צוּלָה
𐤑𐤅𐤋𐤄
tsûwlâh
H6683 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A deep or profound part of a body of water, often referring specifically to the depths or abyss of the sea; the deepest or most inaccessible aquatic regions. Used poetically or literally for the great depths of the sea, highlighting inaccessibility or unfathomable aquatic space.
Semantic Range
deep part of the sea, depths, abyss, profound waters, primeval aquatic depths
Root / Etymology
Root uncertain. The traditional suggestion, based on Strong, connects it with a hypothetical root meaning 'to sink', but this root is not attested in Hebrew. The form and sense suggest a term for 'deep' or 'depths', possibly related by semantic association to other ancient Near Eastern terms for the oceanic abyss.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The word צוּלָה occurs in poetic and wisdom literature (Isaiah 51:10, Amos 7:4, Ezekiel 26:19, Psalm 68:22), typically referencing the deepest parts of the sea, sometimes in juxtaposition to other words for sea or depth such as תְּהוֹם (tehom). In different contexts, it evokes imagery of chaos, danger, or the power of the natural world and is sometimes contrasted with shallower waters. In post-biblical Hebrew, the term falls out of use, replaced by more common words for sea or depths. English translations usually render it as 'deep', 'depths', or (less accurately) 'abyss'; none fully capture the sensory or mythic dimension the term might have implied to ancient hearers. In ancient cosmology, the abyss represented an unpredictable, unknowable domain, often contrasting with habitable land. The word is not used with a technical meaning relating to Sheol or the underworld, nor is it necessarily personified in the way that תְּהוֹם sometimes is. Later Jewish and Christian translations occasionally equate it with 'abyss' or even 'hell', but such interpretations are not supported by its actual biblical usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to sink; an abyss (of the sea); deep.
Bantu Hebrew
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צול (uncertain) (ṣ-w-l (uncertain)) — deep, depth, abyss, sinking (hypothetical)
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6683-01 |
לַ/צּוּלָ֖ה | latsulah | HRd/Ncfsa |
to the deep | sea-depth abyss | to the sea-depth abyss | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6683-01 |
Isaiah 44:27 | לַ/צּוּלָ֖ה | latsulah | HRd/Ncfsa |
to the deep | sea-depth abyss | to the sea-depth abyss |