שִׁקֵּץ (sha.qats)
sha.qats
to detest
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb shaqats means to regard something as morally repulsive or ceremonially unclean. In the Old Testament, it appears primarily in Leviticus and Deuteruteronomy to describe God’s rejection of idolatrous practices and forbidden foods. The word carries a strong sense of disgust, implying that the object is not just disliked but actively loathed.
This term often describes actions or items that defile the community or violate covenant boundaries. For instance, it is used when condemning the detestable customs of surrounding nations (Deuteronomy 7:25-26) and listing unclean animals in Leviticus 11. The sources note its frequent use in contexts where ritual purity intersects with moral obedience.
Translators typically render shaqats as "detest," "abhor," or "abomination." Its root sense involves a visceral rejection of what is considered filthy or wrong. This word underscores the seriousness with which Israel was to separate itself from practices that compromised its relationship with God.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word shaqats describes a deep, visceral rejection of what is morally or ceremonially wrong. In the Old Testament, God used this strong language to help Israel understand the seriousness of holiness. It was not enough to simply avoid bad things; they were called to actively detest practices that defiled their community and violated their covenant with Him.
For your faith today, this reminds us that God cares about the condition of our hearts and actions. While we are not under the ceremonial food laws, the principle remains: we are called to reject what harms our relationship with God and others. This word invites us to examine our lives with honesty, seeking purity not out of fear, but out of love for a holy God.
When we encounter sin or injustice, shaqats encourages a clear stance. It is not about judgmentalism toward people, but a firm rejection of what destroys life and truth. This clarity helps us walk in freedom, keeping our hearts aligned with God’s character and His desire for our well-being.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- you will consider detestable2×
- you will make detestable1×
- you will detest/ it1×
- you make detestable1×
- utterly <detest>1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תְּשַׁקֵּֽצוּ\׃1×
- תְּשַׁקְּצוּ֙1×
- תְּשַׁקְּצֶ֛/נּוּ1×
- תְּשַׁקְּצ֣וּ1×
- תְשַׁקְּצ֨וּ1×
- שַׁקֵּ֧ץ\׀1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 11:43
You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps. You shall not make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled by them.
This verse uses shaqats to warn against making oneself abominable through contact with creeping things, linking ritual purity directly to personal holiness.
-
Deuteronomy 7:26
You shall not bring an abomination into your house and become a devoted thing like it. You shall utterly detest it. You shall utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.
Here the command to utterly detest an idolatrous object shows that God requires a complete rejection of anything that competes for His place in our lives.
-
Leviticus 11:13
“‘You shall detest these among the birds; they shall not be eaten because they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture,
The list of birds deemed abominable illustrates how shaqats marks specific items as outside the bounds of what God has declared good and clean for His people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does shaqats mean in the Bible?
Why does the Bible use such strong language like 'detest'?
Is shaqats only about food laws?
Every Occurrence (5 verses across 2 books)
Leviticus 4 verses
and you shall detest them. You shall not eat of their meat, and you shall detest their carcasses.
Leviticus 11:13“‘You shall detest these among the birds; they shall not be eaten because they are an abomination: the eagle, the…
Leviticus 11:43You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps. You shall not make yourselves unclean…
Leviticus 20:25“‘You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the…