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.
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.
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.
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.
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