[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/%D7%96%D7%97%D7%9C/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [Biblical Hebrew](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/) / [ז](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/zayin/)‎ / זָחַל‎

# זָחַל

Biblical Hebrew · Strong's H2119

**shrink back** — used 2 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

shrink back [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1494/2119/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

זָחַל: vb. shrink back, crawl away [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1494/2119/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** vb. shrink back, crawl away (Aramaic זְחַל crawl (also drap, drip, of water: so NH זָחַל), זָחֵיל worm; Syriac ܙܳܚܠܴܐ locust (as crawling); Arabic زَحَلَ withdraw, retire to a distance (v. Lane, Wetzst in De Hiob 2, 428), and Sab. זחֿל withdraw, humble oneself DHMZMG 1875, 610)— only Pt. pl. cstr. זֹחֲלֵי Dt 32:24 Mi 7:17;—crawl, of reptiles (pt.) זֹחֲלֵי עָפָר Dt 32:24 i.e. serpents (as poisonous), instruments of Yahweh’s judgment on Isr.; ז׳ ארץ Mi 7:17 id. (as crawling into the earth to hide), sim. of nations in fear of י׳.

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (2 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: \[things which\] crawl (1); of \[things which\] crawl (1).

## In the verses

[Deuteronomy 32:24](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/DEU.32.24/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/DEU.32.24/#tree)

מְזֵ֥י רָעָ֛ב וּלְחֻ֥מֵי רֶ֖שֶׁף וְקֶ֣טֶב מְרִירִ֑י וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמוֹת֙ אֲשַׁלַּח־בָּ֔ם עִם־חֲמַ֖ת זֹחֲלֵ֥י עָפָֽר׃

*Word for word:* \[they.will.be\].weakened of.famine and eaten of.plague and destruction bitter and tooth of.animals I.will.send on them with \[the\].venom of.\[things.which\].crawl of.\[the\].dust

*JPS 1917:* The wasting of hunger, and the devouring of the fiery bolt, and bitter destruction; and the teeth of beasts will I send upon them, with the venom of crawling things of the dust.

[Micah 7:17](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/MIC.7.17/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/MIC.7.17/#tree)

יְלַחֲכ֤וּ עָפָר֙ כַּנָּחָ֔שׁ כְּזֹחֲלֵ֣י אֶ֔רֶץ יִרְגְּז֖וּ מִמִּסְגְּרֹֽתֵיהֶ֑ם אֶל־יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ יִפְחָ֔דוּ וְיִֽרְא֖וּ מִמֶּֽךָּ׃

*Word for word:* they.will.lick.up dust like (the) snake like \[things.which\].crawl of.\[the\].earth they.will.quake from strongholds their to Yahweh God our they.will.be.in.dread and they.will.be.afraid from you

*JPS 1917:* They shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their close places; they shall come with fear unto the LORD our God, and shall be afraid because of Thee.

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2119.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1494/2119/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).