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סָתַר

𐤎𐤕𐤓

çâthar

H5641 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To hide, conceal, keep something or someone out of sight or knowledge, either literally (covering, withdrawing from view) or figuratively (withholding information, acting secretly). Used with both physical and metaphorical nuance: to hide oneself, to be hidden, to make something secret, or to be concealed by another. In some contexts, may imply secrecy, protection, or deliberate absence.

Semantic Range

to hide, to conceal, to keep secret, to withdraw from view, to hide oneself, to be hidden, to act secretly, to be absent, to keep out of sight

Root / Etymology

From the root סתר, which conveys the central action of hiding or covering. The root meaning is 'to hide, cover, keep secret,' and the verb inherits this range of 'concealing by separating from view.' The formation is triliteral, standard for Hebrew verbal roots.

Historical & Contextual Notes

סָתַר appears throughout the Hebrew Bible describing acts of hiding or concealment. In its literal sense, it is used of people physically hiding (e.g., from danger or pursuit, Joshua 2:16; Jeremiah 36:19). Figuratively, it describes God hiding or withholding (e.g., God 'hiding His face' as a sign of displeasure or non-intervention, Deuteronomy 31:17–18; Psalms 13:2), which expresses alienation or divine distancing rather than mere absence. The passive or reflexive forms (niphal, hitpael) frequently bear the nuance of being hidden or hiding oneself. In later biblical Hebrew (e.g., Daniel), the verbal form persists but sometimes connotes deeper secrecy or esoteric concealment. Modern translations sometimes paraphrase these nuances as 'keep secret' or 'keep oneself secret,' but these can underplay the emotional or relational dynamics in the context. The semantic field overlaps with כסה ('to cover'), but סָתַר stresses separation from view rather than mere coverage. The word does not inherently imply deceptive concealment unless contextual factors indicate such. Patterns of usage remain consistent from pre-exilic to post-exilic periods, though the idiom of God 'hiding His face' becomes especially prominent as an articulation of the crisis of exile and perceived divine abandonment.

Translation Consistency

primary "hide" 23 occurrences

“Hide” is the most natural, common English verb that covers the full semantic range of סָתַר — literal and figurative concealment, reflexive hiding, and passive states (“be hidden”). It matches the majority of existing renderings (hide/hidden/hid) and is more idiomatic than the more formal “conceal,” so it yields consistent, readable translations across all forms.

Alternatives (9 occurrences):
"hidden" (5x) "conceal" (2x) "hid" (1x) "concealed" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to hide (by covering), literally or figuratively; be absent, keep close, conceal, hide (self), (keep) secret, [idiom] surely.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

סתר (Setur) — to hide, conceal, keep secret

Root סתר to hide, conceal, keep secret
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4563 מִסְתּוֹר and for a hiding place
H4564 מַסְתֵּר and as a hiding-place of
H4565 מִסְתָּר in the hiding-place
H5639 סְתוּר Hidden One
H5642 סְתַר he concealed him

Word Forms

51 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5641-26 תַּסְתֵּ֬ר taseter HVhj2ms hide may you conceal hide 5
H5641-27 תַסְתִּ֑יר tasetir HVhi2ms do you hide you cause to hide do you hide 5
H5641-06 הַסְתֵּ֨ר haseter HVha hide to cause to conceal to cause to hide 4
H5641-17 מִסְתַּתֵּ֨ר misetater HVtrmsa hide the one hiding himself the one hiding himself 4
H5641-09 הִסְתַּ֔רְתִּי hisetareti HVhp1cs I hid I concealed I hid 3
H5641-20 נִסְתָּ֑רָה nisetarah HVNp3fs is hidden she was hidden it was hidden 3
H5641-29 תַּ֭סְתִּירֵ/נִי tasetireni HVhi2ms/Sp1cs hide me you will hide me you will hide me 3
H5641-50 יִסָּתֵ֥ר yisater HVNi3ms a man hides he will be hidden he will be hidden 3
H5641-01 אַסְתִּ֤יר asetir HVhi1cs I will hide I will conceal I will hide 2
H5641-03 אֶסָּתֵ֑ר esater HVNi1cs hide myself I will hide myself I will hide myself 2

Occurrences in Scripture

82 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5641-49 Psalms 27:5 יַ֭סְתִּרֵ/נִי yasetireni HVhi3ms/Sp1cs He will hide me he will conceal me he will hide me
H5641-26 Psalms 27:9 תַּסְתֵּ֬ר taseter HVhj2ms hide may you conceal may you hide
H5641-08 Psalms 30:8 הִסְתַּ֥רְתָּ hisetareta HVhp2ms you-hid you concealed you hid
H5641-28 Psalms 31:21 תַּסְתִּירֵ֤/ם tasetirem HVhi2ms/Sp3mp you-will-hide-them you will conceal them you will conceal them
H5641-20 Psalms 38:10 נִסְתָּֽרָה nisetarah HVNp3fs is hidden she was hidden it was hidden
H5641-27 Psalms 44:25 תַסְתִּ֑יר tasetir HVhi2ms do you hide you cause to hide do you hide
H5641-06 Psalms 51:11 הַסְתֵּ֣ר haseter HVhv2ms hide to cause to conceal Hide
H5641-17 Psalms 54:2 מִסְתַּתֵּ֥ר misetater HVtrmsa hiding the one hiding himself the one hiding himself
H5641-39 Psalms 55:13 וְ/אֶסָּתֵ֥ר veesater HC/VNi1cs then I would hide I will hide myself then I would hide myself
H5641-29 Psalms 64:3 תַּ֭סְתִּירֵ/נִי tasetireni HVhi2ms/Sp1cs hide me you will hide me you will hide me
H5641-26 Psalms 69:18 תַּסְתֵּ֣ר taseter HVhj2ms hide may you conceal conceal
H5641-27 Psalms 88:15 תַּסְתִּ֖יר tasetir HVhi2ms do you hide you cause to hide do you hide
H5641-30 Psalms 89:47 תִּסָּתֵ֣ר tisater HVNi2ms will You hide you will be hidden will you hide yourself
H5641-26 Psalms 102:3 תַּסְתֵּ֬ר taseter HVhj2ms hide may you conceal hide
H5641-27 Psalms 104:29 תַּסְתִּ֥יר tasetir HVhi2ms you hide you cause to hide you will cause to hide
H5641-26 Psalms 119:19 תַּסְתֵּ֥ר taseter HVhj2ms hide may you conceal may you hide
H5641-26 Psalms 143:7 תַּסְתֵּ֣ר taseter HVhj2ms hide may you conceal hide
H5641-47 Proverbs 22:3 ו/יסתר vystr HC/VNi3ms and hides and he will be hidden and hides
H5641-42 Proverbs 22:3 וְ/נִסְתָּ֑ר venisetar HC/VNp3ms and hides himself and he was hidden and hides himself
H5641-06 Proverbs 25:2 הַסְתֵּ֣ר haseter HVhv2ms to conceal to cause to conceal to cause to hide
H5641-15 Proverbs 27:5 מְסֻתָּֽרֶת mesutaret HVPsfsa hidden concealed one hidden
H5641-19 Proverbs 27:12 נִסְתָּ֑ר nisetar HVNp3ms hides himself hidden one hides himself
H5641-50 Proverbs 28:28 יִסָּתֵ֣ר yisater HVNi3ms a man hides he will be hidden it will be hidden
H5641-35 Job 3:10 וַ/יַּסְתֵּ֥ר vayaseter HC/Vhw3ms and hide he caused to hide and he caused to hide
H5641-20 Job 3:23 נִסְתָּ֑רָה nisetarah HVNp3fs is hidden she was hidden it was hidden
H5641-03 Job 13:20 אֶסָּתֵֽר esater HVNi1cs hide myself I will hide myself I will hide myself
H5641-27 Job 13:24 תַסְתִּ֑יר tasetir HVhi2ms do You hide you cause to hide do you hide
H5641-29 Job 14:13 תַּ֭סְתִּירֵ/נִי tasetireni HVhi2ms/Sp1cs conceal me you will hide me you would hide me
H5641-20 Job 28:21 נִסְתָּֽרָה nisetarah HVNp3fs it is concealed she was hidden it was hidden
H5641-14 Job 34:22 לְ/הִסָּ֥תֶר lehisater HR/VNc to hide to hide oneself to hide oneself
H5641-46 Job 34:29 וְ/יַסְתֵּ֣ר veyaseter HC/Vhi3ms and hides and he conceals and he will hide
H5641-34 2 Chronicles 22:11 וַ/תַּסְתִּירֵ֡/הוּ vatasetirehu HC/Vhw3fs/Sp3ms and hid-him she concealed him and she concealed him
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