Original Word: צוֹאָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tsow'ah
Pronunciation: tso-aw'
Phonetic Spelling: (tso-aw')
KJV: dung, filth(-iness) Marg for H2716
NASB: filth, filthiness, filthy
Word Origin: [feminine of H6674 (צּוֹא צּוֹא - filthy)]

1. excrement
2. (generally) dirt
3. (figuratively) pollution

dung, filthiness

Or tsovah {tso-aw'}: feminine of tsow'; excrement; generally, dirt; figuratively, pollution -- dung, filth(-iness). Marg. For chere'.

see HEBREW tsow'

see HEBREW chere'

Word Origin
from the same as tseah
Definition
filth
NASB Translation
filth (1), filthiness (1), filthy (1).

צֹאָה noun feminine filth; — absolute ׳צ Isaiah 28:8 (of drunkards' vomit, compare קִיא); ׳צ figurative of iniquity, construct צֹאַת Isaiah 4:4, suffix צֹאָתוֺ Proverbs 30:12; specifically of human excrement ( = [צֵאָה]) suffix צֵאָתָם 2 Kings 18:27 = Isaiah 36:12. (both Qr; Kt חר(א)יהם, compare [חֶרֶא] p. 351 above).

Semantic Range and Imagery

The term evokes what is offensive, defiling, and repellently unclean—human waste, vomit, or bodily discharge. Scripture leverages the revulsion surrounding such refuse to communicate the gravity of moral and spiritual pollution. The picture is not merely of physical uncleanness but of an inner corruption that renders worshipers unfit to stand before a holy God.

Occurrences in Scripture

Proverbs 30:12 portrays a self-righteous generation: “There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth”. The proverb juxtaposes external self-assessment with divine evaluation, reminding readers that deception about one’s condition cannot erase genuine impurity.

Isaiah 4:4 extends the metaphor to national sin: “When the LORD has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire”. Here the promised cleansing follows judgment, underscoring God’s commitment both to holiness and to restoration.

Isaiah 28:8 depicts the priestly and prophetic tables of drunken leaders: “For all their tables are covered with vomit; there is not a place without filth”. Corruption has invaded the covenant community at its highest levels, so that even sacral spaces are contaminated.

Moral and Prophetic Function

1. Exposure of hidden sin. The word drags what is normally concealed into the light. Its usage punctures religious pretense and forces acknowledgement of guilt.
2. Necessity of divine cleansing. In Isaiah 4:4 the remedy comes exclusively from the LORD; human effort is powerless to remove such impurity.
3. Warning to leaders. Isaiah 28 indicts those charged with teaching Torah. When shepherds are defiled, the sheep inevitably suffer.
4. Eschatological hope. The promise of cleansing anticipates the fuller revelation of atonement accomplished through the Messiah (see Hebrews 9:13–14).

Historical and Cultural Background

Ancient Israelite society tied concepts of cleanliness to worship (Leviticus 11–15). Bodily discharge barred entry to sacred precincts, and excrement was banished outside the camp (Deuteronomy 23:12–14). Prophets co-opted that shared cultural perception to explain covenant violation: sin is to the soul what filth is to the body—abhorrent, defiling, and expulsive.

Typological and Messianic Implications

Isaiah’s vision of washing “by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire” prefigures the dual work of the Holy Spirit—convicting (John 16:8) and purifying (Acts 2:3–4). The ultimate cleansing flows from Christ’s blood: “the blood of Jesus His Son purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Thus the Old Testament image of filth finds its resolution in the New Covenant washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5).

Practical Ministry Application

• Preaching: Confront self-deception with Proverbs 30:12; call hearers to truthful self-assessment before God.
• Counseling: Use Isaiah 4:4 to assure repentant believers that divine cleansing is comprehensive, removing both guilt and stain.
• Leadership accountability: Warn teachers and elders with Isaiah 28:8 that personal compromise contaminates corporate worship.
• Discipleship: Integrate the motif of cleansing into baptismal teaching, linking the outward sign with the inward reality of heart purification.

Related Biblical Concepts

Uncleanness (Leviticus 15), vomit (Proverbs 26:11), defilement (Mark 7:20–23), washing (Psalm 51:2; Ephesians 5:26), renewal (2 Corinthians 7:1).

וּ֝מִצֹּאָת֗וֹ ומצאתו צֹאַ֣ת צֹאָ֑ה צאה צאת ṣō’āh ṣō’aṯ ṣō·’āh ṣō·’aṯ tzoAh tzoAt ū·miṣ·ṣō·’ā·ṯōw ūmiṣṣō’āṯōw umitztzoaToInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts