שַׁ֫יִת (sha.yit)
sha.yit
thornbush
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew word sha.yit refers to thornbushes, specifically describing a collective mass of prickly vegetation rather than a single plant. It appears only six times in the Old Testament, with the majority of occurrences found in the book of Isaiah. The term evokes images of wild, untamed growth that characterizes neglected land.
In its biblical context, sha.yit serves as a powerful symbol of desolation and judgment. When prophets describe thornbushes overtaking a field or city, they are illustrating the consequences of abandonment and divine discipline. This imagery contrasts sharply with cultivated gardens, highlighting how quickly order gives way to chaos when left unchecked.
Translators typically render sha.yit as "thornbushes" or "thorns," capturing its sense of harshness and obstruction. The word’s limited usage underscores its specific role in prophetic literature, where it helps paint vivid pictures of spiritual barrenness and the need for restoration.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word sha.yit describes a dense mass of thornbushes that overtake neglected land. In the ancient world, this was a visible sign of abandonment. When fields were left untended, wild growth quickly replaced cultivated crops. The prophets used this image to show how spiritual neglect leads to chaos. It reminds us that order requires care and attention.
For your faith, this imagery highlights the importance of tending to your heart. Just as a garden needs pruning and weeding, your relationship with God benefits from regular cultivation. Isaiah 5:6 shows what happens when we stop caring for our spiritual ground. The thorns do not appear overnight; they grow because no one tends the soil.
Yet there is hope in this picture. Isaiah 10:17 speaks of a fire that consumes these thorns. This suggests that God can clear away the obstacles that block His light. Instead of leaving you in desolation, He offers restoration. You are invited to let Him tend your heart, removing what hinders growth and making room for peace.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ bush[es]3×
- bush[es]/ his1×
- bush[es]1×
- and/ <into> the>/ bush[es]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וָ/שָׁ֑יִת2×
- שַׁ֙יִת֙1×
- שִׁית֥/וֹ1×
- וָ/שַׁ֖יִת1×
- וְ/לַ/שַּׁ֖יִת1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 5:6
I will lay it a wasteland. It won’t be pruned or hoed, but it will grow briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.”
This verse establishes the cause-and-effect relationship between neglect and the overgrowth of thorns, showing that spiritual barrenness results from a lack of divine and human care.
-
Isaiah 7:23
It will happen in that day that every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, will be for briers and thorns.
Here, the transformation of valuable vineyards into thornbushes illustrates the sudden and total loss of prosperity when God withdraws His protection due to unfaithfulness.
-
Isaiah 10:17
The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.
This occurrence shifts the imagery from judgment to purification, depicting God’s light as a fire that consumes the thorns rather than leaving them to choke out life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does sha.yit mean in the Bible?
Why do prophets use thorns as a symbol?
Is there hope in these thorn verses?
Every Occurrence (6 verses across 1 books)
Isaiah 6 verses
I will lay it a wasteland. It won’t be pruned or hoed, but it will grow briers and thorns. I will also command the…
Isaiah 7:23It will happen in that day that every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, will be…
Isaiah 7:24People will go there with arrows and with bow, because all the land will be briers and thorns.
Isaiah 7:25All the hills that were cultivated with the hoe, you shall not come there for fear of briers and thorns; but it shall…
Isaiah 10:17The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his…
Isaiah 27:4Wrath is not in me, but if I should find briers and thorns, I would do battle! I would march on them and I would burn…