Hebrew word · H8288

שְׂרוֹךְ

serokh-

thong

Śərôk is the strap or lace that fastened a sandal. It is very rare: only here and in Isa 5:27 ('nor is the thong of their sandals broken', describing an invading army that never breaks stride). Naʿal is the ordinary sandal.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

sandal thong

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 Genesis 14:23

Range of meaning

Śərôk is the strap or lace that fastened a sandal. It is very rare: only here and in Isa 5:27 ('nor is the thong of their sandals broken', describing an invading army that never breaks stride). Naʿal is the ordinary sandal.

Against the English

KJV 'shoelatchet' is accurate but archaic, and modern readers may not recognise it. 'Sandal strap / thong' (BSB, WEB, NASB) is clear.

Used elsewhere in the period

Sandals sometimes carried legal weight in Israel. Removing a sandal confirmed a transfer of rights (Ruth 4:7), and 'a pair of sandals' was proverbial for a pitifully small price (Amos 2:6; 8:6). John the Baptist's 'whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie' (Mark 1:7) shows the strap stood for something lowly.

From the study of Isaiah 5:27

Range of meaning

śərôk: a thong, lace or strap, specifically the tie of a sandal. naʿal: sandal or shoe, usually a leather sole tied to the foot.

Against the English

KJV 'latchet of their shoes' uses an archaic word for the strap; modern versions' 'sandal strap' is clear.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 14:23: Abram refuses 'a thread or a sandal strap', the proverbial smallest possession. John the Baptist's saying about being unworthy to untie the strap of the coming one's sandals (Mark 1:7, Greek himas) reflects the same everyday item.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 14:23 שְׂרֽוֹךְ־ a thong of

    that I will not accept even a thread, or a strap of a sandal, or anything that belongs to you, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’

    Here: The leather lace that tied a sandal on. A rare word (elsewhere only Isa 5:27). Like the thread, it stands for something almost worthless.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 5:27 שְׂר֥וֹךְ a thong of

    None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken.

    Here: The leather lace that tied a sandal on. Proverbially the most trivial item a person owns (Gen 14:23, 'not a thread or a sandal strap').

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