H5552 H5552
branches/baskets—disputed term in viticulture context
This rare term appears in Jeremiah's oracle comparing Israel to a vineyard, with textual uncertainty about its exact meaning. Ancient versions favored 'baskets' (for gathering grapes), while many modern scholars prefer 'shoots' or 'branches' based on context and comparative Semitic languages. The image involves a gleaner's hand returning to gather what remains, whether to strip branches again or to fill baskets with fruit. The ambiguity reflects the hapax legomenon status.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Either the branch-clusters or harvest baskets in a vineyard gleaning scene (Jer 6:9). The Hebrew noun appears only here, making precise definition difficult. Spanish opts for 'cestos' (baskets), while scholarly proposals favor 'shoots/branches' connecting to viticulture imagery. The context describes thorough gleaning as metaphor for divine judgment exhausting the people. 1×
AR["غُصُونٍ"]·ben["ডালগুলিতে"]·DE["[סלסלות]"]·EN["branches"]·FR["[סלסלות]"]·heb["סלסילות"]·HI["डालियों"]·ID["ranting-ranting"]·IT["[סלסלות]"]·jav["pang-pangipun"]·KO["덕굴들에"]·PT["os-cestos"]·RU["ветви"]·ES["los-cestos"]·SW["matawi-hayo"]·TR["dalların"]·urd["ٹہنیوں"]
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
† [סַלְסִלָּה] n.[f.] basket according to 𝔊𝔙 AV RV; but prob. shoot, branch Ew Hi Gf Gie al.; only pl. abs. כְּבוֹצֵר (read prob. יָד) הָשֵׁב יָֽדְךָ עַל־סַלְסִלּוֹת Je 6:9.