H7847 H7847
To turn aside, go astray — especially of marital infidelity or moral deviation
The verb שָׂטָה appears only six times in the Hebrew Bible, but its contexts are vivid and memorable. Four occurrences belong to the Numbers 5 sotah ritual, where a wife 'goes astray' in marital unfaithfulness — the very name of the ritual derives from this root. The remaining two appear in Proverbs, where a young man is warned to 'turn aside' from the path of the seductive woman (4:15) and not to let his heart 'turn toward' her ways (7:25). The Aramaic cognate סְטָא and Ethiopic parallels confirm the core meaning of deviation from a right path. Hindi 'bhaTak-jaae' (wander off) beautifully captures the root's blend of physical straying and moral wandering.
Senses
1. go astray, deviate (morally/sexually) — To go astray morally or sexually, deviating from the path of fidelity, especially in the context of marital unfaithfulness. All four occurrences appear in Numbers 5:12, 19, 20, 29 — the sotah ordeal for a wife suspected of infidelity. The phrase 'goes astray while under her husband' (תִּשְׂטֶה תַּחַת אִישָׁהּ) makes the marital-fidelity dimension explicit. Spanish 'se desvia/se desvie' (deviate) and Hindi 'bhaTak-jaae' (wander off) both encode the moral dimension of straying from a binding relationship, not merely physical movement. 4×
AR["تَزِيغُ", "تَزِيغِي", "زِغْتِ"]·ben["তুমি-বিপথে-গিয়েছ", "বিপথে-যাবে", "বিপথে-যায়"]·DE["du-ging-astray", "geht-astray"]·EN["goes-astray", "you-went-astray"]·FR["goes-astray", "tu-alla-astray"]·heb["שטית", "תשטה"]·HI["भटक-जाए", "भटकी", "भटके"]·ID["berzinah", "engkau-berzinah"]·IT["tu-ando-astray", "va-astray"]·jav["nyimpang", "panjenengan-nyimpang", "piyambakipun-nyimpang"]·KO["빗나가면", "빗나갔다"]·PT["desviar-se", "desviaste-te"]·RU["уклонилась", "уклонится"]·ES["se-desvía", "se-desvíe", "te-desviaste"]·SW["Shtit", "Tshth"]·TR["saptın", "sapıtır", "sapıtırsa"]·urd["بھٹک-جائے", "بھٹکی", "بھٹکے"]
2. turn aside, turn away (physical/directional) — To turn aside or turn away in a more neutral, directional sense — commanding or urging physical and moral avoidance of a harmful path. In Proverbs 4:15 the father commands his son to 'turn away' (שְׂטֵה) from the way of the wicked, and in 7:25 he warns not to let the heart 'turn aside' toward the adulteress's ways. Though moral overtones remain, the emphasis here is on deliberate avoidance and redirection rather than the passive straying of the sotah. Spanish 'desviate' (turn yourself aside) captures the volitional quality. 2×
AR["ابْتَعِدْ", "يَمِلْ"]·ben["ঘুরে-যাও", "সরুক"]·DE["[ישט]", "[שטה]"]·EN["let-turn-aside", "turn-away"]·FR["ישט", "שטה"]·heb["יישט", "שטה"]·HI["मुड़-जा", "मुड़े"]·ID["menyimpang", "menyimpanglah"]·IT["let-tornare-aside", "tornare-via"]·jav["mèncènga", "nyimpang"]·KO["돌라서라", "돌아가지"]·PT["desvia-te", "se-desvie"]·RU["сверни", "уклоняется"]·ES["desvíate", "se-desvíe"]·SW["geuka", "usiruhusu"]·TR["dön", "sapmasın"]·urd["بھٹکے", "موڑ"]
Related Senses
H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)H5674a 1. Qal: pass by, pass through (256×)H3381 1. Qal: to go down, descend (physical movement) (242×)G4102 1. faith, trust, belief (239×)G4100 1. believe / have faith in (233×)G1831 1. go/come out physically (193×)H5337 1. deliver, rescue, save (Hifil) (188×)H7901 1. lie down, rest, sleep (183×)G1525 1. enter a place physically (179×)H7812 1. prostrate oneself, bow down, worship (173×)H3318 2. Hifil: bring out, lead out, take out (persons) (172×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [שָׂטה] vb. turn aside (Aramaic סְטָא, ܣܛܳܐ id.; שְׂטָא stray; Ethiopic ሠጠየ iii. 1 be seduced, etc.; cf. DrJPhil. xi (1882), 205);— Qal Pf. 2 fs. שָׂטִית Nu 5:19, 20; Impf. 3 fs. תִּשְׂטֶה v 12, 29, juss. 3 ms. יֵשְׂטְ Pr 7:25; Imv. ms. שְׂטֵה 4:15;—turn aside, of unfaithful wife Nu 5:12 (abs.), + תַּחַת אִישׁ, i.e. while married, v 19 (+ טֻמְאָה adv. acc.), v 20, 29 (all P); of youth, from (מֵעַל) way of evil woman Pr 4:15, toward (אֶל) her ways 7:25.