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שְׂרוֹךְ

𐤔𐤓𐤅𐤊

sᵉrôwk

H8288 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שרך to entwine, to interlace, to wind

Definition

A cord, thong, or strap, particularly used for fastening sandals or shoes. The term primarily refers to a narrow strip of material used to tie or secure footwear, but by extension may signify a fastening cord in general. In some contexts, it represents the smallest or most insignificant item in a list.

Semantic Range

cord, thong, sandal strap, shoe lace, fastening tie, a minor or trivial object

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root שׂרך, meaning 'to entwine' or 'to interlace.' The noun שְׂרוֹךְ is a substantive that denotes something interlaced or entwined, hence a thong or strap.

Historical & Contextual Notes

This term appears sparingly in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Genesis 14:23; Isaiah 5:27), primarily denoting the tying thong for sandals. Its use frequently serves as a metonymy for something trivial or insignificant, as in Abraham's assertion that he would not take even a 'thread or sᵉrôwk of a sandal.' Unlike other biblical terms for cord or strap (e.g., אֲבוֹת, חֶבֶל), שְׂרוֹךְ is especially associated with footwear. In the later Jewish and Greco-Roman period, the word came to be paraphrased in Aramaic and Greek, sometimes contributing to the tradition of 'latchet' in older English translations; however, 'latchet' is archaic and may obscure the sense of a simple tie-thong. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the untying or carrying of another's sandal strap or thong was a menial action, later referenced figuratively in Jewish and Christian texts. Standard English translations often opt for 'strap,' 'thong,' or 'lace,' but none fully encapsulate its specific usage with reference to footwear and its secondary implication of triviality in some contexts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׂרַךְ; a thong (as laced or tied); (shoe-)latchet.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שרך (ś-r-k) — entwining, interlacing, winding

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8288-01 שְׂרֽוֹךְ serokhe HNcmsc a sandal strap entwined sandal-strap of 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8288-01 Genesis 14:23 שְׂרֽוֹךְ serokhe HNcmsc a sandal strap entwined sandal-strap of
H8288-01 Isaiah 5:27 שְׂר֥וֹךְ serokhe HNcmsc strap entwined sandal-strap of
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