H8175c H8175c
knew them, had acquaintance with; or possibly 'feared/shuddered before them'—interpretation disputed
This verb form in Deuteronomy 32:17 is disputed in meaning. It appears in Moses's song describing Israel's apostasy, saying they sacrificed to new gods that 'your fathers did not know.' The traditional interpretation takes it as 'know' or 'be acquainted with,' emphasizing the novelty of these deities. However, the root may alternatively mean 'fear' or 'regard with awe,' yielding 'gods your fathers did not fear.' The parallel with 'did not know' in the same verse favors the 'acquaintance' interpretation, highlighting the foreignness of these imported deities.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Describes the fathers' lack of relationship with new gods in Deuteronomy 32:17. The form שערום (se'arum) is a Qal perfect 3rd plural with suffix, meaning 'they knew them' or possibly 'they feared them.' English translates 'knew-them,' Spanish offers 'los-temieron' (feared them), French 'connut-eux' (knew them), and German 'wusste-ihnen' (knew them). The phrase describes new gods that recently appeared, which the ancestors 'did not know'—emphasizing their novelty and illegitimacy. The parallel structure with 'your fathers did not know them' (לא ידעום) in the same verse suggests the meaning is cognitive acquaintance rather than fearful reverence, though BDB notes the root's possible connection to fear or shuddering. 1×
AR["يَرْهَبْهَا"]·ben["কম্পিত-হয়েছিল"]·DE["wusste-ihnen"]·EN["knew-them"]·FR["connut-eux"]·heb["שערום"]·HI["काँपे-उनसे"]·ID["gemetar"]·IT["conobbe-loro"]·jav["ajrih"]·KO["두려워했다"]·PT["temeram-nos"]·RU["боялись-их"]·ES["los-temieron"]·SW["waliitetemekea"]·TR["korktular-onlardan"]·urd["کانپے-اُن-سے"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† III. [שָׂעַר] vb. perhaps be acquainted with (Arabic شَعَرَ perceive [Sab. שער id.? HomChrest. 124]; cf. Aramaic סְֶעַר ܣܥܰܪ, visit, inspect, BAES 67 RS in Dr Dt PerlesAnal. 79);— Qal Pf. 3 pl. sf. שְׂעָרוּם Dt 32:17 new gods, with whom your fathers had no acquaintance (𝔊 εἴδησαν; ‖ יְדָעוּם); usually fear, Thes revere with awe, Dr shudder before, [שָׂעַר] denom., although not elsewherec.acc. pers.