סָתַם (sa.tam)
sa.tam
to close; to stopper
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 11 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb satham means to block, seal, or close something off. It describes the physical act of stopping a flow, such as filling in a breach in a wall or clogging a spring of water. In 2 Chronicles 32:5, King Hezekiah uses this action to secure Jerusalem by stopping the water sources outside the city walls, denying them to an approaching enemy. The word carries a sense of finality and protection through obstruction.
Its meaning extends beyond simple construction work to include shutting out access or communication. In Lamentations 3:8, the psalmist describes God as having "shut up" his prayers, using the verb to convey a feeling of being blocked from divine response. This usage highlights a relational dimension where the act of closing creates distance or silence.
The term appears most frequently in historical and prophetic books like Kings and Chronicles, often relating to military preparations or divine judgment. It can also function as an adjective meaning "secret" when describing hidden things that have been sealed away from view. Translators typically render it as "stop up," "shut," or "close," depending on whether the context involves physical barriers or spiritual withholding.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word satham describes the act of closing or blocking something off. In ancient Israel, this often meant stopping a spring or sealing a well to protect resources from enemies. King Hezekiah used this strategy in Jerusalem, securing his people by controlling access to water during a siege (2 Chronicles 32:4). This physical action shows how God uses practical wisdom and protection for His people.
Yet the word also carries a heavy emotional weight. In Lamentations, the psalmist cries out that God has 'shut up' his prayers. This reflects the painful experience of feeling distant from God when life is hard. It reminds us that even in silence, our cries are recorded and known to Him.
Finally, Daniel receives a command to seal a vision for the future (Daniel 12:9). This suggests that some things are hidden until God’s appointed time. We do not need to understand every detail now. Instead, we can trust that God is working behind the scenes, closing doors and opening others according to His perfect plan.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 11 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- keep secret2×
- you will stop up1×
- to/ stop up1×
- they stopped up/ them1×
- they stopped up1×
- he stopped up1×
- he has shut out1×
- and/ they stopped up1×
- and/ they had stopped up/ them1×
- [are] kept secret1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תִּסְתֹּ֑מוּ1×
- שָׂתַ֖ם1×
- סָתַם֙1×
- סִתְּמ֣וּ/ם1×
- סְתֻמִ֧ים1×
- סְתֹ֧ם1×
- סְתֹ֣ם1×
- לִ/סְתּוֹם֙1×
- יִסְתֹּ֙מוּ֙1×
- וַֽ/יִּסְתְּמוּ֙1×
- וַ/יְסַתְּמ֣וּ/ם1×
Key Verses
-
II Chronicles 32:4
Then many people gathered together and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the middle of the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find abundant water?”
This verse shows Hezekiah using the word practically to secure Jerusalem by stopping water sources from reaching the Assyrian army.
-
Lamentations 3:8
Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
Here the verb describes the painful spiritual reality of feeling blocked from God's response during deep suffering.
-
Daniel 12:9
He said, “Go your way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.
The command to 'seal' the vision indicates that certain prophetic truths are hidden until their appointed time arrives.