סְתַר (se.tar)
se.tar
to hide; to destroy
A:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:V
Word Overview
The Aramaic verb setar carries two distinct meanings depending on its grammatical form, appearing only twice in the Bible within Ezra and Daniel. In the Pael stem, it means to hide or remove something from sight. This usage appears in Daniel 2:22, where God is described as revealing mysteries that others cannot see, effectively hiding them from human perception until He chooses to disclose them.
Conversely, in the simple Peal stem, the word shifts to mean destruction or ruin. Ezra 5:12 uses this form when recounting how the ancestors destroyed the temple. This dual nature highlights a stark contrast between concealment and demolition, showing how the same root can describe both the guarding of divine secrets and the physical dismantling of human structures.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When we face uncertainty, it can feel as though our circumstances are crumbling around us, much like the temple described in Ezra. Yet this Hebrew word reminds us that even when structures fall away, God’s perspective remains steady and secure. He does not leave us in the dark about what matters most.
In Daniel, we see that God hides deep secrets from human eyes until the right moment. This is not a sign of indifference but of careful timing. What feels like confusion or loss to us may simply be part of a larger plan unfolding under His watchful care. We can trust that He knows what lies in the darkness and brings it into light when we are ready.
This word invites us to rest in the knowledge that nothing is truly lost from God’s view. Whether we are experiencing destruction or waiting for revelation, He holds both our present reality and future hope in His hands.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- he destroyed/ it1×
- and/ <the>/ hidden [things]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- סַתְרֵ֔/הּ1×
- וּ/מְסַתְּרָתָ֑/א1×
Key Verses
-
Daniel 2:22
He reveals the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
This verse highlights God's power to conceal mysteries from human understanding while simultaneously revealing them to those He chooses, showing His sovereignty over knowledge and time.
-
Ezra 5:12
But after our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people away into Babylon.
Here the word describes the physical destruction of the temple, illustrating how human rebellion can lead to the dismantling of sacred spaces, yet God's ultimate purposes remain intact.