Lexical Summary
shichah: Meditation, contemplation, prayer, complaint
Original Word:שִׁיחָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:shiychah
Pronunciation:shee-khah
Phonetic Spelling:(shee-khaw')
KJV: pit
NASB:pit, pits
Word Origin:[forH7745 (שׁוּחָה - pit)]
1. a pit-fall
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
pit
Forshuwchah; a pit-fall -- pit.
see HEBREWshuwchah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
shuachDefinitiona pit
NASB Translationpit (1), pits (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
id.; —
Jeremiah 18:22 Kt (Qr ),
Psalm 57:7; plural
Psalm 119:85.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewStrong’s Hebrew 7882 designates a man-made pit or trench intended to entrap. All three occurrences present the word metaphorically, portraying the schemes of the wicked against the righteous. The motif amplifies a recurring biblical assurance that those who engineer harm will ultimately suffer the very fate they planned for others.
Ancient Near Eastern Background
Hunting traps and defensive pits were common throughout the Levant. A shallow depression, camouflaged and lined with sharpened stakes or left empty to immobilize prey, furnished a vivid image of hidden malice. Scripture adopts this everyday danger as a moral and spiritual metaphor: sin fashions snares; covenant-breakers lay ambushes; the Lord, as covenant keeper, exposes and reverses their plots.
Usage in the Psalms
•Psalm 57:6: “They spread a net for my feet; my soul was despondent. They dug a pit before me, but they themselves have fallen into it.” David, pursued by Saul, articulates the principle of poetic justice. The verse sets the pattern: the contrivance of the enemy rebounds upon the enemy.
•Psalm 119:85: “The arrogant have dug pits for me in violation of Your law.” Here the psalmist identifies the act as Torah-breaking. The assault is not merely against the individual but against divine authority, intensifying the moral weight of the offense.
Both psalms couple petition with confidence. The pit imagery underscores distress yet directs the heart toward an unshakable expectation of vindication. The righteous pray, wait, and witness the reversal.
Usage in the Prophets
Jeremiah 18:22 records the prophet’s imprecatory appeal: “May a cry be heard from their houses when You suddenly bring raiders upon them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and laid snares for my feet.” Jeremiah, threatened by his own townsmen, invokes covenant curses against covenant treachery. The pit becomes evidence in God’s courtroom, warranting judgment.
Theological Themes
1. Retributive Justice
•Proverbs 26:27;Psalm 7:15–16 echo the same dynamic: the maker of the pit falls therein. The theme safeguards divine righteousness; history is not morally random.
2. Covenant Faithfulness
• Digging a pit “in violation of Your law” (Psalm 119:85) frames the act as rebellion. God’s fidelity stands in contrast, guaranteeing protection for those who cling to His statutes.
3. Spiritual Warfare
•Ephesians 6:11 enjoins believers to stand against the “schemes of the devil.” The ancient pit image anticipates New Testament language of unseen stratagems and calls saints to vigilance.
4. Christological Foreshadowing
• The religious leaders “plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him” (Matthew 26:4). Their conspiracy mirrors the pit motif. Resurrection validates the pattern: the grave they prepared could not hold Him; judgment fell on their unbelief.
5. Eschatological Assurance
•Revelation 20:3 pictures Satan confined to a “pit,” sealing the ultimate reversal. The imagery stretches from temporal deliverances to final cosmic justice.
Practical Ministry Applications
• Pastoral Care: Encourage believers facing slander or betrayal. The psalmists supply language for lament without surrendering hope.
• Ethical Instruction: Warn against manipulation, reminding that hidden malice invites divine reproof.
• Intercession: Jeremiah authorizes earnest appeal for God to expose destructive plots against His servants.
• Worship: Incorporate the pit-to-praise trajectory—lament leads to doxology because God turns traps into testimonies.
Intertextual Connections
Genesis 37:24 (Joseph cast into a pit),Psalm 35:7,Psalm 94:13, andProverbs 28:10 expand the motif. Though different Hebrew terms may appear, the conceptual thread remains: schemes against the innocent are reversed by the sovereign Lord.
Conclusion
Strong’s 7882 illustrates Scripture’s relentless message: human malice is real, but God’s justice is surer. The dug pit, emblem of concealed hostility, becomes an altar of thanksgiving when the Lord overturns the scheme. As such, the term enriches worship, fortifies perseverance, and summons the church to holy integrity amid opposition.
Forms and Transliterations
שִׁיח֑וֹת שִׁיחָ֑ה שׁוּחָה֙ שוחה שיחה שיחות shiChah shiChot shuChah šî·ḥāh šî·ḥō·wṯ šîḥāh šîḥōwṯ šū·ḥāh šūḥāh
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