Hebrew word · H8327

שָׁרַשׁ

shoresh

to uproot

The root sh-r-sh comes from shoresh, 'root'. In the form used here it means 'to take root, strike root' (Psalm 80:9; Job 5:3; Jeremiah 12:2), or with an object 'to cause to take root'. In another form it means the opposite, 'to uproot' (Psalm 52:5; Job 31:12).

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to uproot, take root, deal with the roots

1a) (Piel) to root up, root out

1b) (Pual) to be rooted up or out (of produce)

1c) (Poel) to take root

1d) (Poal) to take root

1e) (Hiphil) to take root, cause to take root

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 Isaiah 27:6

Range of meaning

The root sh-r-sh comes from shoresh, 'root'. In the form used here it means 'to take root, strike root' (Psalm 80:9; Job 5:3; Jeremiah 12:2), or with an object 'to cause to take root'. In another form it means the opposite, 'to uproot' (Psalm 52:5; Job 31:12). The supplied gloss 'to uproot' reflects that other form, not this one.

Against the English

Modern versions: 'take root' (intransitive). KJV: 'He shall cause … to take root', which reads the form as causative with God as the unstated subject. The Hebrew allows both readings.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 80:9 describes the vine brought out of Egypt: 'it took root (wattashresh) and filled the land'. That is the same image with the same two verbs, root and fill. Isaiah 37:31 (= 2 Kings 19:30): the surviving remnant of Judah 'will again take root downward and bear fruit upward'. Hosea 14:5–6: Israel 'will blossom like the lily and strike his roots like Lebanon'.

From the study of Psalm 52:5

Range of meaning

šāraš is formed from šōreš 'root'. In the Piel stem it means 'to uproot', pull out by the roots (Job 31:12; Ps 52:5). nāsaḥ means to tear away or pull out, used for removing people from the land (Deut 28:63; Prov 2:22) and tearing down a house (Prov 15:25).

Against the English

'Root thee out' (KJV) and 'uproot you' (BSB, ESV) carry šāraš well. 'Pluck thee out' and 'tear you away' carry nāsaḥ.

Used elsewhere in the period

Uprooting was a standard curse in the ancient Near East. The sarcophagus inscription of Eshmunazar II of Sidon (5th century BC) curses tomb violators: 'may they have no root below or fruit above, nor beauty among the living under the sun'. Amos 2:9 ('I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below') and Job 18:16–19 (roots dry up, no offspring, memory perishes) use the same idea. 'Root' covers a person's line and future, not only his own life.

From the study of Jeremiah 12:2

Range of meaning

A verb made from the noun shoresh, 'root'. Depending on the verb form it means either 'to uproot, root out' (Ps 52:5; Job 31:12) or 'to take root, be rooted' (Isa 40:24; Jer 12:2).

Against the English

English versions agree on 'taken root'. The supplied lexical gloss 'to uproot' fits the other form of the verb, not this one.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 40:24 uses the related form of rulers who have scarcely 'taken root' before God blows on them. Job 5:3 has the fool 'taking root' before sudden ruin. That is the same theme: the wicked's rootedness looks secure but is not meant to last.

Similar words

Where it appears

Job · 3

  1. Job 5:3 מַשְׁרִ֑ישׁ taking root

    I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.

    Here: "Putting down roots", shown as a process under way while Eliphaz watched. The picture is a man becoming established and secure, with growing wealth, family and standing.

  2. Job 31:8 יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ׃ let them be rooted up

    then may another eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.

  3. Job 31:12 תְשָׁרֵֽשׁ׃ it will root up

    For it is a fire that burns down to Abaddon; it would root out my entire harvest.

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 52:5 וְשֵֽׁרֶשְׁךָ֨ and he will root up you

    Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

    Here: Built from the noun 'root'. In this stem it means 'to de-root', to pull a plant out roots and all. It sets up the contrast with the speaker in v. 8, a green olive tree in God's house.

  2. Psalm 80:9 וַתַּשְׁרֵ֥שׁ and it took root

    You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 27:6 יַשְׁרֵ֣שׁ it will take root

    In the days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with fruit.

    Here: This verb form means 'to put down roots' (Psalm 80:9; Job 5:3). The supplied gloss 'uproot' belongs to a different form of the same root. The picture is a plant settling firmly into soil: Jacob, once uprooted and scattered, becomes rooted and stable. The form can also mean 'he will cause to take root', with God as the one doing it, which is how the KJV reads it.

  2. Isaiah 40:24 שֹׁרֵ֥שׁ it has taken root

    No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.

    Here: 'Has taken root.' In this verb form the word means 'put down roots', not 'uproot'. The stump has barely got a grip in the soil.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 12:2 שֹׁרָ֔שׁוּ they have taken root

    You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.

    Here: 'They have been rooted / have taken root.' The verb comes from the noun 'root'. In one form it means 'uproot', but in this rare passive form it means 'be firmly rooted'. The wicked are settled and stable, not about to fall.

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