Hebrew word · H8320

שָׂרֹק

serukim

sorrel

A colour term of uncertain shade, probably reddish-tawny, light chestnut or sorrel. It is likely related to soreq/soreqah, a choice vine probably named for its reddish grapes (Gen 49:11; Isa 5:2; Jer 2:21).

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

sorrel, reddish, tawny, bay

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 Zechariah 1:8

Range of meaning

A colour term of uncertain shade, probably reddish-tawny, light chestnut or sorrel. It is likely related to soreq/soreqah, a choice vine probably named for its reddish grapes (Gen 49:11; Isa 5:2; Jer 2:21).

Against the English

Sorrel (BSB, ESV, NASB), bay (YLT), brown (WEB, NIV, NLT), speckled (KJV). 'Speckled' describes a pattern, not a hue, and probably comes from Greek and Latin renderings ('dappled', 'varied').

How it drifted

Ancient translators did not know the word. The Septuagint split the colours into 'dappled grey and piebald', and the Vulgate has 'varii' ('varied/mottled'). The KJV's 'speckled' comes from that line of translation.

Used elsewhere in the period

Found only here as a horse colour. Zechariah 6:2–3 uses a different set of colours: red, black, white, and 'spotted/dappled' (beruddim).

Where it appears

Zechariah · 1

  1. Zechariah 1:8 שְׂרֻקִּ֖ים sorrel

    I looked out into the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the hollow, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.

    Here: A rare colour word, found only here as a horse colour. It is probably a reddish-tawny or light-brown shade, likely related to soreq, a choice red-grape vine (Isa 5:2; Jer 2:21). The exact shade is uncertain, which is why translations vary: sorrel, bay, brown, speckled.

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