Hebrew word · H7848

שִׁטָּה

shitah

acacia

The acacia tree (probably Acacia raddiana / tortilis and related species), common in Sinai, the Negev and the Jordan rift. Its wood is dense, hard and resistant to rot and insects. The name is probably related to Egyptian šndt, 'acacia'.

Appears 28 times in 28 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

acacia tree, acacia wood

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 Exodus 26:15

Range of meaning

The acacia tree (probably Acacia raddiana / tortilis and related species), common in Sinai, the Negev and the Jordan rift. Its wood is dense, hard and resistant to rot and insects. The name is probably related to Egyptian šndt, 'acacia'.

Against the English

KJV and YLT do not translate the word and give 'shittim wood'. Modern readers find that opaque, and some mistake it for a crude word. Modern versions correctly say 'acacia'.

How it drifted

The KJV transliterated the Hebrew plural instead of identifying the tree, so the word turned into a strange proper name.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acacia is used for the ark (25:10), table (25:23), altars (27:1; 30:1), poles and pillars. The place name Shittim, 'the acacias' (Num 25:1; Josh 2:1), shows the tree was common in the region. Egyptians valued acacia for boats and furniture. The Septuagint renders it ξύλα ἄσηπτα, 'wood that does not rot'.

From the study of Exodus 30:1

Range of meaning

The acacia tree (most likely Acacia raddiana or A. tortilis), which grows in the dry wadis of Sinai, the Negev and the Jordan Rift. The wood is hard, dense and resists insects and rot. The plural shittim means acacias or acacia wood. Shittim is also a place-name in Moab, 'Acacia Grove' (Num 25:1; Josh 2:1).

Against the English

The KJV's 'shittim wood' leaves the Hebrew plural untranslated. It reads like a foreign proper name, and some modern readers find it odd-sounding or take it as a place. Modern versions correctly say 'acacia wood'.

How it drifted

The KJV kept the Hebrew word, as earlier English Bibles did, perhaps because translators were unsure which tree it was. English speech has since given the word unfortunate associations, so today it confuses readers rather than informing them.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used for every wooden item in the tabernacle: the ark (25:10), the table (25:23), the poles, the frames (26:15) and the bronze altar (27:1). The Septuagint calls it ξύλα ἄσηπτα, 'wood that does not rot', which explains the wood instead of naming the tree. Egyptian carpenters also used acacia.

Where it appears

Exodus · 26

  1. Exodus 25:5 שִׁטִּֽים׃ acacia

    ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood;

  2. Exodus 25:10 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    And they are to construct an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.

  3. Exodus 25:13 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    And make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

  4. Exodus 25:23 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    You are also to make a table of acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high.

  5. Exodus 25:28 שִׁטִּ֔ים acacia

    Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them.

  6. Exodus 26:15 שִׁטִּ֖ים acacia

    You are to construct upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle.

    Here: Acacia, the hard, long-lasting desert tree of Sinai and the Arabah. This is the same wood used for the ark, the table and the altars, so the building material ties the whole sanctuary together.

  7. Exodus 26:26 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    You are also to make five crossbars of acacia wood for the frames on one side of the tabernacle,

  8. Exodus 26:32 שִׁטִּ֔ים acacia

    Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.

  9. Exodus 26:37 שִׁטִּ֔ים acacia

    Make five posts of acacia wood for the curtain, overlay them with gold, use hooks of gold, and cast five bronze bases for them.

    Here: Acacia wood: hard, dense and resistant to insects. It is the tree that grows in the Sinai and Arabah deserts, and it is the standard timber used for every wooden part of the tabernacle.

  10. Exodus 27:1 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    “You are to build an altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high.

  11. Exodus 27:6 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    Additionally, make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.

  12. Exodus 30:1 שִׁטִּ֖ים acacia

    “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.

    Here: The plural of shittah, the acacia tree of the Sinai and the Arabah. This is the same hard desert timber used for the ark, the table, the tabernacle frames and the bronze altar, so it marks the object as part of the same set of sanctuary furniture.

  13. Exodus 30:5 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

  14. Exodus 35:7 שִׂטִּֽים׃ acacia

    ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood;

  15. Exodus 35:24 שִׁטִּ֛ים acacia

    And all who could present an offering of silver or bronze brought it as a contribution to the LORD. Also, everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the service brought it.

  16. Exodus 36:20 שִׁטִּ֖ים acacia

    Next, he constructed upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle.

  17. Exodus 36:31 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    He also made five crossbars of acacia wood for the frames on one side of the tabernacle,

  18. Exodus 36:36 שִׁטִּ֔ים acacia

    He also made four posts of acacia wood for it and overlaid them with gold, along with gold hooks; and he cast four silver bases for the posts.

  19. Exodus 37:1 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    Bezalel went on to construct the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.

  20. Exodus 37:4 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

  21. Exodus 37:10 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    He also made the table of acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high.

  22. Exodus 37:15 שִׁטִּ֔ים acacia

    He made the poles of acacia wood for carrying the table and overlaid them with gold.

  23. Exodus 37:25 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    He made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns were of one piece.

  24. Exodus 37:28 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

  25. Exodus 38:1 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high.

  26. Exodus 38:6 שִׁטִּ֑ים acacia

    And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 10:3 שִׁטִּ֔ים acacia

    So I made an ark of acacia wood, chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 41:19 שִׁטָּ֔ה acacia tree[s]

    I will plant cedars in the wilderness, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees. I will set cypresses in the desert, elms and boxwood together,

    Here: The acacia, a thorny tree of desert wadis (dry stream beds). It is the one tree on the list that really does grow in the wilderness, and its wood was used to build the tabernacle, the tent-shrine Israel carried in the desert.

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