Original Word: שֹׁרֶשׁ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shoresh
Pronunciation: sho-resh
Phonetic Spelling: (sho'-resh)
NASB: roots
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H8328 (שֶׁרֶשׁ - root)]

1. root

root

(Aramaic) corresponding to sheresh -- root.

see HEBREW sheresh

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to shoresh
Definition
a root
NASB Translation
roots (3).

Overview

שֹׁרֶשׁ (Strong’s Hebrew 8330) appears three times, all in Daniel 4, where it is translated “roots.” In each instance the word describes what remains of the tree after it is cut down: a stump with living roots hidden in the earth. Within the narrative these surviving roots become the sign of hope that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom will be restored after his divinely ordained humbling. The symbol carries wider biblical resonance, joining a host of “root” passages that proclaim God’s sovereign power both to overthrow human pride and to re-establish life where judgment has fallen.

Narrative Setting in Daniel 4

1. Daniel 4:15 – In the king’s dream, the tree that shelters the world is felled, yet “leave the stump with its roots in the ground”.
2. Daniel 4:23 – The heavenly watcher repeats the decree, again stressing that the stump and roots are to remain.
3. Daniel 4:26 – Daniel interprets: “Your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules”.

The preserved roots guarantee continuity. Although the visible trunk is severed, life is latent beneath the surface. God simultaneously executes judgment and embeds a promise of renewal.

Symbolic Significance

• Humbling of Pride. The severed tree epitomizes the downfall of arrogant rulers (compare Isaiah 10:33–34). Yet the roots signify a limit to judgment, proving that the Most High cuts down but does not annihilate when His purposes include restoration.

• Hope after Discipline. By keeping the roots alive, God demonstrates that repentance opens a path back to blessing, a truth echoed throughout Scripture (2 Chronicles 7:14; Hosea 6:1–3).

• Hidden Sovereignty. Roots are unseen; so also the work of God beneath the surface of events (Habakkuk 3:4). Long before outward change appears, the Lord preserves a remnant and prepares revival.

Connections within Biblical Theology

• Remnant Motif. Isaiah speaks of a “holy seed” in the stump (Isaiah 6:13). The spared roots in Daniel mirror this principle: divine judgment leaves a core from which new growth springs.

• Messianic Expectation. “A shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1). The language anticipates Christ, whose kingdom, like Nebuchadnezzar’s restored but infinitely greater, arises after apparent ruin—the Cross preceding Resurrection.

• Eschatological Restoration. Prophetic promises of Israel’s future are often couched in root imagery (Ezekiel 17:22–24; Romans 11:16–18). Daniel’s picture of a stump rooted in the earth foreshadows the ultimate re-establishment of God’s reign over the nations.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Counseling Penitent Believers. The vision reassures those under divine discipline that God retains hidden roots of His calling; brokenness can precede flourishing.
2. Preaching on Sovereignty and Grace. Daniel 4 balances the themes of absolute authority (“Heaven rules”) with boundless mercy (“your kingdom will be restored”).
3. Leadership Accountability. Earthly power is contingent. Leaders who grasp that their “roots” are sustained only by God will serve humbly and dependently.
4. Encouragement for Church Renewal. Congregations that feel “cut down” can trust the Lord to water remaining roots (Psalm 80:8–19; John 15:1–8). Sustained prayer and repentance nurture new growth.

Historical Impact

Early Jewish and Christian interpreters viewed the spared roots as a template for exile and return. In patristic sermons the stump became a type of humanity in Adam, cut down yet preserved until the Second Adam brings restoration. During the Reformation the passage was applied to nations humbled for idolatry yet offered revival through the gospel. Contemporary missions literature likewise employs the root image to inspire hope for spiritual awakening in post-Christian cultures.

Conclusion

Though confined to a single chapter, שֹׁרֶשׁ (Strong’s 8330) provides a rich theological emblem: the living root that survives divine judgment. It announces that the God who humbles also heals, the One who fells the tree keeps the roots alive, ensuring that His redemptive plan will yet break forth in fresh fruitfulness.

שָׁרְשׁ֙וֹהִי֙ שרשוהי šā·rə·šō·w·hî šārəšōwhî shareShohiInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts