סֹךְ (sokh)
sokh
lair
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun sokh refers to a dense thicket, a hidden cover, or an animal’s lair. It describes a place of concealment where creatures can hide from view or seek protection. In the biblical text, this word often evokes imagery of wild spaces rather than cultivated land.
Its usage is limited but vivid, appearing in only three verses. In Jeremiah 49:22, it helps describe Edom’s pride by comparing the nation to an eagle nesting in a high cliff among thicket-like rocks. Similarly, Psalm 74:19 mentions the lives of the poor and needy being handed over to wild beasts in these dense thickets, highlighting vulnerability amidst chaotic danger.
The word carries a sense of natural obscurity. It is not a man-made structure but a wild growth or rocky crevice that provides shelter. Translators often render it as "lair" or "covert," emphasizing its role as a hiding place for animals or a symbol of hidden, untamed power.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word sokh paints a picture of wild, untamed spaces—dense thickets or rocky crevices where animals seek protection from view. It is not a place of human order but of natural obscurity, offering shelter in chaotic environments. This imagery reminds us that some aspects of life remain hidden and unpredictable, beyond our control or understanding.
In Psalm 74:19, the psalmist uses this concept to describe the vulnerability of the needy, who are handed over to wild beasts in these dense coverings. Yet, even in such places of danger, God’s presence is not absent. The same word appears in Jeremiah 25:38, where God leaves his covert like a lion, showing that divine power can be both hidden and overwhelming.
For your faith, this word invites trust in times when you feel exposed or overwhelmed. Just as creatures find refuge in the thicket, you are invited to rest in the security of God’s care, even when circumstances seem wild or uncertain. His protection is not always visible, but it is real.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- lair/ his1×
- in/ refuge/ his1×
- in/ lair/ its1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- סֻכּ֑/וֹ1×
- בְּ/סֻכֹּ/ה֮1×
- בְ/סֻכֹּ֗/ה1×
Key Verses
-
Psalms 10:9
He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless when he draws him in his net.
This verse uses the concept of a hidden ambush to illustrate how the wicked lurk like a lion in its lair, preying on the helpless.
-
Psalms 27:5
For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me. He will lift me up on a rock.
Here, the idea of being hidden in a secret place contrasts with the danger of wild thickets, showing God as a safe refuge rather than a place of fear.
-
Jeremiah 25:38
He has left his covert, as the lion; for their land has become an astonishment because of the fierceness of the oppression, and because of his fierce anger.
The prophet describes God leaving his covert like a lion, emphasizing that divine judgment can emerge suddenly from hidden places.