שׂוֹךְ (s.vokh)
s.vokh
branch
H:N-M/FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M/F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun soch refers to a branch, bough, or piece of brushwood. With only two occurrences in the Bible, its meaning is tightly bound to specific narrative contexts involving wood and fire.
In Judges 9:48-49, Abimelech uses this term for the dry branches he gathers to set fire to the tower of Shechem. The word highlights the flammable nature of the material, turning a simple piece of wood into an instrument of destruction. A related form, sochah, appears in Judges 15:9, where it describes the brushwood used by the Philistines to bind Samson’s arms.
These rare uses show how everyday materials like branches could become central to biblical drama. The word reminds readers that simple objects often play significant roles in Scripture.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word soch describes a simple branch or piece of dry wood. In Judges 9, these branches are gathered to burn the tower of Shechem. This image shows how ordinary materials can become tools for great destruction when used with ill intent. It reminds us that even small things carry weight in God's story.
Yet Scripture also reveals a deeper truth. Just as wood can burn, it can also be shaped into something useful or beautiful. In our daily lives, we encounter many small opportunities to serve others. A kind word, a helping hand, or a moment of patience—these are like branches in the hands of God. He uses them to build up His kingdom rather than tear it down.
When you feel insignificant, remember that God values the small things. He sees your quiet acts of love and uses them for good. Trust Him with your everyday actions, knowing that He can bring life from even the simplest offerings.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- own branch/ his1×
- a branch of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שׂוֹכֹ֗/ה1×
- שׂוֹכַ֣ת1×
Key Verses
-
Judges 9:48
Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done!”
This verse introduces the act of cutting down a bough, establishing the branch as a tool for violence when wielded by Abimelech.
-
Judges 9:49
All the people likewise each cut down his bough, followed Abimelech, and put them at the base of the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
Here the branches are piled and ignited, showing how ordinary wood becomes the instrument of judgment and death in this narrative.