שִׁטִּים (shit.tim)
shit.tim
Shittim
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The noun shitim refers to a specific location east of the Jordan River, named for the abundant acacia trees that grew there. In the biblical narrative, this site served as Israel’s final encampment before entering the Promised Land. The name itself simply means "the acacias," grounding the place in its natural landscape rather than any royal or military significance.
Scripture records the people staying here after defeating the kingdoms of Sihon and Og, yet before Joshua led them across the Jordan at Jericho (Numbers 22:1; Joshua 4:19). It is also mentioned later in Micah 6:5 as a historical marker for God’s faithfulness. The site appears under the fuller name Abel-shittim in some passages, emphasizing its identity within the broader geography of the region.
Though it occurs only four times, Shittim holds weight as a threshold place. It marks the end of wilderness wandering and the beginning of conquest. Its mention reminds readers that transition often happens in ordinary places, defined not by grand events but by the trees that shade them.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Shittim marks a quiet but vital threshold in the biblical story. It was Israel’s last camp before crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land, named for the abundant acacia trees that shaded its tents. This ordinary place held extraordinary weight: it stood between forty years of wandering and the beginning of conquest. The name itself grounds the narrative in the natural world—acacias, not palaces or fortresses.
Yet Shittim is also a place of warning and reflection. In Numbers 25, the people fell into sin here, showing how transition can bring vulnerability. Later, Micah recalls it as a marker of God’s faithfulness through trials. The site reminds us that life’s most significant shifts often happen in unremarkable settings. We move forward not because places are holy by nature, but because God meets us where we are.
For your own journey, this word invites patience and awareness. Change rarely arrives with fanfare; it comes in moments of waiting, preparation, and decision. Shittim teaches that faithfulness matters most at the edge of what is known. Whether you face a new season or a long wait, remember that God accompanies you through ordinary places too.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- <the>/ Shittim2×
- in <the>/ Shittim1×
- from/ <the>/ Shittim1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מֵֽ/הַ/שִּׁטִּ֗ים1×
- הַ/שִּׁטִּים֙1×
- הַ/שִּׁטִּ֞ים1×
- בַּ/שִּׁטִּ֑ים1×
Key Verses
-
Numbers 25:1
Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab;
This verse shows Shittim as a place of spiritual vulnerability right before entering the land, highlighting how proximity to blessing does not guarantee protection from sin.
-
Joshua 3:1
Joshua got up early in the morning; and they moved from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel. They camped there before they crossed over.
Here, leaving Shittim signals the end of wilderness wandering and the start of obedience as Israel prepares to cross the Jordan under God’s direction.
-
Micah 6:5
My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh.”
Micah uses Shittim as a historical anchor to remind Israel of God’s past faithfulness, showing how memory of divine acts sustains trust in present trials.