H6272 H6272
to be scorched, darkened, or obscured (a dubious verb of uncertain meaning)
A rare and disputed Hebrew verb appearing in Isaiah 9:19 (MT 9:18), where the Masoretic Text reads 'the land is scorched' or 'darkened.' The root's meaning is uncertain—Arabic cognates suggest either scorching heat or being clogged/obscured. Many scholars suspect textual corruption and propose reading a different verb (perhaps from the root meaning 'to burn'). The context describes the consuming nature of God's wrath, with imagery of fire and darkness.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The uncertain verbal form in Isaiah 9:19 (MT 9:18) likely describes the land being scorched, darkened, or obscured as a result of divine judgment. Arabic cognates point toward suffocating heat or being darkened, fitting the passage's imagery of consuming fire and wickedness. However, textual uncertainty makes this one of the more debated lexical items, with several scholars proposing emendations to clarify the intended image of destruction. 1×
AR["احْتَرَقَتِ"]·ben["পোড়া-হয়েছে"]·DE["[נעתם]"]·EN["is-scorched"]·FR["[נעתם]"]·heb["נעתם"]·HI["झुलसा-गया"]·ID["terbakar-hangus"]·IT["[נעתם]"]·jav["sampun-dados-peteng"]·KO["어두워졌으니"]·PT["queimada"]·RU["почернела"]·ES["se-oscureció"]·SW["imeteketezwa"]·TR["karardi"]·urd["جھلس-گئی"]
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
† [עָתַם] vb. dub.; Niph. Pf. 3 ms. נֶעְתַּם אָ֑רֶץ Is 9:18 (غَتَمَ is be clogged in speech, غَتْمٌ suffocating heat, مَغْتُومٌ burned by heat; hence Thes scorched, but derived sense dub.; v. RSJPhil. xiii. 61 f.);—read perhaps נִצְּתָה (√ יָצַת) is burned up, cf. RSl.c., Krochm Kit CheHpt..