Original Word: שְׁחִין
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shchiyn
Pronunciation: shek-heen'
Phonetic Spelling: (shekh-een')
KJV: boil, botch
NASB: boils, boil
Word Origin: [from an unused root probably meaning to burn]

1. inflammation, i.e. an ulcer

boil, botch

From an unused root probably meaning to burn; inflammation, i.e. An ulcer; --boil, botch.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a boil, eruption
NASB Translation
boil (6), boils (7).

שְׁחִין noun masculine boil, collective eruption; — on man 2 Kings 20:7 = Isaiah 38:21, רָ֑ע ׳שׁ Deuteronomy 28:35; Job 2:7; possibly leprous Leviticus 13:18,19,20, ׳צָרֶ֫בֶת הַשּׁ Leviticus 13:23 (see ׳צ; all P), in Egypt, on man and beast Exodus 9:9,10,11 (twice in verse) (all P), construct שְׁחִין מִצְרַיִם Deuteronomy 28:27.

שׁחף (√ of שַׁחֶפֶת and possibly of שַׁחַף; Arabic is pare, peel off; also affect with consumption of lungs; consumption, so Jewish-Aramaic שַׁחַפְתָּא [for שַׁחֶפֶת]).

Meaning and General Description

The Hebrew term שְׁחִין refers to an inflamed, festering sore that can appear either as a localized boil or as an eruptive skin disease covering much of the body. In Scripture the affliction is never portrayed as a mere medical inconvenience; it is always tied to a moral or covenantal issue and functions as a visible sign of the Lord’s judgment, testing, or healing mercy.

Occurrences in the Pentateuch

1. Exodus 9:9-11 records the sixth plague upon Egypt. “Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on man and beast” (Exodus 9:10). The magicians “could not stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them” (verse 11). Here the boils demonstrate Yahweh’s superiority over Egypt’s gods and expose human impotence before divine wrath.
2. Leviticus 13:18-23 places boils under priestly inspection. Once the sore healed, any residual mark had to be examined to confirm ceremonial cleanness. The passage underscores that physical impurities symbolized deeper spiritual realities, insisting on mediated restoration through priestly oversight.
3. Deuteronomy 28:27, 35 warns covenant-breaking Israel of “festering boils, scabs, and itch from which you cannot be healed” (verse 27). The threat of incurable boils serves as a deterrent, reminding the nation that obedience brings blessing and disobedience invites bodily and societal decay.

Judicial and Ritual Significance

In Exodus and Deuteronomy, boils operate as judicial signs—visible judgments issuing from the heavenly courtroom. In Leviticus they fall under ceremonial law, requiring priestly discernment between active uncleanness and healed scar tissue. The dual framework (judicial penalty and ritual impurity) teaches that sin’s consequences are both forensic and defiling, necessitating atonement and cleansing.

Covenant Blessings and Curses

Boils appear only in the curse sections of Deuteronomy 28, never in the blessing portion, highlighting their role as covenantal sanctions. The painful and “incurable” nature (Deuteronomy 28:35) illustrates the depth of alienation that rebellion brings, prefiguring the ultimate need for a Savior who can bear and remove the curse (Galatians 3:13).

Personal Suffering and Divine Testing

Job 2:7 reveals a different dimension: “So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head”. Unlike Egypt or disobedient Israel, Job is righteous, yet he suffers. The text teaches that boils can serve not only as punishment but also as a means of refining faith, exposing motives, and displaying persevering righteousness.

Healing and Divine Mercy

The last two occurrences (2 Kings 20:7; Isaiah 38:21) involve King Hezekiah. Isaiah commands a poultice of figs, “and he recovered.” The healing does not deny divine causality; rather, it shows the Lord’s willingness to reverse judgment when faith and repentance are present. The use of ordinary means (figs) alongside prophetic word exemplifies the legitimacy of medical remedies under God’s providence.

Prophetic and Typological Implications

Throughout Scripture boils serve as miniature portraits of sin: painful, spreading, and disfiguring. Their placement on skin, the most public organ, dramatizes the outward manifestation of inward corruption (Matthew 15:19-20). The incurable boils of Deuteronomy anticipate the prophetic sorrow of Jeremiah 30:12-13 (“your wound is incurable”); both texts prepare the way for the promise of a Great Physician (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).

Practical Ministry Application

1. Preaching: Boils offer vivid illustrations of sin’s deformity and Christ’s healing.
2. Pastoral Care: Hezekiah’s recovery encourages prayer, use of legitimate medicine, and trust in sovereign timing.
3. Counseling Sufferers: Job’s ordeal guards against simplistic “sickness-equals-sin” judgments while affirming God’s purposeful sovereignty.
4. Discipleship: The covenant curses urge congregations toward obedience, reminding believers that unrepented sin still invites loving but painful discipline (Hebrews 12:6).

Thus, שְׁחִין consistently bears theological weight—whether as judgment, test, or mercy—and points ultimately to the gospel hope of full cleansing and restoration in Jesus Christ.

בִּשְׁחִ֣ין בִּשְׁחִ֤ין בַּשְּׁחִ֥ין בשחין הַשְּׁחִ֑ין הַשְּׁחִ֔ין הַשְּׁחִ֖ין הַשְּׁחִין֙ השחין לִשְׁחִ֥ין לשחין שְׁחִ֑ין שְׁחִין֙ שחין baš·šə·ḥîn bashsheChin baššəḥîn biš·ḥîn bishChin bišḥîn haš·šə·ḥîn hashsheChin haššəḥîn liš·ḥîn lishChin lišḥîn šə·ḥîn šəḥîn sheChinInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts