H6780 H6780
Sprout, growth, vegetation; used as a messianic title 'the Branch' for the promised Davidic ruler
A noun whose natural meaning -- the green growth that springs from the earth -- becomes one of the Old Testament's most evocative messianic images. Genesis 19:25 uses it simply for the 'growth of the ground' destroyed at Sodom, and Ezekiel 16:7 compares Jerusalem to the 'growth of the field.' But in Jeremiah 23:5 and Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12, tsemach becomes a royal title: 'the Branch,' the righteous shoot God will raise from David's line. Spanish capitalizes this shift beautifully -- from 'su brote' (its sprout) to 'el Retono' (the Sprout, as proper name). The tension between humble earthly growth and exalted messianic promise is the theological heartbeat of this word.
Senses
1. growth, vegetation (of the earth) — Collective growth or vegetation of the earth -- plants, crops, and what the soil produces. Used for the ground-cover destroyed at Sodom (Gen 19:25), the field-growth to which Jerusalem is compared (Ezek 16:7), and the earth bringing forth its produce as a sign of divine blessing (Ps 65:10; Isa 61:11). Arabic 'nabat' (vegetation/plant) and Spanish 'planta de' (plant of) confirm the generic botanical sense. Ezekiel 17:9 narrows it to the foliage of a particular vine. 6×
AR["كَـ-نَبَاتِ", "نَباتُها", "نَبْتَهَا", "نَبْتِهَا", "وَ-نَبْتَ"]·ben["উদ্ভিদের-মতো", "ও-গাছপালা", "তার-অঙ্কুর", "তার-অঙ্কুরের"]·DE["[כצמח]", "[צמחה]", "sein-growth", "und-das-Gewächs"]·EN["and-growth-of", "as-growth-of", "growth-its", "her-growth", "its-growth"]·FR["[צמחה]", "et-growth-de", "germe"]·heb["ו-צמח", "כ-צמח", "צמחה"]·HI["अंकुरित-अपनी-के", "उसकी-उपज-को", "और-उगज", "जैसे-पौधा", "निकलती-है"]·ID["dan-tumbuh-tumbuhan", "seperti-tumbuhan", "tunas-tunasnya", "tunasnya"]·IT["[צמחה]", "come-germoglio", "e-growth-di", "germoglio"]·jav["kados-tètuwuhan", "lan-taneman", "tukulan-ipun", "tunasipun", "tuwuh-ipun"]·KO["그-새순의", "그-싹을", "그-의-싹-을", "그리고-식물을", "풍처럼-"]·PT["broto-dela", "como-brotar-de-", "e-vegetação-de", "seu-broto", "seus-brotos"]·RU["и-растительность", "как-растение-", "произрастание-её", "растение-своё", "ростка-её", "ростков-её"]·ES["como-planta-de", "su-brote", "su-renuevo", "y-brote-de"]·SW["kama-mmea", "machipukizi-yake", "mimea-yake", "na-mmea"]·TR["filizini", "filizinin", "gibi", "ve-bitkisini", "yatakları"]·urd["اور-پیداوار", "اُس-کی-روئیدگی-کو", "اُس-کے-اُگنے-کے", "اپنی-روئیدگی", "اپنے-اُگنے-کی", "جیسے-پودا"]
2. Branch (messianic title) — The Branch -- a messianic title designating the promised righteous ruler from David's line. Jeremiah 23:5 announces 'I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,' and Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12 use it as virtually a proper name: 'my servant the Branch.' Spanish shifts from lowercase 'renuevo' to capitalized 'el Retono,' and Swahili 'Chipukizi' similarly marks the transition to royal title. Isaiah 4:2 ('the Branch of the LORD') may bridge the natural and messianic senses, describing both divine blessing and eschatological hope. 5×
AR["الغُصْنُ", "الغُصْنِ", "غُصنُ", "غُصْنًا", "غُصْنَ"]·ben["অঙ্কুর"]·DE["Spross", "[צמח]"]·EN["Branch", "branch-of"]·FR["[צמח]", "germe"]·heb["צמח"]·HI["अंकुर", "अंकुर।", "शाखा"]·ID["Tunas"]·IT["[צמח]", "germoglio"]·jav["Tunas", "tunas", "tunas-"]·KO["가지를", "순이", "싹을", "싹이", "의-싹을"]·PT["Renovo", "rebento-de", "renovo-de"]·RU["Отрасль", "Росток", "отрасль"]·ES["Renuevo-de", "Retoño", "el-Retoño", "renuevo-de"]·SW["Chipukizi", "chipukizi", "chipukizi-la", "chipuko-la"]·TR["Filiz", "Filiz-", "filiz"]·urd["شاخ", "کوپل"]
3. stalk, shoot (individual plant) — An individual stalk or shoot of grain, distinguished from collective vegetation. Hosea 8:7 warns that Israel's sown seed will produce a stalk with no standing grain -- a prophetic image of futility. Arabic 'ghalla' (grain yield) and Spanish 'grano' (grain) focus on the expected produce rather than the plant itself, highlighting the bitter irony: the stalk exists but yields nothing. 1×
AR["غَلَّةٌ"]·ben["অঙ্কুর"]·DE["Spross"]·EN["stalk"]·FR["germe"]·heb["צמח"]·HI["अंकुर"]·ID["tunas"]·IT["germoglio"]·jav["boten"]·KO["싹이"]·PT["broto"]·RU["росток"]·ES["grano"]·SW["kichipukizi"]·TR["filiz"]·urd["پودا"]
Related Senses
H3754 1. vineyard, cultivated grape plot (92×)H0730 1. cedar tree or wood (73×)H1612 1. vine, grapevine (55×)H3293a 1. forest, wood, thicket (55×)H5560 1. fine flour (53×)H5193 1. plant vegetation (48×)H2232 1. sow seed, plant crops (41×)H1715 1. grain, cereal crop (40×)H7114b 1. reap, harvest grain (36×)H2132 1. olive tree (34×)H8184 1. barley (34×)H2406 1. wheat (grain crop) (30×)H7070 1. reed, cane (plant) (30×)H7848 1. acacia (28×)H8328 1. root of a plant (28×)H8384 1. fig tree (25×)H5488 1. reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds') (24×)G0290 1. a vineyard (23×)G2325 1. reap, harvest a crop (21×)G4687 1. sow seed, plant (21×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† צֶ֫מַח n.m. Je 23:5 sprout, growth;—abs. צ׳ Ho 8:7 +, צֶ֑מַח Zc 3:8; cstr. צֶ֫מַח Gn 19:25 +; sf. צִמְחָהּ Ez 17:9 +;— 1. coll. sprouting, growth, צ׳ הָאֲדָמָה Gn 19:25 (J), צ׳ הַשָּׂדֶה Ez 16:7 (sim.), cf. Is 61:11 ψ 65:11; so צ׳ יהוה Is 4:2, צ׳ abs. Ho 8:7; growth (= foliage) of vine, טַרְפֵּי צ׳ Ez 17:9. 2. process of growth, of vine, עֲרֻגֹת צִמְחָהּ Ez 17:10 = the beds where it grew. 3.…