Lexical Summary
tsiyts: Blossom, flower, plate, diadem
Original Word:צִיץ
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:tsiyts
Pronunciation:tseets
Phonetic Spelling:(tseets)
KJV: blossom, flower, plate, wing
Word Origin:[fromH6692 (צּוּץ - To blossom)]
1. (properly) glistening, i.e. a burnished plate
2. also a flower (as bright-colored)
3. a wing (as gleaming in the air)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
blossom, flower, plate, wing
Or tsits {tseets}; fromtsuwts; properly, glistening, i.e. A burnished plate; also a flower (as bright-colored); a wing (as gleaming in the air) -- blossom, flower, plate, wing.
see HEBREWtsuwts
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I.
Isaiah 28:1 ; — absoluteIsaiah 42:7 +, constructIsaiah 42:6 +; plural1 Kings 6:18 3t. 6 (on form see Köii. l, 60); —
blossom, flower,Numbers 17:23 (P; of Aaron's rod); (figurative of manIsaiah 40:7,8 (both ; "" ), compare simileIsaiah 40:6 (""id.),Psalm 103:15, and aloneJob 14:2;Isaiah 28:1 (figurative of Samaria), so probably alsoIsaiah 28:4 (for ; so Marti); , as ornaments of temple1 Kings 6:18,29,32,35.
shining thing, plate of gold, constituting the diadem on front of high priest's mitre,Leviticus 8:9;Exodus 28:36;Exodus 39:30 (all P). — I, III. , see below
II. meaning dubious; only inJeremiah 48:9 usually (after AW Ra Ki and others)wings (collective) (compare Aramaicwing, fin, Thes Gf and others); Aramaicwing dubious Levy322b; Aramaic very rare; but note Late Hebrewfilament, small hair. compare PerlesAnal.46, who reads (wing-)feathers (as in Aramaic); , whence Giesign-post, reading , — or , — (indicating flight).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewצִיץ (Strong’s 6731) gathers two complementary pictures into a single word: the splendor of a flower in full bloom and the gleam of a polished plate that crowns the high priest. Across its fifteen occurrences Scripture weaves a theology of holiness, beauty, divine election, and human frailty. The same term that marks the high priest as “HOLY TO THE LORD” (Exodus 28:36) also describes the fragile blossom that fades beneath the hot wind (Isaiah 40:6-8). Together these uses testify that true glory is found in the LORD alone—His word, His sanctuary, and His saving purposes.
Priestly Crown of Holiness (Exodus 28:36; 39:30;Leviticus 8:9)
The first biblical appearances of צִיץ refer to the thin, shining plate of pure gold fastened to Aaron’s turban:
“You are also to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it like an inscription on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD.” (Exodus 28:36)
This diadem visibly separated the high priest unto God, resting over the forehead that bore Israel’s guilt (Exodus 28:38). Because the plate shared its name with a flower, the priestly crown suggested living beauty and purity rather than cold regalia. When Moses inaugurated Aaron, he “placed the turban on his head and set the gold plate, the holy diadem, at the front” (Leviticus 8:9). Later Christian reflection finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, whose holiness is intrinsic rather than symbolic and who now bears “many crowns” (Revelation 19:12).
Sign of Divine Election: Aaron’s Blossoming Staff (Numbers 17:8)
“The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff … had budded, blossomed, and produced almonds.” (Numbers 17:8)
Here צִיץ describes the miraculous bloom that vindicated Aaron’s priesthood. The dead staff coming to life declared that God chooses and animates His servants.Hebrews 9:4 preserves the staff in the Ark’s contents, connecting the symbol to the enduring covenant promises.
Artistic Motifs in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 6:18, 6:29, 6:32, 6:35)
Throughout the temple interior craftsmen “carved gourds and open flowers” (1 Kings 6:18). The recurring floral motif (צִיץ) adorned cedar walls, olive-wood doors, and even overlaying gold. The blossoms testified that the house of the LORD was a garden sanctuary, echoing Eden and anticipating the restored creation where “the desert shall blossom abundantly” (Isaiah 35:2).
Poetic Portraits of Human Transience (Job 14:2;Psalm 103:15)
“He springs up like a flower and withers; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.” (Job 14:2)
“As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field.” (Psalm 103:15)
Job and the psalmist use צִיץ to underscore life’s brevity. The blossom’s brief beauty calls readers to humility and to treasure the steadfast love that “is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:17).
Prophetic Warnings and Everlasting Assurance (Isaiah 28:1; 40:6-8;Jeremiah 48:9)
Isaiah rebukes Ephraim’s pride: “the fading flower of his glorious beauty” (Isaiah 28:1). A generation later he contrasts withering flowers to the permanence of revelation: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8).Jeremiah 48:9 (textually difficult yet including צִיץ) urges Moab to flee impending devastation, reminding that earthly splendor cannot withstand divine judgment.
Theological Themes
1. Holiness and mediation: The golden צִיץ links priestly ministry to God’s holiness and foreshadows Christ’s perfect intercession.
2. Life out of death: The blooming staff demonstrates resurrection power, prefiguring Christ’s victory over the grave.
3. Beauty in worship: Temple blossoms affirm that artistry can glorify God when anchored in covenant truth.
4. Human frailty versus divine permanence: Repeated floral imagery humbles the proud and fixes hope on the unchanging word.
Practical Ministry Insights
• Worship leaders may draw from the priestly plate to speak of wholehearted consecration; the inscription “HOLY TO THE LORD” rightly governs all service.
• Teachers can contrast the swift fading of blossoms with the durability of Scripture, urging hearers to invest in what endures.
• Pastoral care finds encouragement in Aaron’s rod: the LORD can bring fragrant life where ministry once felt barren.
• Artists and builders, following Solomon’s example, may embed beauty in sacred spaces as a silent testimony to the Creator’s glory.
Thus צִיץ invites every generation to behold the Lord’s holiness, welcome His life-giving power, and heed His enduring word.
Forms and Transliterations
וְצִ֥יץ וציץ כְּצִ֣יץ כְּצִ֥יץ כציץ צִ֑יץ צִ֔יץ צִ֣יץ צִ֤יץ צִ֥יץ צִּ֖יץ צִצִּ֑ים צִצִּ֖ים ציץ צצים kə·ṣîṣ kəṣîṣ keTzitz ṣîṣ ṣiṣ·ṣîm ṣiṣṣîm tzitz tzitzTzim veTzitz wə·ṣîṣ wəṣîṣ
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