H7878 H7878
To muse, meditate, speak, or complain; covering the full arc from silent pondering to voiced lament and public discourse.
A richly layered Hebrew verb that moves seamlessly from the interior life of the mind to the spoken word. The psalmist meditates on God's statutes through the night watches (Ps 119:148), muses within his own heart (Ps 77:6), and yet the very same root describes public talk among those who sit in the gate (Ps 69:12) and the bitter complaint poured out before God (Job 7:11). This spectrum—from quiet pondering to vocal lament—is unusual among Hebrew verbs of thought. The French 'méditer' and Spanish 'meditar/hablar' helpfully split what Hebrew holds together: interior reflection and its eventual overflow into speech.
Senses
1. meditate, muse on — To meditate, muse, or reflect inwardly—typically on God's works, law, or wonders. Psalm 119 alone accounts for most occurrences, with the psalmist declaring 'I will meditate on your precepts' (119:15), 'your testimonies are my meditation' (119:23, 48), and 'my eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may muse on your word' (119:148). The 1 Chronicles 16:9 parallel with 'sing to him' shows this meditation naturally tending toward expression. 11×
AR["أَتَأَمَّلُ", "أَتَحَدَّثُ", "تَأَمَّلُوا", "لِ-أَتَأَمَّلَ", "وَ-أَتَأَمَّلُ", "يَتَأَمَّلُ"]·ben["-আমাকে-ও-আমি-ধ্যান-করব", "আমি-চিন্তা-করব", "আমি-ধ্যান-করব", "আমি-ধ্যান-করি", "ও-আমি-ধ্যান-করব", "ধ্যান-করতে", "ধ্যান-করব", "মনন-কর", "সে-ধ্যান-করবে"]·DE["[שיחו]", "ich-muse", "ich-wird-muse", "ich-wird-sinnen", "meditates", "und-ich-wird-sinnen", "wird-sinnen", "zu-sinnen"]·EN["I-muse", "I-will-meditate", "I-will-muse", "and-I-will-meditate", "meditate", "meditates", "to-meditate", "will-meditate"]·FR["[שיחו]", "et-méditer", "méditer", "à-méditer"]·heb["אשיח", "אשיחה", "ו-אשיחה", "ישיח", "ל-שיח", "שיחו"]·HI["आसीखाह", "बोलो", "मैं-बात-करूँगा"]·ID["akan-aku-renungkan", "aku-berbicara", "aku-merenungkan", "berbicaralah", "dan-aku-merenungkan", "merenungkan", "untuk-merenungkan"]·IT["[שיחו]", "a-meditazione", "e-meditare", "meditare"]·jav["kawula-badhe-matur-mantur", "kawula-badhé-manggalih", "kawula-manggalih", "kula-nggagas", "lan-kula-nggagas", "ngandharaken", "nggagas", "supados-nggagas"]·KO["그리고-묵상하리라", "내가-묵상하리이다", "당신-의-율례들-을", "말하라", "묵상하나이다", "묵상하려고", "묵상하리라", "묵상하리이다"]·PT["e-meditarei", "falarei", "medita", "meditai", "meditarei", "medito", "para-meditar"]·RU["буду-размышлять", "и-буду-размышлять", "размышляет", "размышляйте", "размышлять", "размышляю", "размышляю-я"]·ES["hablaré", "meditad", "meditará", "meditaré", "medito", "para-meditar", "y-meditaré"]·SW["atatafakari", "kutafakari", "na-nitatafakari", "nitatafakari", "nitazungumza", "semeni"]·TR["düşüneceğim", "düşünmek-için", "düşünün", "düşünür", "düşünüyorum", "konuşacağım", "ve-düşüneceğim"]·urd["اور-غور-کروں-گا", "بیان-کرو", "سوچتا-ہوں", "سوچوں-گا", "غور-کرتا-ہے", "غور-کرنے-کو", "غور-کروں-گا", "میں-سوچوں-گا"]
2. speak, talk, converse — To speak, talk, or converse about a subject—the outward, verbal dimension of the root. Deborah's victory song invites riders on white donkeys to 'tell of it' (Judg 5:10), Job commands the earth to 'speak' (Job 12:8), and Proverbs personifies wisdom as one who 'will talk with you' when you walk (Prov 6:22). Spanish 'hablar/hablad' captures the straightforwardly communicative register, contrasting with the contemplative sense. 5×
AR["تَحَدَّثوا", "تَكَلَّموا", "تُحَدِّثُكَ", "كَلِّمِ", "يَتَحَدَّثونَ"]·ben["কথা-বল", "কথা-বলবে-তোমাকে", "তারা-কথা-বলে", "ধ্যান-কর"]·DE["[שיח]", "[תשיחך]", "meditate", "sinnen", "talk"]·EN["meditate", "speak", "talk", "will-talk-with-you"]·FR["meditate", "méditer", "שיח", "תשיחך-toi"]·heb["ישיחו", "שוחחו", "שיח", "שיחו", "תשיחך"]·HI["गाओ", "बात-कर", "बोलेगी-तुझसे", "बोलो"]·ID["Membicarakan", "akan-berbicara-kepadamu", "bicarakanlah", "bicaralah"]·IT["meditare", "meditate", "parlare", "will-talk-con-voi-tuo"]·jav["Tiyang-tiyang-ngomong", "critakna", "ngandika", "nyariyosakén", "wicanten-kaliyan-panjenengan"]·KO["말하도다", "말하라", "말할-것이다"]·PT["Falam-de-mim", "fala", "falai", "falará-contigo", "meditai"]·RU["будет-беседовать-с-тобою.", "говори", "говорите", "говорят", "размышляйте"]·ES["Hablan", "habla", "hablad", "hablarán-contigo", "mediten"]·SW["Wanazungumza", "fikirini", "nawe", "sema-na", "semeni"]·TR["düşünün", "konuş", "konuşacak-sana", "konuşun", "konuşuyorlar"]·urd["بات-کر", "بات-کرتے-ہیں", "بات-کرے-گی-تجھ-سے", "بیان-کرو", "غور-کرو"]
3. complain, lament — To complain, lament, or pour out one's grief before God—a specialized speech act of distress. Job resolves 'I will complain in the bitterness of my soul' (Job 7:11), and the psalmist groans 'evening and morning and at noon I complain and moan' (Ps 55:17). Both passages pair this verb with expressions of inner turmoil, marking it as vocalized anguish rather than neutral speech. 2×
AR["أَشكو", "أَشْكو"]·ben["আমি-কথা-বলব", "চিন্তা-করি-আমি"]·DE["[אשיחה]", "ich-complain"]·EN["I-complain", "I-will-complain"]·FR["méditer", "אשיחה"]·heb["אשיחה"]·HI["कहूँगा-मैं"]·ID["aku-akan-mengeluh"]·IT["I-will-complain", "meditare"]·jav["kawula-badhé-sambat", "lan"]·KO["탄식하겨다-내가", "탄식하리이다"]·PT["me-queixarei", "queixar-me-ei"]·RU["буду-сетовать", "размышляю"]·ES["me-quejaré"]·SW["nitalalamika", "nitaomba"]·TR["düşüneceğim", "şikayer-edeceğim"]·urd["فریاد-کروں-گا", "فَریاد-کَروں"]
4. consider deeply, ponder (Piel) — Piel intensive: to consider deeply, ponder, or deliberate with sustained attention. In Ps 143:5 the psalmist 'muses on the work of your hands,' intensifying the basic Qal meditation, while Isa 53:8 asks 'who considered his generation?'—a weighty, evaluative pondering of the Servant's fate. The Piel form signals that this reflection is thorough and effortful, not casual musing. 2×
AR["أَتَكَلَّمُ", "يَتَفَكَّرُ"]·ben["চিন্তা-করি।", "বিবেচনা-করবে"]·DE["[ישוחח]", "ich-muse"]·EN["I-muse", "considers"]·FR["[ישוחח]", "méditer"]·heb["אשוחח", "ישוחח"]·HI["मैं-बात-करता-हूँ", "विचारेगा"]·ID["aku-memikirkan", "yang-memikirkan"]·IT["[ישוחח]", "meditare"]·jav["badhé-micara", "kula-matur-mantur"]·KO["내-가-깊이-생각하나이다", "생각하겠는가"]·PT["considerará", "reflito"]·RU["размыслит", "размышляю"]·ES["considerará?", "reflexiono"]·SW["atakayefikiri", "ninazungumzia"]·TR["dusunecek", "düşünüyorum"]·urd["بیان-کرے-گا", "میں-سوچتا-ہوں"]
Related Senses
H3045 1. Qal: to know, perceive, understand (829×)H5315 1. soul, inner being (647×)H3820a 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (572×)H4672 1. Qal: find, discover (289×)G1492 1. know facts or truths (285×)H3824 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (250×)H1245 1. seek, search for (200×)G1097 1. know, be acquainted with (196×)H2142 1. Qal: remember, recall (173×)G2588 1. heart (inner self, mind, will) (158×)H0977 1. choose, select (Qal active) (145×)G2147 1. find, discover (144×)G5590 1. soul, inner self (100×)H4672 2. Niphal: be found, be discovered (99×)H1875 1. seek, search for (96×)H5315 2. life, vitality (94×)H1847 1. knowledge, discernment (90×)H2450 1. wise, prudent (84×)H7911 1. Qal: to forget (83×)H3684 1. fool, dullard (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שִׂיחַ vb.denom. muse, complain, poet. talk (of);— Qal Impf. 3 ms. יָשִׂיחַ ψ 119:23; 3 fs. sf. תְּשִׂיחֶ֑ךָ Pr 6:22; 1 s. אָשִׂיחַ ψ 119:78 +, etc.; Imv. ms. שִׂיחַ Jb 12:8; mpl. שִׂיחוּ Ju 5:10 +; Inf. cstr. שִׂיחַ ψ 119:148;— 1. complain: ψ 55:18; 77:4 (both ‖ הָמָה), Jb 7:11 (בְּמַר נַפְשִׁי), + ψ 6:7 (read prob. אָשִׂיחָה for אַשְׂחֶה). 2. muse: עִם־לְבָבִי ψ 77:7; c. ב, meditate upon,…