Biblical Lexicon

H6728 H6728

Prep-l | N-mp | 6× in 2 senses

Desert creature or wild beast; by extension, a desert-dweller or wilderness inhabitant

Found exclusively in prophetic oracles of desolation, tsiyyi evokes the eerie wildlife that reclaims abandoned cities. Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14 list these creatures alongside howling beasts (iyyim), painting ruins where only jackals and wild cats prowl. The exact zoological identification remains uncertain -- Arabic cognates suggest a wild cat or yelping desert animal. In Psalm 72:9 the word may shade toward human desert-dwellers who bow before the king, and in Psalm 74:14 God gives Leviathan as food 'to the people of the wilderness.' Spanish distinguishes neatly: 'bestias del desierto' for the animal sense, 'moradores del desierto' for the human one.

Read in Bible → Strong's / BibleHub Blue Letter Bible

Senses

1. desert creature, wild beast — A wild beast or creature of the desert, inhabiting desolate ruins. Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14 pair tsiyyim with iyyim (howling creatures) to depict total devastation. Jeremiah 50:39 prophesies that Babylon will be home to these animals. Spanish 'bestias del desierto' and English 'wild creatures' reflect the zoological reading, though the exact species remains debated. 3×

GEOGRAPHY_SPACE › Geographical Objects and Features › Vengeance and Retribution

AR["وُحُوشٌ", "وُحُوشُ-الصَّحْرَاءِ", "وُحُوشُ-الْبَرِّيَّةِ"]·ben["বন্য-প্রাণীরা", "মরুপ্রাণীরা", "মরুভূমির-প্রাণীরা"]·DE["[ציים]"]·EN["desert-creatures", "wild-beasts", "wild-creatures"]·FR["[ציים]"]·heb["צייים", "ציים"]·HI["जंगली-जानवर", "जंगली-जीव", "जंगली-पशु"]·ID["binatang-binatang-padang-gurun", "binatang-padang-gurun"]·IT["[ציים]"]·jav["kewan-ara-ara-samun", "kéwan-ara-ara", "kéwan-ara-ara-samun"]·KO["광야의-짐승들이", "들짐승들이", "들집승들이"]·PT["animais-do-deserto", "feras-do-deserto"]·RU["дикие-звери", "звери-пустыни", "шакалы"]·ES["bestias-del-desierto"]·SW["pale", "wanyama-wa-jangwa", "wanyama-wa-jangwani"]·TR["col-hayvanlari", "çöl-yaratıkları"]·urd["جنگلی-جانور", "صحرائی-جانور"]

Isa 13:21, Isa 34:14, Jer 50:39

2. desert dweller, wilderness inhabitant — Desert-dwellers or wilderness inhabitants, possibly denoting nomadic peoples or ambiguously human figures. Psalm 72:9 envisions those 'of the desert' bowing before the king, and Psalm 74:14 speaks of Leviathan given as food to a 'people of the wilderness.' Spanish 'moradores del desierto' and German 'Wueste-dwellers' mark the shift from animal to human referent. 3×

GEOGRAPHY_SPACE › Geographical Objects and Features › Vengeance and Retribution

AR["أَهْلُ-البَرِّيَّةِ", "لِ-لصَّحراويينَ", "لِلسَّاكِنِينَ-فِي-الْبَرِّيَّةِ"]·ben["মরুবাসীদের-জন্য", "মরুবাসীদের।", "মরুবাসীরা"]·DE["Wüste-dwellers", "[לציים]", "von-der-Wüste"]·EN["desert-dwellers", "for-desert-creatures", "of-the-desert"]·FR["[לציים]", "animal-du-désert", "à-animal-du-désert"]·heb["ל-ציים", "ציים"]·HI["जंगली-जनों-के-लिए", "जंगली-वासी"]·ID["bagi-penduduk-padang-gurun", "penduduk-padang-gurun", "untuk-penghuni-padang-gurun"]·IT["[לציים]", "bestia-del-deserto"]·jav["kanggé-kewan-ara-ara-samun", "kewan-ara-ara-samun", "tumrap-kewan-ara-ara-samun"]·KO["광야-거주자들-에게", "광야-거주자들-이", "광야-짐승들-을-위하여"]·PT["dos-desertos", "os-habitantes-do-deserto", "para-animais-do-deserto"]·RU["для-обитателей-пустыни", "обитатели-пустыни", "обитателям-пустыни"]·ES["moradores-del-desierto", "para-moradores-del-desierto"]·SW["kwa-wanyama-wa-jangwani", "wa-jangwani", "wakazi-wa-jangwani"]·TR["col-hayvanlari-icin", "çöl-halkları", "çöl-yaratıklarına"]·urd["جنگلیوں-کے-لیے", "صحرائی", "لِ-صحرائیوں-کو"]

Ps 72:9, Ps 74:14, Isa 23:13

BDB / Lexicon Reference

† II. [צִי] n.m. Je 50:39 a wild beast, proposes either desert-dweller (denom. from צִיָּה, so most), or crier, yelper (√* צוה = ضوى [yelp, Dozy], BaNB 188, cf. Ew§ 146 g, note);—in any case a specif. animal, but not certainly identif.; BoHieroz. i, lib. 3, § 14, cp. Arabic ضَيْوَنٌ wild cat;—pl. צִיִּים Is 13:21 (f. אִיִּים v 22), 23:13; 34:14 (+ אִיִּים), Je 50:39 (id.; all betokening…