### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **gâshash**, represented by `{{H1659}}`, means **to feel about** or **grope**. It is a primitive root that appears **2 times** across **1 unique verse** in the Bible, highlighting a very specific and vivid action of searching uncertainly.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its sole scriptural appearance, `{{H1659}}` powerfully illustrates a state of profound disorientation and helplessness. The people **grope** for a wall like the blind, and again, they **grope** as if they have no eyes [[Isaiah 59:10]]. This repetition emphasizes a desperate, fumbling search in a state of spiritual and physical confusion, where even the light of noonday offers no clarity, likening their condition to that of the dead.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words found in the same verse enrich the meaning of `{{H1659}}`:
* `{{H5787}}` **ʻivvêr** (blind): The act of groping is explicitly compared to the action of the **blind** [[Isaiah 59:10]].
* `{{H5869}}` **ʻayin** (eye): The passage states they grope "as if we had no **eyes**," directly linking the physical act to a lack of perception [[Isaiah 59:10]].
* `{{H7023}}` **qîyr** (wall): This is the object they grope for, a solid structure they are unable to find or follow, emphasizing their disorientation [[Isaiah 59:10]].
* `{{H3782}}` **kâshal** (stumble): This word describes the consequence of their groping, as their lack of sight causes them to **stumble** and falter [[Isaiah 59:10]].
* `{{H5399}}` **nesheph** (night): Their state is so confused that they stumble in daylight as if it were **night**, signifying a profound spiritual darkness [[Isaiah 59:10]].
* `{{H4191}}` **mûwth** (to die): The final comparison is to being like **dead** men, indicating a complete separation from life and guidance [[Isaiah 59:10]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H1659}}` is conveyed through its stark imagery of spiritual alienation.
* **Symbol of Spiritual Blindness:** To **grope** is to be functionally **blind** `{{H5787}}`, lacking spiritual **eyes** `{{H5869}}` to perceive truth. This state of blindness is presented elsewhere as a condition that the LORD can remedy ([[Isaiah 35:5]], [[Psalms 146:8]]), implying that groping is a state of being without divine intervention.
* **Consequence of Iniquity:** The groping leads to stumbling `{{H3782}}`, an action consistently associated with the wicked, transgressors, and those who have fallen through iniquity ([[Proverbs 24:16]], [[Hosea 14:1]]). This connects the act of `gâshash` to the consequences of sin.
* **A State Akin to Death:** The ultimate description of those who grope is that they are "as **dead** men" [[Isaiah 59:10]]. This connects their helplessness and separation from guidance to death `{{H4191}}`, which is presented as the ultimate penalty for wickedness and disobedience ([[Genesis 2:17]], [[Ezekiel 18:20]]).
### Summary
In summary, **gâshash** `{{H1659}}` is a potent and descriptive word that, while rare, provides a vivid depiction of profound spiritual crisis. It moves beyond the simple physical action of feeling about in the dark to symbolize a state of utter helplessness and disorientation caused by spiritual blindness. Through its use in [[Isaiah 59:10]], it paints a picture of humanity stumbling in the light, separated from guidance and as helpless as the dead, illustrating the dire consequences of alienation from God.
TRV