H5627 H5627
Rebellion, revolt, apostasy; ceasing, withdrawal
The noun סָרָה, from the root סור ('to turn aside'), names the act of turning away from God or from what is right. In Deuteronomy and the prophets it is a charged theological term: preaching rebellion against the LORD (Deut 13:5), piling up revolt upon revolt (Isa 1:5; 31:6), and speaking falsehood and oppression (Isa 59:13). Jeremiah uses it of false prophets who speak rebellion (Jer 28:16; 29:32). One occurrence in Isaiah 14:6 preserves an older, more neutral meaning — a ceasing or withdrawal of oppression — where the turning aside is not moral defection but the stopping of relentless persecution.
Senses
1. rebellion, revolt, apostasy — Rebellion, revolt, apostasy, or defection — the dominant sense covering seven of eight occurrences. It denotes a turning away from God, from covenant loyalty, or from moral truth. Deuteronomy 13:5 warns against anyone who 'has spoken rebellion against the LORD your God,' and Isaiah deploys it for Judah's persistent revolt (1:5; 31:6) and for speech that combines oppression with falsehood (59:13). Spanish 'rebeldia/rebelion' and French 'rebellion' uniformly confirm the sense of active defiance. In Deut 19:16, the word extends beyond specifically religious apostasy to any malicious legal accusation — a 'turning aside' from truth. 7×
AR["انْحِرَافًا", "تَمَرُّدًا", "زَيغًا", "عِصْيَانًا", "وَ-زَيْغٍ"]·ben["-এবং-বিদ্রোহ", "বিদ্রোহ", "বিদ্রোহ-করেছে"]·DE["Abfall", "falsehood", "rebellion", "und-Abfall"]·EN["and-revolt", "falsehood", "have-deeply", "rebellion"]·FR["et-rébellion", "mensonge", "rébellion"]·heb["ו-סרה", "סרה"]·HI["और-विद्रोह", "विद्रोह"]·ID["dan-pemberontakan", "memberontak", "pemberontakan"]·IT["e-ribellione", "falsehood", "rebellion", "ribellione"]·jav["lan-pambalela", "mbalela", "pambalela", "pambalelanipun", "pambrontak"]·KO["그리고-반역을", "반역을"]·PT["e-rebelião", "falsidade", "rebelião", "se-rebelaram"]·RU["и-отступничество", "мятеж", "отступление", "отступничество", "отступничеством"]·ES["falsedad", "rebeldía", "rebelión", "y-rebelión"]·SW["kuasi", "kutoka", "na-uasi", "uasi"]·TR["donen", "isyan", "sapkınlık", "sapma", "ve-sapma"]·urd["اور-سرکشی", "بغاوت"]
2. ceasing, withdrawal, turning aside — Ceasing, withdrawal, or turning aside — attested only in Isa 14:6, where the prophet describes a rod that struck peoples 'without ceasing' (bilti sarah). Here the word retains its etymological sense of 'turning aside' without the moral connotation of rebellion; it simply means stopping or relenting. English 'ceasing' and Spanish 'cesar' mark this as a temporal-aspectual concept — the absence of pause — distinct from the active defiance of sense 1. French 'rebellion' and German 'Abfall' in this verse likely reflect translators defaulting to the more common meaning. 1×
AR["تَوَقُّفٍ"]·ben["থামা"]·DE["Abfall"]·EN["ceasing"]·FR["rébellion"]·heb["סרה"]·HI["हटने-के"]·ID["berhenti"]·IT["ribellione"]·jav["mandheg"]·KO["멈추는"]·PT["cessar"]·RU["остановки"]·ES["cesar"]·SW["kukoma"]·TR["durmak"]·urd["رکنے-کے"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† סָרָה n.f. a turning aside, defection, apostasy, withdrawal;—always abs. ס׳;— 1. defection, used appar. of any moral or legal offence Dt 19:16, so prob. Is 59:13 (+ עֹשֶׁק, דִּבְרֵי שָׁ֑קֶר). 2. apostasy, Dt 13:6 Is 1:5; 31:6 Je 28:16; 29:32. 3. בִּלְתִּי סָרָה non-withdrawal Is 14:6 (cf. vb., v 25 Am 6:7).