deles"]·RU["и-умолкают"]·ES["y-se-aquietaron"]·SW["na-yakanyamaza"]·TR["ve-sustular"]·urd["اور-خاموش-ہو-گئیں"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. keep silent deliberately (Hifil) — Deliberate silence in the Hifil stem — an intentional choice to hold one's peace. In Judges 18:9 the Danite spies urge their brothers not to keep idly silent but to act; in 2 Kings 7:9, the lepers at Samaria's gate realize 'we are keeping silent' when they should be sharing good news. Isaiah 42:14 and Psalm 39:2 use the first person: God and the psalmist each recount their chosen restraint. Spanish 'callar' and French 'se taire' both emphasize the volitional aspect. The Hifil form consistently marks silence as a decision, not merely a condition. 8×
AR["اصْمُتُوا","ساكِتونَ","سَاكِتٌ","سَاكِتُونَ","سَكَتُّ","صَمَتُّ"]·ben["আমি-নীরব","চুপ-কর","চুপ-করছ","চুপ-করে-আছি","চুপ-ছিলাম"]·DE["[החשיתי]","[מחשה]","ich-Krieg-silent","sein-silent","silent","sind-bewahrend-silent","sind-silent"]·EN["I-have-been-silent","I-was-silent","are-keeping-silent","are-silent","be-silent","being-silent","silent"]·FR["le-se-taire","se-taire","silent","sont-gardant-silencieux","sont-silencieux","être-silencieux"]·heb["החשו","החשיתי","מחשה","מחשים"]·HI["चुप","चुप-रहनेवाला","चुप-रहा-मैं","चुप-रहो","चुप-हैं","मख्शीम","मैंने-चुप-रहा"]·ID["Aku-telah-diam","Diamlah","berdiam-diri","diam"]·IT["essere-silenzioso","silent","sono-custodendo-silenzioso","sono-silenzioso","tacere","tacque"]·jav["Ingsun-sampun-mendel","Kèndela","ingkang-meneng","kula-mendel","kèndhel","meneng"]·KO["내가-잠잠하였느니라","잊고-있는가","잠잘하고-있다","잠잠하고-있다","잠잠하라","잠잠하였도다","침묵하는-자이니"]·PT["calados","calai-vos","calais","calando","calei-me","que-estou-calado"]·RU["молчал-Я","молчащие","молчим","молчите","молчу","умолк-я"]·ES["callad","callamos","callando","callé","os-quedáis-callados?"]·SW["Nimenyamaza","mnatulia","nilinyamaza","niliwa-kimya","nyamazeni","tunakaa-kimya","tunanyamaza"]·TR["Sustum","sustum","susun","susuyordum","susuyorsunuz","susuyoruz"]·urd["خاموش-رہا","خاموش-رہو","خاموش-ہو","خاموش-ہیں","میں-نے-خاموشی-اختیار-کی"]
2. be silent (Qal) — The basic Qal state of being or remaining silent, without the intensified intentionality of the Hifil. Ecclesiastes 3:7 pairs it with speaking as a natural human rhythm. In Isaiah 62:1 and 62:6, the prophet vows not to be silent until Zion's righteousness shines forth, and the watchmen on Jerusalem's walls are told never to be silent — here the Qal describes a default state that must be broken. Psalm 28:1 carries the most urgent tone: 'Do not be silent to me,' the psalmist pleads, equating God's silence with abandonment. 6×
AR["أَسْكُتُ","تَسْكُتَ","تَسْكُتُ","لِلسُّكُوتِ","يَسْكُتُونَ"]·ben["আমার-কাছ-থেকে","আমি-চুপ-থাকব","চুপ-থাকতে","তারা-চুপ-থাকবে","তুমি-নীরব-থাকবে"]·DE["[אחשה]","[יחשו]","[לחשות]","[תחשה]","du-sein-silent"]·EN["I-shall-be-silent","shall-they-be-silent","to-be-silent","will-You-be-silent","you-be-silent"]·FR["se-taire","à-לחשות"]·heb["אחשה","יחשו","ל-חשות","תחשה"]·HI["चुप-रहने-का","चुप-रहूँगा","चुप-रहे-तू","चुप-रहेगा","वे-चुप-रहेंगे"]·ID["Aku-akan-berdiam-diri","Engkau-akan-berdiam-diri","mereka-akan-diam","untuk-berdiam"]·IT["per-a-be-silent","tacere","tacque"]·jav["Kawula-badhe-meneng","Panjenengan-badhe-meneng","Panjenengan-meneng","kangge-mendel","piyambakipun-badhe-meneng"]·KO["그들이-잠잠할-것이다","내가-잠잠하지-않겠다","잠잠하기-위한","잠잠하시나이까","침묵할까"]·PT["calarei","calarás","para-calar","se-calarão","se-silenciares"]·RU["замолчал-Ты","молчать,","молчишь","умолкну","умолкнут","умолчу"]·ES["callarán","callaré","calles","para-callar","¿Callarás"]·SW["hawatanyamaza","sitanyamaza","ukanyamaza","utanyamaza","wa-kunyamaza"]·TR["susacagim","susacak-misin","susacaklar","susarsan","susmak-icin"]·urd["تُو-خاموش-رہے","تُو-خاموش-رہے-گا","میں-خاموش-رہوں-گا","میں-چپ-رہوں-گا","وہ-خاموش-رہیں-گے","چپ-رہنے-کا"]
3. silence others (Hifil causative) — A causative Hifil sense of silencing or hushing others, attested once in Nehemiah 8:11, where the Levites quiet the weeping people so they can hear the Law read. Spanish 'calmando' and the context of a public assembly make this sense distinct — the subject acts upon others to produce silence rather than practicing it personally. Though rare, it demonstrates the full causative potential of the Hifil. 1×
AR["مُسَكِّتونَ"]·ben["শান্ত-করছিল"]·DE["[מחשים]"]·EN["were-quieting"]·FR["[מחשים]"]·heb["מחשים"]·HI["शान्त-किया"]·ID["menenangkan"]·IT["[מחשים]"]·jav["sami-menengaken"]·KO["조용히-하고-있었다"]·PT["acalmando"]·RU["успокаивали"]·ES["calmando"]·SW["waliwanyamazisha"]·TR["susturuyorlardı"]·urd["چپ-کرا-رہے-تھے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [חָשָׁה] vb. be silent, inactive, still (chiefly poet. and late) (NH id., Aramaic in deriv.)— Qal Impf. 2 ms. תֶּחֱשֶׁה ψ 28:1 Is 64:11; אֶחֱשֶׁה Is 62:1; 65:6; יֶחֱשׁוּ Is 62:6; וַיֶּחֱשׁוּ ψ 107:29;—be silent Ec 3:7 (opp. לְדַבֵּר); Is 62:1, 6 (= neglect to speak); of י׳ i.e. be unresponsive ψ 28:1 (‖ חרשׁ); Is 64:11 (‖ הִתְאַפַּק); but 65:6 of י׳’s keeping silence at iniquity, i.e.…