H7817 H7817
To bow down, be humbled, crouch; in Hitpael, to be cast down in spirit; in Hiphil, to bring low.
Shachach is a verb of downward posture — bowing, crouching, sinking, being crushed low. It appears in Isaiah's great leveling visions where the haughty eyes of man 'shall be humbled' and the LORD alone exalted (Isa 2:11, 17), in the psalmist's anguished self-address 'Why are you cast down, O my soul?' (Ps 42:5), and in the animal world where lionesses 'crouch' in their dens (Job 38:40). The multilingual translations reveal how languages parse this range: Spanish abatir ('to bring down, depress') covers both physical and emotional lowering, French s'abaisser ('to lower oneself') keeps the reflexive flavor, while German niedergebeugt ('bent down') stays close to the bodily image. The verb's power lies in its refusal to separate physical posture from spiritual condition — to be bowed down in body and bowed down in soul are expressed by the same word.
3. be downcast, cast down (reflexive) — Hitpael reflexive-emotional: to be cast down inwardly, downcast in spirit — the celebrated 'soul' sense of the Psalms. Four occurrences cluster in Pss 42-43, all in the identical refrain: 'Why are you cast down, O my soul?' (Ps 42:5, 6, 11; 43:5). Spanish abatirse ('to become depressed/dejected') and German cast-hinab ('cast down') both select psychological-state vocabulary. The Hitpael reflexive stem is key: the self is acting upon itself in this inward sinking. This is not physical bowing but inner emotional collapse, distinguished from sense 1 by the self-directed reflexive grammar. 4×
AR["تَنْحَني","تَنْحَنينَ"]·ben["অবনত","তুমি-অবনত-হও","ভারাক্রান্ত-হও-তুমি"]·DE["ist-cast-hinab","sind-du-cast-hinab"]·EN["are-you-cast-down","is-cast-down"]·FR["s'incliner"]·heb["תשתוחח","תשתוחחי"]·HI["उदास-है","तू-उदास-है"]·IT["si-abbasso'"]·jav["tumungkul"]·KO["남어지는가","남어지도다"]·PT["se-abate","te-abates"]·RU["поникаешь","поникла"]·ES["se-abate","te-abates"]·SW["inajishusha","unajishusha"]·TR["eğiliyor","eğiliyorsun"]·urd["گری-ہوئی-ہے"]
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
1. be humbled, brought low — Qal stative/passive: to be humbled, brought low, abased — the figurative, often prophetic sense where persons, nations, or proud things are reduced to lowliness. Isaiah's repeated formula 'the haughtiness of man shall be humbled' (Isa 2:11, 17) defines this cluster, alongside Hab 3:6 where the ancient mountains 'were made low' and Ps 107:39 where people 'are brought low through oppression.' Spanish abatida ('brought down') and French s'abaisser ('to lower oneself') converge on the figurative humiliation, while German niedergebeugt preserves the physical-posture metaphor underlying the abstraction. 5×
AR["انْحَنَتْ","انْخَفَضْتُ","وَ-يَنحَنونَ","وَ-يَنحَنِي"]·ben["এবং-নিচু-হল","ও-নত-হবে","নত-হল","নীচু-হয়েছি"]·DE["[ושח]","[שחו]","ich-bin-niedergebeugt","und-sie-waren-gebracht-niedrig"]·EN["I-am-bowed-down","and-shall-be-brought-low","and-shall-be-humbled","and-they-were-brought-low","sank"]·FR["et-s'abaisser","et-s'incliner","s'abaisser","s'incliner"]·heb["ו-ישוחו","ו-שח","שחו","שחותי"]·HI["और-झुक-गए","और-झुकेगा","झुक-गया-हूँ","झुके"]·ID["Dan-dibungkukkan","dan-dibungkukkan","dan-mereka-merosot","tunduk"]·IT["[שחו]","e-abbassarsi","e-si-abbasso'","si-abbasso'"]·jav["Lan-dipunandhapaken","asor","kula-sampun-tumungkul","lan-dhungkluk","lan-sami-asor"]·KO["그리고-낮아졌으니","낮아졌도다","낮아지니","낮아지리라"]·PT["E-abaixada","curvado","curvaram-se","e-abaixada","e-são-abatidos"]·RU["и-ниспадают","и-склонится","и-согнётся","поникли","согнулся"]·ES["Y-será-abatida","abatido","se-hundieron","y-será-abatida","y-son-abatidos"]·SW["na-kushushwa","na-kutashushwa","na-wakanyenyekeshwa","nimejikunja","zilishusha"]·TR["eğildi","eğildim","ve-egilecek","ve-çöktüler"]·urd["اور-جھک-جاتے-ہیں","اور-جھکائی-جائے-گی","اور-جھکایا-جائے-گا","جھک-گئے","خم-ہوا"]
2. bow down, prostrate oneself — Qal active: to bow down physically, prostrate oneself in reverence, submission, or grief — the basic bodily action. Under God's power, the helpers of Rahab 'bow down' beneath him (Job 9:13); the wicked 'bow down' at the gates of the righteous (Prov 14:19); the psalmist 'bowed down in mourning' (Ps 35:14). The nations shall come 'bowing down' to restored Zion (Isa 60:14). Spanish inclinarse ('to incline/bow') and French s'incliner both capture the deliberate physical lowering of the body. Ps 10:10 shows the sinister side: the wicked crouches so that the helpless fall into his clutches. 5×
AR["انْحَنى","انْحَنَيْتُ","اِنْحَنى","مُنْحَنِينَ","يَنْخَفِضُ"]·ben["নত-হয়","নত-হয়েছিলাম","নত-হয়েছে","নমনীয়","সে-নুয়ে-পড়ে"]·DE["[שחו]","[שחוח]","[שחחו]","er-bows-hinab","ich-niedergebeugt-hinab"]·EN["I-bowed-down","bow-down","bowing","he-bows-down"]·FR["s'abaisser","s'incliner","שחו","שחחו"]·heb["ישוח","שחו","שחוח","שחותי","שחחו"]·HI["झुक-गए","झुकते-हैं","झुका-मैं","झुके-हुए","वह-नीचा-होता-है"]·ID["Membungkuk","ia-membungkuk","membungkuk","tunduk"]·IT["abbassarsi","bow-down","bow-giù","si-abbasso'"]·jav["dipun-andhapaken","kula-tumungkul","mendhuk","sami-mbungkuk","tumungkul"]·KO["굴복했다","굽혀","엎드렸나이다","엎드리나이다","절한다"]·PT["Inclinam-se","curvados","me-curvava","se-curvaram","é-abatido"]·RU["приникнет","склонились","склонялся","склонятся","согбенно"]·ES["Se-inclinan","inclinados","me-inclinaba","se-encorva","se-inclinan"]·SW["anainama","niliinama","wakiinamia","waliinama","wanainamia"]·TR["egilmis","eğildiler","eğildim","eğilir","çöker"]·urd["جھکتے-ہیں","جھکے","جھکے-ہیں","میں-جھکا","وہ-جھکتا-ہے"]
4. be bowed down (passive) — Niphal passive: to be bowed down or brought low by external force — humiliation imposed from without rather than chosen or experienced internally. The day comes when 'the loftiness of man shall be bowed down' (Isa 2:9); 'the mean man is bowed down and the great man is humbled' (Isa 5:15); the voice of the humbled one 'shall be low out of the dust' (Isa 29:4); the grinding-women stoop when they become few (Eccl 12:4). French et-s'abaisser and Spanish inclinarse surface again, but the Niphal morphology consistently marks external causation — things are being done to the subject, distinguishing this from the Qal stative of sense 1 and the Hitpael self-reflection of sense 3. 4×
AR["وَ-انحَنَى","وِ-يِشَّحُو","يَنْخَفِضُ"]·ben["এবং-নীচু-হয়","ও-নত-হয়","নীচু-হবে"]·DE["[וישח]","[וישחו]","[תשח]"]·EN["and-are-brought-low","and-is-bowed-down","shall-be-low"]·FR["et-s'abaisser","et-וישחו","s'abaisser"]·heb["ו-יישח","ו-ישחו","תשוח"]·HI["और-झुक-गया","और-झुकें","नीचा-होगा"]·ID["Dan-ditundukkan","dan-merendah","merendah"]·IT["abbassarsi","e-abbassarsi","e-e-sono-brought-basso"]·jav["Lan-dhungkluk","Lan-dipunandhapaken","dipun-endhekaken","lan-suda"]·KO["그리고-낮아진다","낮아졌다","낮아질-것이다"]·PT["E-abaixa-se","E-abaixado","e-se-abaixam","será-abafada"]·RU["будет-приглушена","и-поклонился","и-поникнут"]·ES["Y-se-inclinará","Y-se-inclinó","será-baja","y-se-agachen"]·SW["na-ameinamishwa","na-atashushwa","na-zinasimama","utashushwa"]·TR["ve-alcalir","ve-egildi","zayif-olacak"]·urd["اور-جھکا","اور-دھیمی-ہوں","دبی-ہوگی"]
5. bring low, humble (causative) — Hiphil causative: to bring low, cause to bow down, actively humble — God or a powerful agent deliberately abasing the proud. Isaiah declares that God 'has brought low' the inhabitants of the height and the lofty city (Isa 25:12; 26:5). Spanish humillar ('to humble') and the causative structure confirm the transitive force: someone is doing the lowering. Only two occurrences, both in Isaiah, both with God as subject, forming a compact but theologically significant cluster about divine agency in humiliation. 2×
AR["أَخْفَضَ","يُخْفِضُ"]·ben["নত-করবেন","নত-করেছেন"]·DE["[השח]"]·EN["He-brings-down","He-brings-low"]·FR["s'abaisser"]·heb["השח"]·HI["झुकाया"]·ID["Dia-merendahkan","Dia-tundukkan"]·IT["abbassarsi"]·jav["dipun-endhekaken"]·KO["낮추셨으니","낮추신다"]·PT["abaixou"]·RU["нагнул","низверг"]·ES["ha-inclinado","humilló"]·SW["amewaangusha","ataiinamisha"]·TR["alcaltti","egdi"]·urd["جھکائے-گا","جھکایا"]
6. crouch, cower — Qal of animal posture: to crouch or cower, describing the physical posture of animals lying low. Job 38:40 pictures lionesses crouching in their dens, waiting in ambush. Spanish agacharse ('to crouch/squat') and the English 'crouch' both select animal-posture vocabulary rather than worship or humiliation terms. A single occurrence, but cross-linguistically distinct: none of the translations use prostration or humility language here, confirming that this is a separate concrete-physical sense rooted in animal behavior rather than human social or spiritual dynamics. 1×
AR["تَرْبِضُ"]·ben["তারা-নীচু-হয়"]·DE["[ישחו]"]·EN["they-crouch"]·FR["ישחו"]·heb["ישוחו"]·HI["वे-झुकते-हैं"]·ID["mereka meringkuk"]·IT["essi-crouch"]·jav["piyambak-ipun-ndhodhok"]·KO["그것들이-웅크린다"]·PT["se-agacham"]·RU["залегают"]·ES["se-agachan"]·SW["wanajinyenyekeza"]·TR["çömelirler"]·urd["وہ جھکتے ہیں"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [שָׁחַח] vb. bow, be bowed down, crouch (NH id.; TelAm. šaḫâḫu (Wkl TelAm. Vocab.), prostrate oneself, prob. Canaanism; Assyrian šaḫâḫu is oppress, torment);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. consec. וְשַׁח Is 2:11, 17, 1 s. שַׁח֫וֹתִי ψ 38:7, שַׁחֹ֫תִי 35:14, 3 pl. שָֽׁתֲחוּ Jb 9:13, שַׁחוּ Hb 3:6; Pr 14:19; Impf. 3 ms. יָשֹׁחַ ψ 10:10, 3 mpl. יָשֹׁ֫חוּ Jb 38:40, וַיָּשֹׁ֫חוּ ψ 107:39; Inf. cstr. (= abs., as…