Hebrew word · H5628

סָרַח

saruach

to overrun

The root sarakh means to hang loose, overhang or spread out freely: the extra part of the tabernacle curtains 'hangs over' (Exod 26:12–13); the idle rich 'sprawl' on their couches (Amos 6:4, 7); a vine 'spreading' low (Ezek 17:6).

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to go free, be unrestrained, be overrun, exceed, overhang, grow luxuriously

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go free, be unrestrained, sprawl

1a1a) overrunning, spreading (participle)

1a2) to overhang

1b) (Niphal) to be let loose or dismissed or gone

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 Jeremiah 49:7

Range of meaning

The root sarakh means to hang loose, overhang or spread out freely: the extra part of the tabernacle curtains 'hangs over' (Exod 26:12–13); the idle rich 'sprawl' on their couches (Amos 6:4, 7); a vine 'spreading' low (Ezek 17:6). This passive-reflexive form is used only here, so its sense has to be inferred. Options include 'be let loose, be spilled out, dissipate' (BDB) and 'go off, go bad, go stale' (HALOT, partly following Aramaic and Syriac s-r-ḥ, 'to stink, be corrupt').

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT have 'vanished', the picture of something spilling or draining away. BSB and NIV have 'decayed', and some versions 'gone stale' or 'rotted', the picture of spoiling. Both are reasonable guesses at a word used only once.

Used elsewhere in the period

There is no other occurrence of this form in the Hebrew Bible. The Old Greek has ᾤχετο, 'has gone, departed'. The Vulgate has 'inutilis facta est', 'has become useless'. Both read it as wisdom being lost or emptied rather than morally corrupted.

From the study of Amos 6:4

Range of meaning

To hang over, spread out, overrun or go beyond an edge. It is used of the extra length of tent curtain hanging over (Exodus 26:12–13), a low vine spreading out (Ezekiel 17:6), and turbans trailing down (Ezekiel 23:15). The form here is passive, describing a condition: draped, spread out.

Against the English

KJV and WEB "stretch themselves" and ESV "stretch themselves out" make it something the people actively do. BSB "lounge" is natural but mild. YLT "are spread out" is closest to the form, and "sprawl" (NASB, NLT) best catches the tone.

How it drifted

Older English "stretch themselves" now suggests a limbering stretch or yawn. The Hebrew picture is of bodies overflowing their couches, like loose fabric hanging over the side.

Used elsewhere in the period

Besides the passages above, the same word returns in Amos 6:7, "the revelry of the sprawlers." Jeremiah 49:7 uses the root of wisdom that has gone bad or "run out," and later rabbinic Hebrew uses it for going off or stinking. The Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate both translated it here with words for wanton living. These show how early readers took its tone, but they are interpretations rather than its basic sense.

Where it appears

Exodus · 2

  1. Exodus 26:12 תִּסְרַ֕ח it will overhang

    As for the overlap that remains of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over shall hang down over the back of the tabernacle.

    Here: The main verb, an instruction for the future: 'shall hang over'. It comes from the same root as the opening noun, so it reads 'the overhang… shall overhang'. The picture is of cloth spreading loosely down the side.

  2. Exodus 26:13 סָר֜וּחַ projecting

    And the tent curtains will be a cubit longer on either side, and the excess will hang over the sides of the tabernacle to cover it.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 49:7 נִסְרְחָ֖ה has it been corrupted?

    Concerning Edom, this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?

    Here: This verb form occurs only here. The root means to hang over, sprawl or spread loose. Here it probably pictures wisdom leaking away or going off, like spilled or spoiled liquid. Related Aramaic and Syriac words mean 'to stink, be corrupt', which lies behind renderings like 'decayed'.

Ezekiel · 2

  1. Ezekiel 17:6 סֹרַ֜חַת spreading

    It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height, with branches turned toward him; yet its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and yielded branches and sent out shoots.

  2. Ezekiel 23:15 סְרוּחֵ֤י overhung of

    wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.

Amos · 2

  1. Amos 6:4 וּסְרֻחִ֖ים and [people] sprawled out

    You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.

    Here: "And sprawled," a word used elsewhere of cloth hanging over an edge. It describes a state rather than an action: bodies spilling loosely across the cushions. This is Amos's chosen label, and verse 7 picks it up again.

  2. Amos 6:7 סְרוּחִֽים׃ פ sprawled out [people]

    Therefore, you will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and your feasting and lounging will come to an end.

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