### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **ʻâmêq**, represented by `{{H6012}}`, means **deep**, but is also used figuratively to mean **deeper**, **depth**, or **strange**. This term is used sparingly in scripture, appearing only **4 times** in **4 unique verses**. Its meaning shifts between a literal, physical depth and a figurative depth related to the difficulty of understanding language.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its biblical usage, `{{H6012}}` describes two distinct concepts. First, it refers to language that is obscure or incomprehensible. God tells Ezekiel he is not being sent to people of a **strange** `{{H6012}}` speech and a hard language ([[Ezekiel 3:5]], [[Ezekiel 3:6]]). Similarly, Isaiah prophesies a time when God’s people will no longer see a fierce nation with a **deeper** `{{H6012}}` speech that cannot be perceived [[Isaiah 33:19]]. Second, the word is used to describe a literal or spiritual abyss, as seen in Proverbs, which warns that the guests of a foolish woman are in the **depths** `{{H6012}}` of hell [[Proverbs 9:18]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words help clarify the meaning of `{{H6012}}`, particularly in its context of difficult language:
* `{{H8193}}` **sâphâh** (speech, language, lip): This word is directly paired with `{{H6012}}` to describe a "strange **speech**" [[Ezekiel 3:5]] that acts as a barrier to understanding. It refers to language as articulated by the lips.
* `{{H3956}}` **lâshôwn** (tongue, language): Used alongside `{{H6012}}`, this term describes a "stammering **tongue**" [[Isaiah 33:19]] or a "hard **language**" [[Ezekiel 3:6]], emphasizing the foreign or difficult nature of the spoken words.
* `{{H3515}}` **kâbêd** (hard, heavy, grievous): This adjective modifies language in the book of Ezekiel, describing it as **hard** ([[Ezekiel 3:5]], [[Ezekiel 3:6]]). This reinforces the idea that the foreign speech is not just different, but difficult and burdensome to comprehend.
* `{{H8085}}` **shâmaʻ** (to hear intelligently, understand): This verb is used to express the inability to **perceive** or **understand** a language described as `{{H6012}}`, highlighting the communicative gulf that such a language creates ([[Isaiah 33:19]], [[Ezekiel 3:6]]).
### Theological Significance
The theological concepts associated with `{{H6012}}` are significant, touching on themes of judgment, divine mission, and protection.
* **The Depths of Judgment:** The word’s literal sense is applied to the consequences of sin. Proverbs warns that the path of foolishness leads not to life, but to the "depths `{{H6012}}` of hell," a state of spiritual death and consequence [[Proverbs 9:18]].
* **Barriers to Revelation:** In Ezekiel, a "strange `{{H6012}}` speech" symbolizes a barrier to God's message. God intentionally sends his prophet to Israel, whose language is understandable, rather than to foreigners, underscoring the importance of intelligible communication in His divine mission [[Ezekiel 3:5]].
* **Deliverance from Hostile Forces:** In Isaiah, incomprehensible language is a characteristic of a "fierce people." The promise that Israel will no longer see a people of "deeper `{{H6012}}` speech" is a promise of deliverance from a threatening, foreign power [[Isaiah 33:19]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H6012}}` is a specific term that conveys the idea of something profoundly difficult to penetrate. Whether describing the obscure and foreign nature of a "strange" language or the literal "depths" of Sheol, **ʻâmêq** points to that which is remote, hard to understand, and often associated with danger or judgment. It powerfully illustrates how language can be a barrier and how spiritual choices can lead to a state of profound separation.
TRV