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שְׁחוֹר

𐤔𐤇𐤅𐤓

shᵉchôwr

H7815 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שחר to be black, to be dark

Definition

A black substance, most often referring to soot or charcoal, derived from burning organic material and characterized by its dark color. Occurs in metaphoric, poetic, and literal contexts to describe the color black, especially as the residue of fire (soot, coal). Can also serve as a poetic descriptor for extreme darkness, black skin, or objects that are blackened by fire.

Semantic Range

blackness, soot, charcoal, darkness (of skin or substance); the color black; something blackened by fire; metaphorically, intense darkness or exposure

Root / Etymology

שָׁחוֹר is derived from the root שָׁחַר (שׁ־ח־ר), which at its core means 'to be black' or 'to be dark'. The noun form שְׁחוֹר refers specifically to blackness, soot, or charcoal, likely originating as a nominalization of the root's color-meaning. The root is attested elsewhere in Hebrew in the sense of 'black, dark'; the close relationship to the color is primary, and meanings like 'soot' and 'coal' are derived by extension due to their blackness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, שְׁחוֹר appears with the meaning of 'blackness' or 'soot,' especially as evidence of burning. It is rarely used, with one prominent occurrence in Song of Songs 1:6, where it describes a person's skin as 'blackened,' likely with reference to harsh sun exposure rather than ethnicity or race (cf. Lamentations 4:8 where the skin of famine victims becomes 'darker than soot'). Thus, the term describes an intense, visible darkness or blackness, rather than a specific substance with technical properties. English translations often use 'black,' 'soot,' or 'coal,' but each can limit the broader application of the word; the nuance is contextual. There is a distinction in Hebrew between שְׁחוֹר (blackness, soot) and פֶּחָם (coal or charcoal as a substance). In later periods, especially outside the Hebrew Bible, the root continues to denote blackness and dark coloration. The English term 'soot' closely parallels some usages but can miss the word's broader metaphorical or descriptive potential in biblical Hebrew.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁחַר; dinginess, i.e. perhaps soot; coal.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שחר (š-ḥ-r) — to be black, to be dark

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4891 מִשְׁחָר earliest dawn-light
H6890 צֶרֶת הַשַּׁחַר the dawn-light
H7835 שָׁחַר dawn-light
H7836 שָׁחַר I earnestly-seek you
H7837 שַׁחַר the dawn

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7815-01 מִ/שְּׁחוֹר֙ mishechor HR/Ncmsa than soot black soot than soot 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7815-01 Lamentations 4:8 מִ/שְּׁחוֹר֙ mishechor HR/Ncmsa than soot black soot than soot
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