H5638 H5638
winter (cold/rainy season)
This noun refers to the winter season—the time of cold and rain in the land. The single biblical context is Song of Solomon 2:11, where the beloved declares 'the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,' signaling spring's arrival and the renewal of love. The word is a loanword from Aramaic, reflecting linguistic interchange. Winter represents dormancy and waiting, while its passing brings joy, growth, and the lover's reunion.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The winter season, characterized by cold and rain. Song of Solomon 2:11 celebrates winter's departure as a sign of spring and renewal. The Hebrew shows ketiv/qere variation (setaw/setayv), reflecting scribal traditions. Cross-linguistic glosses consistently identify this as 'winter,' with the Aramaic loanword indicating linguistic borrowing. 2×
AR["(هَ-سْتَّيْو)", "[هَ-سْتَيْو]"]·ben["(শীতকাল)", "[শীতকাল]"]·DE["[(הסתיו)]", "[[הסתו]]"]·EN["[ketiv]", "the-winter"]·FR["(l'hiver)", "[l'hiver]"]·heb["ה-סתיו"]·HI["(सर्दी)", "[सर्दी]"]·ID["[Q]", "musim-hujan"]·IT["il-[ketiv]", "il-il-inverno"]·jav["(mangsa-asrep)", "[mangsa-asrep]"]·KO["그-겨울-이", "케티브"]·PT["(o-inverno)", "[o-inverno]"]·RU["[ктив]", "зима"]·ES["(el-invierno)", "[el-invierno]"]·SW["(majira-ya-baridi)", "[majira]"]·TR["kis"]·urd["سردی"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† סתו Kt, סְתָיו Qr n.m. winter (loan-wd. from Aramaic; cf. Syriac ܣܰܬܘܳܐ, 𝔗 סִיתְוָא; Arabic شِتَآءٌ Lane1504; prob. orig. שׂ׳, cf. SchwallyIdiot. 64; on ו as old nominat. ending (ס׳ for šutayu) cf. LagBN 190 Anm.);—הַסְּתָ֯ו עָבָ֑ר Ct 2:11.