Original Word: שָׁחִיס
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shachiyc
Pronunciation: shah-KHEES or sah-KHEESH
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-khece')
KJV: (that) which springeth of the same
Word Origin: [from an unused root apparently meaning to sprout]

1. after-growth

that which springs of the same

Or cachiysh {saw-kheesh'}; from an unused root apparently meaning to sprout; after-growth -- (that) which springeth of the same.

Word Origin
the same as sachish, q.v.

סָחִישׁ noun [masculine] grain that shoots up of itself in 2nd year (√ unknown); — "" סָפִיחַ, 2 Kings 19:29 (= שָׁחִיס "" Isaiah 37:30); on use of this for food, compare Strabo^{xi. 4, 3} (of Albanians).

Agricultural Background

In the dry-farming culture of ancient Judah, grain that reseeded itself after the harvest was prized during seasons of disruption. The first year’s volunteer crop sprang from seed that had fallen to the ground; the second year’s “after-growth” emerged from roots that had lain dormant through the previous cycle. שָׁחִיס designates this dependable yet unintended second-year produce. Because it required no plowing or sowing, it served as a mercy provision when fields could not be cultivated.

Occurrences and Historical Setting

The term appears only in 2 Kings 19:29 and Isaiah 37:30, two parallel accounts set during Sennacherib’s invasion:

• “This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from that; but in the third year you will sow and reap, you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.” (2 Kings 19:29)

Assyrian armies had overrun Judean farmlands, making normal agriculture impossible. Through Isaiah God promised three stages of restoration:

1. Year one – volunteer grain (שָׂפִיחַ).
2. Year two – after-growth (שָׁחִיס).
3. Year three – a full return to regular sowing and reaping.

The prophecy guaranteed that even while siege and war raged, the Lord would feed His people without their usual labor, and that the nation would soon resume ordinary life.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Sovereignty in Provision

The natural resilience of the land underlines that creation itself answers to God’s covenant purposes. Judah’s survival did not hinge on Hezekiah’s diplomacy or military strength but on the Creator who can bring forth food from neglected soil.

2. Continuity with Sabbath-Year Ideals

Leviticus 25:4–7 ordered Israel to let the land rest every seventh year, living on what “the land itself produces.” שָׁחִיס embodies that same principle of rest-based trust. By mirroring a sabbatical rhythm under crisis, the sign reminded Judah that the God of Sinai remained present in history.

3. A Token of Future Fruitfulness

The sequence from volunteer grain to cultivated harvest symbolizes movement from survival to abundance. It assured the house of David that the Assyrian threat was temporary and that covenant promises concerning Zion would outlast every empire.

Ministry Applications

• Encouragement in Transitional Seasons

Congregations facing upheaval can draw hope from God’s pledge to sustain His people with “after-growth” until full fruitfulness returns.
• Teaching on Sabbath Rest

שָׁחִיס offers a concrete illustration for sermons on sabbatical principles—resting in God’s provision rather than striving in human strength.
• Missional Perspective

Just as second-year grain fed Judah without cultivation, so the Spirit often supplies unexpected resources for gospel ministry when circumstances prevent conventional methods.

Related Biblical Themes

Volunteer produce: Leviticus 25:11, 25:20-22

God’s signs to confirm deliverance: Exodus 3:12; Judges 6:36-40

Assyrian crisis and divine protection: 2 Kings 19; Isaiah 36–37

Summary

שָׁחִיס appears only twice, yet it powerfully communicates God’s ability to nourish His people through extraordinary means, to honor the rhythms He Himself established, and to signal a coming season of renewed planting, reaping, and rejoicing.

סָחִ֑ישׁ סחיש שָׁחִ֑יס שחיס sā·ḥîš šā·ḥîs saChish sāḥîš šāḥîs shaChisInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts