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פָּסַס

𐤐𐤎𐤎

pâçaç

H6461 verb

SILEX Entry

Root פסס to fade, to vanish, to disperse, to thin out

Definition

A verb meaning 'to disappear, to vanish, to cease to be present or visible.' The term conveys the idea of something becoming no longer seen or present, emphasizing absence that results from disappearance or dispersal, rather than simply stopping activity.

Semantic Range

to disappear, to vanish, to cease to be visible, to become no longer present, to dissipate

Root / Etymology

Root: פ-ס-ס (פסס). The root conveys ideas of dissipation, scattering, or thinning out. The specific verb פָּסַס (pâçaç) derives directly from this root, expressing the particular nuance of vanishing or ceasing to be evident. The etymology is based on internal Semitic formation; direct cognates in other Semitic languages are rare or uncertain, making a detailed wider etymology unclear.

Historical & Contextual Notes

פָּסַס occurs only rarely in the Hebrew Bible, with its appearances limited to poetic or prophetic contexts where the idea of disappearance or vanishing is metaphorically rich. For example, it may describe the vanishing of the wicked or the end of something ephemeral. The word's usage implies more than the simple ceasing of motion or activity; it suggests something passing away from sight or presence—potentially through dispersal, fading, or being dissolved. It is distinct from verbs such as חָדַל (ḥādal, 'to cease') which denote stopping an action, and from אָבַד (ʾāvad, 'to perish'), which has a more active connotation of destruction or loss. The sense of פָּסַס is more passive, of quiet disappearance. English translations often render it as 'to disappear,' 'to vanish,' or 'to cease,' but caution is needed since the sense of quiet fading away is not always captured. There is no connection to later terms for disappearance or exile (e.g., גָּלָה, 'to go into exile'). Because of its rarity, the semantic precision is partly inferred from context and parallelism in biblical poetry. The word does not carry specific religious or ritual implications, nor does it overlap with legal vocabulary.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; probably to disperse, i.e. (intransitive) disappear; cease.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פסס (p-s-s) — to fade, to vanish, to disperse, to thin out

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6446 פַּס the broad panels
H6447 פַּס palm-surface of
H6450 פַּס דַּמִּים in the Boundary-of-Blood
H6451 פִּסָּה handful of
H6462 פִּסְפָּה and Pisepah

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H6461-01 פַ֥סּוּ fasu HVqp3cp have-ceased they have vanished 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H6461-01 Psalms 12:2 פַ֥סּוּ fasu HVqp3cp have-ceased they have vanished
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