שִׁיחוֹר (shi.chor)
shi.chor
Shihor
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The proper noun shiḥor refers to a specific waterway on Egypt’s eastern border, identified by scholars as either the Pelusiac branch of the Nile or an associated canal. Its name literally means "dark," a fitting descriptor for the silt-heavy waters that distinguish this river from clearer streams.
Though it appears only four times in the Hebrew Bible, its location carries significant geopolitical weight. In Joshua 13:3, it marks the southern boundary of the land promised to Israel, while Isaiah 23:3 and Jeremiah 2:18 use it as a symbol of Egypt’s power and reliance on foreign alliances. The text treats this body of water as synonymous with the Nile itself, using "dark river" to evoke the nation’s source of strength.
Translators typically render shiḥor as "the Nile" or "the River," prioritizing geographic clarity over literal translation. This choice helps readers understand that the biblical authors viewed this dark, life-giving water as central to Egypt’s identity and security, contrasting it with the living God who provides true sustenance.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word shiḥor refers to a specific waterway on Egypt’s eastern border, often identified with the Pelusiac branch of the Nile or an associated canal. Its name literally means "dark," describing the silt-heavy waters that distinguish this river from clearer streams. Though it appears only four times in the Hebrew Bible, its location carries significant geopolitical weight. In Joshua 13:3, it marks the southern boundary of the land promised to Israel.
Isaiah and Jeremiah use shiḥor as a symbol of Egypt’s power and reliance on foreign alliances. The text treats this body of water as synonymous with the Nile itself, using "dark river" to evoke the nation’s source of strength. Translators typically render shiḥor as "the Nile" or "the River," prioritizing geographic clarity over literal translation.
This choice helps readers understand that the biblical authors viewed this dark, life-giving water as central to Egypt’s identity and security, contrasting it with the living God who provides true sustenance. When we look at our own sources of security, we might find ourselves drawn to the "dark waters" of worldly power or alliances. Yet the prophets remind us that these are fleeting. True life comes from trusting in the One who is constant and faithful.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Shihor2×
- the/ Shihor1×
- [the] Shihor1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שִׁיח֥וֹר1×
- שִׁחֹ֔ר1×
- שִׁח֑וֹר1×
- הַ/שִּׁיח֞וֹר1×
Key Verses
-
Joshua 13:3
from the Shihor, which is before Egypt, even to the border of Ekron northward, which is counted as Canaanite; the five lords of the Philistines; the Gazites, and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avvim,
This verse establishes shiḥor as the southern boundary of the Promised Land, marking the limit of Israel's inheritance.
-
Isaiah 23:3
On great waters, the seed of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue. She was the market of nations.
Here, the "seed of the Shihor" represents Egypt's agricultural wealth and economic power, which will soon be judged.
-
Jeremiah 2:18
Now what do you gain by going to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Shihor? Or why do you go on the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?
The prophet uses drinking from the Shihor as a metaphor for Israel's foolish reliance on Egypt instead of God.