Hebrew word · H6658

צָדָה

tzadah

to ambush

To lie in wait or lurk with intent. It is very rare: BDB and HALOT list only Exodus 21:13 and this verse. It is probably related to tsud, 'to hunt' game.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

(Qal) to lie in wait

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 1 Samuel 24:11

Range of meaning

To lie in wait or lurk with intent. It is very rare: BDB and HALOT list only Exodus 21:13 and this verse. It is probably related to tsud, 'to hunt' game.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'hunt', BSB 'hunting me down', YLT 'hunting'. All capture the predator image, but none conveys the legal note of premeditation the verb carries in Exodus 21:13.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Exodus 21:13 the man who 'did not lie in wait' (lo tsadah) has killed someone unintentionally and may flee to a place of refuge. Lying in wait is what makes a killing deliberate murder. Hunting imagery for Saul's pursuit comes back in 26:20: 'as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.'

From the study of Zephaniah 3:6

Range of meaning

Laid waste, ruined. Strong's number H6658 covers two look-alike words: one meaning "lie in wait" or "hunt" (Exodus 21:13, 1 Samuel 24:11), and this one, which occurs only here. Standard lexicons such as BDB and HALOT treat them as separate words.

Against the English

All major English versions give some form of "destroyed," "laid waste" or "made desolate." They agree on the sense and differ only in wording.

Used elsewhere in the period

The meaning is supported by related Aramaic words for devastation and by the parallel words in this verse. Very similar sentences occur in Jeremiah: 2:15 and 9:10 (9:9 in Hebrew) use a different verb, nitstsu, with mibbeli ("for lack of") and a word for inhabitant or passer-by. The Septuagint has "failed" or "come to an end" (exelipon), and the Vulgate "made desolate" (desolatae sunt).

Where it appears

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 21:13 צָדָ֔ה he was lying in wait

    If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 24:11 צֹדֶ֥ה [are] lying in wait for

    See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. Know and see that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life.

    Here: A participle, so the action is ongoing: you are even now stalking. This rare verb implies deliberate, planned intent to kill.

Zephaniah · 1

  1. Zephaniah 3:6 נִצְדּ֧וּ they have been laid waste

    “I have cut off the nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have made their streets deserted with no one to pass through. Their cities are laid waste, with no man, no inhabitant.

    Here: "They have been ruined." This sense of the verb appears only here in the Hebrew Bible, so its meaning rests on context and on related Aramaic words. The context makes it clear enough, because it stands parallel to the other words for ruin.

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