Hebrew word · H1518

גִּיחַ

megiach

to burst; come out

The root behind this form is debated. BDB lists a separate verb גּחה 'draw forth', found only here. HALOT and others connect it to גִּיחַ / גּוּחַ, 'burst forth, gush out', which is used of water and of birth.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to burst forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to burst forth

1a2) to draw forth

1a3) to bring forth

1b) (Hiphil) to break forth

Aramaic equivalent: gi.ach (גִּיחַ "to strive" H1519)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 22:9

Range of meaning

The root behind this form is debated. BDB lists a separate verb גּחה 'draw forth', found only here. HALOT and others connect it to גִּיחַ / גּוּחַ, 'burst forth, gush out', which is used of water and of birth. Either way, the participle with a suffix works as a title: 'my one-who-brought-me-out', in effect 'my midwife'.

Against the English

KJV and ESV say 'took me from/out of the womb', BSB and WEB 'brought me forth/out', YLT 'bringing me forth'. All of these are fine. What they lose is that the Hebrew is a noun-like title ('you are my deliverer-from-the-womb'), not just a statement of a past event. It names an ongoing identity God holds toward the speaker.

Used elsewhere in the period

גיח is used of the sea 'bursting out' of the womb at creation (Job 38:8), of a river surging (Job 40:23), and of a woman in labour (Mic 4:10, 'writhe and bring forth'). Ps 71:6 is a close parallel: 'from my mother's innards you are the one who cut/drew me out' (גּוֹזִי, also an uncertain word). The Septuagint has ho ekspasas me, 'the one who pulled me out'.

From the study of Job 38:8

Range of meaning

To burst forth, gush out, rush. It is used for water surging and for the bursting of birth. Related forms appear for writhing in labour.

Against the English

"Burst forth" (BSB) is good. "Brake forth" (KJV) and "broke out" (WEB) keep the violence but lose the connection to birth.

Used elsewhere in the period

Job 40:23: the Jordan "rushes" against Behemoth's mouth. Ezek 32:2: the dragon "bursts forth" in its rivers. Mic 4:10: "writhe and burst forth (gōḥî), daughter of Zion, like a woman in labour." Ps 22:9 [MT 22:10]: "you are the one who drew me out (gōḥî) from the belly."

From the study of Micah 4:10

Range of meaning

To burst out or break forth. It is used of water gushing (Job 40:23), of the sea bursting from the womb (Job 38:8), of a warrior bursting out of an ambush (Judg 20:33), and in the causative form of drawing a child out of the womb (Ps 22:9, 'you who brought me out of the womb').

Against the English

KJV and NASB give 'labour to bring forth / labor to give birth', which keeps the birth outcome. ESV and NLT use 'groan', which turns it into a sound of distress. BSB merges both verbs into one, 'writhe in agony', and so the 'bring forth' idea disappears from its rendering.

How it drifted

Translators who use 'groan' are following the suggestion that the rare verb means straining or crying out in labor, or else a proposed correction of the text. The result is a picture of pure suffering, where the Hebrew seems to say 'push the child out'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare in the Hebrew Bible, about six uses. The Job passages and Ps 22:9 tie it firmly to the womb. HALOT and BDB both list 'burst forth' as the basic meaning.

Where it appears

Judges · 1

  1. Judges 20:33 מֵגִ֥יחַ [was] bursting forth

    So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah.

Job · 2

  1. Job 38:8 בְּ֝גִיח֗וֹ when burst forth it

    Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,

    Here: "When it burst out." The verb is used for water rushing violently (40:23, the Jordan surging) and for labour and birth (Mic 4:10, "writhe and bring forth"; Ps 22:9, "you who drew me from the belly"). So it pictures water and a newborn at once: the sea gushes out like a breaking birth.

  2. Job 40:23 יָגִ֖יחַ it bursts forth

    Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 22:9 גֹחִ֣י [were] drawing forth me

    Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.

    Here: An active participle with 'me/my' attached: 'the one who drew me out' or 'my deliverer from the womb'. It shows God doing a midwife's job, pulling the baby out at birth.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 32:2 וַתָּ֣גַח and you burst forth

    “Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churning up the waters with your feet and muddying the streams.’

    Here: 'You burst out'. It describes a sudden violent surge, used of the sea bursting from the womb (Job 38:8) and the Jordan surging (Job 40:23). The beast lunges out in its own waters.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 4:10 וָגֹ֛חִי and burst forth

    Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!

    Here: A second command: 'and push it out!' The verb is used of a baby or the sea breaking out of the womb. So the pain is meant to produce something. It is not only panic.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.