סְאָה (se.ah)
se.ah
seah
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun se’ah functions as a standard unit of dry measurement in the Hebrew Bible, specifically designed for weighing flour or grain. Lexical sources indicate it likely represented one-third of an ephah, providing a practical metric for daily provisions and temple offerings rather than abstract quantities.
This term appears six times across the Old Testament, with significant usage in the historical books of Samuel and Kings. It surfaces in narratives describing the logistics of royal households and religious rites, grounding the text in the tangible realities of ancient Israelite agriculture and administration.
Understanding se’ah helps modern readers visualize the scale of resources mentioned in these accounts. By recognizing it as a specific volume of staple food, the biblical descriptions of feasts, tithes, or temple supplies become more concrete, reflecting the economic and social structures of the time.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word seah refers to a specific unit of dry measure used in ancient Israel for grain and flour. It likely represented about one-third of an ephah, serving as a practical standard for daily provisions and temple offerings. This term appears six times in the Old Testament, primarily within the historical books of Samuel and Kings.
These references ground biblical narratives in tangible economic realities. For instance, Abraham’s hospitality involved preparing three seahs of fine meal (Genesis 18:6), while Abigail brought five seahs of parched grain to David (1 Samuel 25:18). In prophetic contexts, the price of a single seah of flour signaled either impending famine or miraculous provision (2 Kings 7:1).
Understanding this measurement helps us visualize the scale of resources in these accounts. It reminds us that God’s people lived with concrete needs for food and shelter, and that divine promises often addressed these everyday concerns directly.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- two seahs2×
- and/ two seahs2×
- a seah of2×
- seahs of1×
- seahs1×
- and/ a seah of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- סְאִים֙2×
- וְ/סָאתַ֧יִם2×
- סָאתַ֨יִם1×
- סָאתַ֣יִם1×
- סְאָה\־1×
- סְאָֽה\־1×
- וּֽ/סְאָה\־1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 18:6
Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly prepare three seahs of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.”
This verse shows the seah as a standard unit for hospitality, where Abraham orders three seahs of fine meal to feed his guests.
-
I Samuel 25:18
Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five seahs of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
Abigail’s gift includes five seahs of parched grain, illustrating the use of this measure for substantial provisions during times of conflict.
-
II Kings 7:1
Elisha said, “Hear Yahweh’s word. Yahweh says, ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’”
Elisha prophesies that a single seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, highlighting the measure’s role in expressing economic scarcity and divine intervention.