### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **zûwreh**, represented by `{{H2116}}`, means **that which is crushed**. It appears just **1 time** across **1 unique verse** in the Bible. The term is derived from a root word meaning "trodden on," emphasizing a state of being broken or pressed under force.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The single use of `{{H2116}}` occurs in a powerful metaphor describing the works of the wicked. In [[Isaiah 59:5]], their schemes are compared to hatching cockatrice eggs and weaving spider webs. The passage warns that interacting with these works is deadly, stating that when one of these eggs is **crushed**, it "breaketh out into a viper." This illustrates that even attempting to destroy their evil plans only releases a more immediate and aggressive form of danger.
### Related Words & Concepts
The context of `{{H2116}}` is enriched by the words surrounding it in its only appearance:
* `{{H1234}}` **bâqaʻ** (to cleave; ...hatch...): This verb describes both the initial "hatching" of the egg and how the viper "breaketh out" from the crushed shell, linking the creation and release of danger [[Isaiah 59:5]].
* `{{H1000}}` **bêytsâh** (an egg): This is the object being crushed. Eggs are presented as a source of potential danger, as seen in the warning that he who eats them dies [[Isaiah 59:5]].
* `{{H660}}` **ʼephʻeh** (an asp or other venomous serpent; viper): This is what emerges from the crushed egg, signifying that the result of interacting with evil is not its destruction but the release of a more venomous threat [[Isaiah 59:5]].
* `{{H4191}}` **mûwth** (to die): The verse links eating the eggs directly with death, a consequence of sin established as early as the warning in Eden [[Genesis 2:17]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H2116}}` is tied entirely to its metaphorical role in Isaiah.
* **The Nature of Sin's Fruit:** The word illustrates that the products of wickedness are inherently dangerous. An attempt to interfere with them—by crushing the egg—does not neutralize the threat but rather unleashes it in a more potent form, as a viper [[Isaiah 59:5]].
* **Deceptive Danger:** An egg can seem dormant or self-contained. The concept of it being "crushed" reveals the hidden, active evil within. It serves as a warning that the consequences of sin are not always apparent until they are broken open.
* **Inevitable Harm:** The passage presents two fatal outcomes: eating the eggs leads to death, and crushing them releases a viper. `{{H2116}}` is a key part of this illustration, showing there is no safe way to engage with the machinations of the unrighteous.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H2116}}` is a highly specific term whose meaning, **that which is crushed**, is used to deliver a profound theological warning. In its sole biblical appearance, it functions within a metaphor to demonstrate that the works of evil are thoroughly perilous. Any interaction, even one that seems to destroy them, only serves to release their inherent, venomous nature upon the world.
TRV