lemma גּיחַ missing vowel, corrected to גִּיחַ; or (shortened) גֹּחַ; a primitive root; to gush forth (as water), generally to issue; break forth, labor to bring forth, come forth, draw up, take out.
### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **gîyach**, represented by `{{H1518}}`, is a primitive root meaning to **gush forth**. It appears **6 times** across **6 unique verses** in the Bible. Its definition encompasses a range of forceful actions, including to gush forth like water, to break forth, to labor to bring forth, to come forth, to draw up, or to take out.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In biblical usage, `{{H1518}}` conveys a sense of powerful emergence in several contexts. It is used to describe the violent pangs of childbirth, as when the daughter of Zion is told to **labour to bring forth** like a woman in travail [[Micah 4:10]]. The same imagery is used for the creation of the sea, which **brake forth** as if from a womb [[Job 38:8]]. The word also depicts the forceful movement of water, such as Pharaoh, likened to a whale, who **camest forth** with his rivers [[Ezekiel 32:2]], or a great beast who trusts it can **draw up** the Jordan river [[Job 40:23]]. In a military context, it describes Israel's ambush party as they **came forth** from their hiding places [[Judges 20:33]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words help clarify the meaning of `{{H1518}}`:
* `{{H2342}}` **chûwl**: This root, meaning to **writhe in pain (especially of parturition)**, is used directly alongside `{{H1518}}` in [[Micah 4:10]] to describe the agony of Zion's judgment, which is likened to childbirth.
* `{{H3318}}` **yâtsâʼ**: Meaning **to go (causatively, bring) out**, this word is paired with `{{H1518}}` to describe the sea as it "brake forth, as if it had **issued out** of the womb" [[Job 38:8]], reinforcing the idea of a powerful emergence from a source.
* `{{H1804}}` **dâlach**: This word, meaning **to roil water; trouble**, appears in the same verse as `{{H1518}}` in Ezekiel's lament for Pharaoh, where the king is said to have **camest forth** with his rivers and **troubledst** the waters, linking the act of gushing forth with creating chaos [[Ezekiel 32:2]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H1518}}` is seen in its metaphorical applications.
* **Divine Sovereignty in Birth and Creation:** The word highlights God's role as the agent of life. He is the one who **took** the psalmist out of the womb [[Psalms 22:9]]. The description of the sea as it **brake forth** at creation points to a primeval event over which God established control [[Job 38:8]].
* **The Travail of Judgment and Redemption:** In Micah, the command to **labour to bring forth** serves as a metaphor for the painful exile Zion must endure. This suffering is a necessary precursor to being delivered and redeemed by the LORD [[Micah 4:10]].
* **The Arrogance of Earthly Power:** The word is used to depict the disruptive force of pride. Pharaoh **camest forth** like a sea monster fouling the rivers [[Ezekiel 32:2]], and the beast of Job **trusteth** in its ability to **draw up** a river, illustrating self-reliant power that challenges divine order [[Job 40:23]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H1518}}` is a dynamic verb expressing a forceful emergence or bursting forth. While it can describe the literal movement of an army or water, its significance is deepened through metaphors for childbirth, creation, and judgment. It powerfully contrasts God's life-giving act of bringing forth with the chaotic and prideful gushing of unchecked earthly power, demonstrating how a single root can illustrate profound spiritual realities.
TRV