### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **tsâphad**, represented by `{{H6821}}`, is a primitive root meaning **to adhere; cleave**. It is an exceedingly rare term in scripture, appearing only **1 times** in **1 unique verses**. Its singular use provides a stark and powerful image of extreme physical decay and suffering.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The sole appearance of `{{H6821}}` is in [[Lamentations 4:8]], which describes the horrifying effects of famine upon the people of Jerusalem. In this verse, the suffering is so severe that their skin "**cleaveth** to their bones." This graphic description serves to illustrate a state of extreme emaciation where the body has wasted away, leaving nothing but skin stretched tightly over the skeletal frame. The verse paints a grim picture where people are unrecognizable in the streets, their appearance darkened and withered.
### Related Words & Concepts
The meaning of `{{H6821}}` is sharpened by the words surrounding it in its only context:
* `{{H5785}}` **ʻôwr** (skin): This is the part of the body that is said to "cleave." It refers to the outer covering of a person, which in this case has lost all its substance [[Lamentations 4:8]]. The word is also used to describe the coats of skins God made for Adam and his wife [[Genesis 3:21]].
* `{{H6106}}` **ʻetsem** (bone): This is what the skin adheres to. As the body's strong frame, its prominence signifies the complete loss of flesh. It is often used to refer to the very substance or self of a person [[Ezekiel 2:3]].
* `{{H3001}}` **yâbêsh** (withered): This word appears in the same verse, describing the skin as having "withered." It means to dry up or wither, like grass [[Isaiah 40:8]], connecting the physical state to lifelessness and decay.
* `{{H6086}}` **ʻêts** (stick): The verse concludes that the withered skin has "become like a stick." This term, typically meaning a tree or wood, is used here to emphasize the hardness, dryness, and lifelessness of the afflicted people [[Lamentations 4:8]].
### Theological Significance
While appearing only once, the theological weight of `{{H6821}}` is derived from its devastating context in Lamentations.
* **A Portrait of Judgment:** The act of skin cleaving to bone is a visceral depiction of the consequences of sin and divine judgment. The entire scene in [[Lamentations 4:8]] is a physical manifestation of a nation's suffering after turning from God.
* **Extreme Desolation:** The word graphically portrays a state of complete wasting away. The cleaving skin illustrates a condition where life is barely present, and the body has become like a dried-out stick `{{H6086}}`, having withered `{{H3001}}`.
* **Loss of Human Identity:** The verse notes that those afflicted "are not known `{{H5234}}` in the streets `{{H2351}}`." The physical decay described by `tsâphad` is so profound that it erases a person's identity, showing the depth of their fall from a blessed state.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H6821}}` is a rare but potent Hebrew word. Its single, unforgettable use in [[Lamentations 4:8]] provides a powerful and disturbing image of what it means to "cleave" in a context of decay. It vividly portrays the physical horrors of famine and serves as a stark metaphor for the utter desolation that results from judgment, where the human form itself is wasted away until skin merely adheres to bone.
TRV