H5442 H5442
thicket; dense undergrowth or tangled vegetation in a forest
This noun describes a dense thicket of bushes or tangled undergrowth. Genesis 22:13 famously recounts the ram "caught in the thicket by its horns," which Abraham sacrificed in place of Isaac. Isaiah uses the term twice (9:17, 10:34) for "thickets of the forest" that are consumed by fire or cut down in judgment. The imagery conveys impenetrability and danger, as well as the difficulty of escape once entangled.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Denotes a dense thicket or tangled undergrowth, typically in forested areas. Genesis 22:13 provides the most memorable reference: the ram caught in the thicket on Mount Moriah. Isaiah 9:18 and 10:34 use it in judgment oracles where fire consumes or axes cut down forest thickets. Psalm 74:5 (textually difficult) may also reference thickets. Multilingual renderings are consistent: "thicket/matorral/buisson," with some bracketing [בסבכי] and [סבכי]. The term evokes entanglement, density, and the wild, untamed aspects of vegetation. 4×
AR["غَابَ", "في-غابَةِ-", "فِي-الأَجَمَةِ", "فِي-غَابِ"]·ben["-কাঁটাবনে", "গাছের-ঝোপে", "ঘন-ঝোপ", "ঠাস্থানে"]·DE["[בסבכי]", "[סבכי]", "hinein-der-thicket-von-", "im-Dickicht"]·EN["in-the-thicket", "in-thickets-of", "into-the-thicket-of-", "thickets-of"]·FR["[בסבכי]", "[סבכי]", "dans-buisson", "dans-le-fourré"]·heb["ב-ה-סבך", "ב-סבך-", "ב-סבכי", "סבכי"]·HI["झाड़ियों-", "झाड़ी-में", "में-झाड़ियों-"]·ID["belukar-", "di-belukar", "di-dalam-rimbunan-", "di-semak"]·IT["[בסבך]", "[בסבכי]", "[סבכי]", "in-il-thicket"]·jav["grumbul-grumbul", "ing-grumbul", "ing-grumbul-grumbul", "ing-wit-witan-rungkut-"]·KO["그-덤불-에", "덕불-의", "덤불을", "빽빽한-"]·PT["bosques-de", "na-espessura", "no-mato", "nos-bosques-de"]·RU["в-чащах", "в-чаще", "чащи"]·ES["en-el-matorral", "en-espesura-de", "en-espesuras-de", "espesuras-de"]·SW["katika-kichaka", "katika-msitu", "vichaka-vya"]·TR["calisinda-", "calisini", "çalıda", "çalılıkta-"]·urd["بِ-جھاڑی", "جھاڑی-میں", "گھنے-جھاڑیوں-میں", "گھنے-جھاڑیوں-کو"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† סְבַךְ n.[m.] thicket;—abs. בַּסְּבַךְ (נֶאֱחַז) Gn 22:13 (so Ginsb; Baer בַּסֲבַךְ, van d. H. בַּסְּבָךְ) a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; pl. cstr. סִֽבְכֵי הַיַּעַר Is 9:17 thickets of the forest, 10:34.