### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **ʻâmôq**, represented by `{{H6013}}`, signifies that which is **deep**, both literally and figuratively. It appears 16 times in 16 unique verses. The term is used to describe physical depth, such as a pit or a wound, as well as abstract concepts like the depth of the human heart, wisdom, or things that are difficult to comprehend.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In biblical usage, `{{H6013}}` appears in both literal and figurative contexts. In a literal sense, it is used extensively in Leviticus to assess the severity of skin diseases. A plague `{{H5061}}` was considered unclean if it appeared **deeper** than the skin `{{H5785}}` of the flesh `{{H1320}}` ([[Leviticus 13:3]], 25). Figuratively, it often describes sources of danger or ruin; a whore `{{H2181}}` is likened to a **deep** ditch `{{H7745}}` [[Proverbs 23:27]], and the mouth `{{H6310}}` of strange women is called a **deep** pit `{{H7745}}` [[Proverbs 22:14]]. The word also illustrates profoundness, comparing counsel `{{H6098}}` in a man's heart `{{H3820}}` to **deep** water `{{H4325}}` [[Proverbs 20:5]] and describing the human heart itself as **deep** [[Psalms 64:6]]. It can also depict things beyond human understanding, such as that which is "exceeding **deep**" [[Ecclesiastes 7:24]] or God's ability to discover **deep things** out of darkness `{{H2822}}` [[Job 12:22]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words help clarify the meaning of `{{H6013}}`:
* `{{H7585}}` **shᵉʼôwl** (Hades or the world of the dead): This term is used in contrast to the height of heaven `{{H8064}}` to illustrate the vast, unknowable nature of things beyond human grasp, which are described as **deeper** than hell [[Job 11:8]].
* `{{H3820}}` **lêb** (the heart): The human heart is often the subject described as **deep**. This points to the hidden nature of human counsel [[Proverbs 20:5]] and inward thoughts which are searched out [[Psalms 64:6]].
* `{{H4325}}` **mayim** (water): Water serves as a common metaphor for what is **deep**. The words of a man's mouth are likened to **deep** waters [[Proverbs 18:4]], as is the counsel within his heart [[Proverbs 20:5]].
* `{{H5785}}` **ʻôwr** (skin): In the Levitical laws, the physical depth of a plague is measured in relation to the **skin**. A plague being **deeper** than the skin was a primary diagnostic for leprosy `{{H6883}}` [[Leviticus 13:3]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H6013}}` is seen in its use to contrast divine and human realities.
* **Divine Knowledge vs. Human Limitation:** `{{H6013}}` is used to contrast the limits of human knowledge with God's omniscience. While man struggles to find out what is "exceeding **deep**" [[Ecclesiastes 7:24]], God is the one who "discovereth **deep things** out of darkness" [[Job 12:22]] and whose ways are "deeper than **hell**" [[Job 11:8]].
* **The Inner Person:** The word highlights the profound and often hidden nature of the human heart `{{H3820}}`. It can contain **deep** counsel that a person of understanding `{{H8394}}` can draw out `{{H1802}}` [[Proverbs 20:5]], but it can also be a **deep** source of iniquity that people search out [[Psalms 64:6]].
* **Metaphor for Moral Danger:** In Proverbs, a **deep** pit or ditch serves as a potent metaphor for sexual sin and its consequences. The mouth of strange women [[Proverbs 22:14]] and the whore [[Proverbs 23:27]] are described as a **deep** snare from which it is difficult to escape, and into which those abhorred `{{H2194}}` by the LORD fall.
* **Physical Manifestation of Uncleanliness:** The literal use in Leviticus carries theological weight. The depth of a plague below the skin `{{H5785}}` was not just a physical symptom but a key sign of ceremonial uncleanliness `{{H2930}}`, separating an individual from the community [[Leviticus 13:3]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H6013}}` moves from a literal, physical measurement to a powerful figurative descriptor. It is used in legal contexts to diagnose physical corruption [[Leviticus 13:3]] and in wisdom literature to describe moral snares [[Proverbs 23:27]], the profound nature of the human heart [[Psalms 64:6]], and the inaccessible knowledge of God [[Job 11:8]]. **ʻâmôq** consistently points to a reality that lies beneath the surface, whether it is a sign of disease, the source of wisdom, or the secrets known only to God.
TRV