Word Study for H7447 (רָסִיס)

râçîyç /raw-sees'/ Ask about this word

Meaningproperly, dripping to pieces, i.e. a ruin; also a dew-drop

KJV usagebreach, drop.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of râçîyç — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word râçîyç, represented by H7447, is a term with two distinct meanings. According to its base definition, it signifies something "dripping to pieces, i.e. a ruin" or a "dew-drop," and is translated as breach or drop. It appears only 2 times across 2 unique verses, making each usage significant in understanding its scope.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The two biblical occurrences of H7447 present a sharp contrast in meaning. In a context of divine judgment, the LORD commands that He will "smite the great house with breaches" Amos 6:11, using the word to signify destruction and ruin. Conversely, in a poetic passage, it is used to describe the beloved, whose locks are filled "with the drops of the night" Song of Solomon 5:2, evoking an image of nature and moisture.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words clarify the two divergent applications of H7447:

H2919 ṭal (dew): This word appears alongside râçîyç in Song of Solomon 5:2. Dew is often depicted as a source of blessing and life, as when the heavens "give their dew" Zechariah 8:12.
H1233 bᵉqîyaʻ (breach, cleft): Used in the same verse as râçîyç in Amos 6:11, this term reinforces the theme of structural ruin, describing "clefts" alongside the "breaches" of the house.
H5221 nâkâh (to strike): This is the action that creates the breaches in Amos 6:11. It is a powerful verb often associated with divine judgment, such as when the Lord says he will "smite the earth with a curse" Malachi 4:6 or when the Messiah was "smitten of God" Isaiah 53:4.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H7447 is found in its dramatic duality.

Divine Judgment and Destruction: In Amos, râçîyç is a direct result of God's command to smite H5221 a house, turning it into breaches Amos 6:11. It serves as a tangible symbol of judgment and the consequences of disobedience.
Poetic Imagery of Nature: In Song of Solomon, the word as "drops" is part of a tender and intimate description. It is associated with dew H2919 of the night H3915, imagery that elsewhere connects to concepts of blessing and sustenance (Song of Solomon 5:2, Psalms 133:3).

Summary

In summary, H7447 is a rare word whose significance comes from its contrasting meanings. It can denote the destructive "breach" caused by divine judgment or the gentle "drop" found in poetic descriptions of nature. Though used only twice, râçîyç powerfully illustrates how a single Hebrew term can convey vastly different concepts, from ruin to refreshing dew.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

רְסִיסִים
רְסִיסֵי

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Song of Solomon and Amos (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

Song of Solomon

Amos

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.