Original Word: שָׁרַק
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: sharaq
Pronunciation: sha-RAK
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-rak')
KJV: hiss
NASB: hiss, whistle
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to be shrill, i.e. to whistle or hiss (as a call or in scorn)

hiss

A primitive root; properly, to be shrill, i.e. To whistle or hiss (as a call or in scorn) -- hiss.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to hiss, whistle, pipe
NASB Translation
hiss (9), whistle (3).

שָׁרַק verb hiss, perhaps also whistle, pipe (Late Hebrew id., hiss (dubious), Aramaic שְׁרֵיק id. ᵑ7 Leviticus 2:15,16, id.; — from ׳שׁ comes Greek σῦριγξ according to Lag^{Abh GGW xxvi. 38} Lewy^Fremdw.165); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular consecutive ׳וְשׁ Isaiah 5:26, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יִשְׁרֹק Isaiah 7:18 + (Job 27:23 read יִשְׁרְקוּ Me Bi Siegf Bu); 1 singular אֶשְׁרְקָה Zechariah 10:8; — hiss, as signal, ל person, figurative, ׳י subject: Isaiah 5:26; Isaiah 7:18; Zechariah 10:1; in derision, עַל civitat., etc. (often + שָׁמֵם be astounded), Jeremiah 19:8; Jeremiah 49:17; Jeremiah 50:13; Lamentations 2:15 (+ הֵנִיעַ ראֹשׁ), Ezekiel 27:36; absolute Zephaniah 2:15; Lamentations 2:16; 1 Kings 9:8 (+ חָרַק שֵׁן); עַל person Job 27:23 (with מִן local).

שׁרק (ᵑ7 שְׁרֵיק, Syriac , Biblical Hebrew שָׁרַק hiss, whistle (onomatopoetic).

Root Imagery and Semantic Range

שָׁרַק evokes the sharp, piercing sound of whistling or hissing. In pastoral life it pictured a shepherd’s whistle summoning distant sheep; in public settings it described a hiss of derision. Scripture applies the verb both positively—God whistling to gather—and negatively—nations hissing in scorn. The vivid onomatopoeia communicates immediate attention, either for rescue or for ridicule.

Occurrences and Theological Themes

1. Kings 9:8; Jeremiah 19:8; Jeremiah 49:17; Jeremiah 50:13; Lamentations 2:15; Lamentations 2:16; Ezekiel 27:36; Zephaniah 2:15 – National Desolation and Scorn

“Everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will hiss, saying, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this house?’” (1 Kings 9:8). When Israel or surrounding peoples despised covenant faithfulness, God warned that their ruined sites would provoke a contemptuous hiss from on-lookers. The verb magnifies the shame of covenant breach: judgment would not remain a private grief but a public spectacle, showcasing the justice of God before the nations.

Job 27:23 reflects the same connotation on a personal level: “It claps its hands at him and hisses at him from its place.” The sufferer anticipates that wickedness ends in disgrace, reinforcing that God’s moral order applies both to nations and individuals.

2. Isaiah 5:26; Isaiah 7:18 – Divine Summons of Foreign Armies

“He lifts a banner for distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 5:26). Here שָׁרַק portrays Yahweh summoning instruments of judgment as effortlessly as a shepherd signals sheep. The whistle crosses borders; the Lord of hosts commands global reach. Isaiah 7:18 intensifies the image by doubling it: God will “whistle for the fly that is at the farthest streams of the Nile, and for the bee in the land of Assyria.” Swarming insects symbolize Egyptians and Assyrians, marshaled by the divine whistle to discipline Judah.

3. Zechariah 10:8 – Restoration and Gathering

“I will whistle for them to gather, for I have redeemed them; they will be as numerous as they once were” (Zechariah 10:8). The same sound that once summoned adversaries now gathers God’s scattered people. Redemption reverses judgment’s shame. The covenant relationship, though fractured, can be restored when the Lord whistles not in wrath but in mercy.

Covenantal Implications

The verb punctuates Deuteronomic covenant theology. Blessing flows from obedience; disobedience invites curses so conspicuous that foreign onlookers hiss in astonishment (compare Deuteronomy 28:37). The historical books and prophets show Israel living out that chart: glory under David and Solomon, then exile and ruin provoking international derision exactly as warned. שָׁרַק functions as an audit trail of covenant faithfulness and failure.

Pastoral and Ministry Significance

Shepherding Metaphor: Ministers may view Zechariah 10:8 as an encouragement that God Himself calls and gathers His redeemed. Evangelistic appeal rests not on human persuasion alone but on the piercing, summoning initiative of the Lord.

Warning against Complacency: The hissing of nations around ruins (1 Kings 9:8) cautions churches and believers against presuming upon past glory. Public disgrace can follow private decline; faithful obedience guards corporate testimony.

Assurance amidst Opposition: When scorn falls upon the people of God (Lamentations 2:16), Scripture reminds us that derision fulfills predicted consequences and is neither random nor final. Christ bore the ultimate hiss of mockery (Matthew 27:29-30), transforming it into redemption.

Prophetic Echoes into the New Testament

While שָׁרַק itself does not reappear in the Greek text, its themes resonate. Jesus speaks of gathering His elect “from the four winds” (Mark 13:27), echoing Zechariah’s whistle. Paul depicts believers as a spectacle to the world (1 Corinthians 4:9), paralleling the public gaze of hissing nations. Hebrews 12:5-11 frames divine discipline in a redeeming purpose, mirroring the transition from judgmental hissing to restorative whistling.

Conclusion

Shāraq condenses a spectrum of covenant experience: God’s whistle can call hostile armies or welcome home repentant exiles; the hiss of spectators exposes covenant infidelity yet vindicates divine justice. For contemporary faith and ministry, the word challenges sober reverence toward God’s holiness, confident hope in His redeeming initiative, and vigilant stewardship of public witness.

אֶשְׁרְקָ֥ה אשרקה וְיִשְׁרֹ֖ק וְיִשְׁרֹ֥ק וְשָׁ֥רַק וְשָׁרָ֑ק וישרק ושרק יִשְׁרֹ֖ק יִשְׁרֹ֤ק ישרק שָֽׁרְקוּ֙ שָׁרְק֖וּ שרקו ’eš·rə·qāh ’ešrəqāh eshreKah šā·rə·qū šārəqū shareKu veshaRak veyishRok wə·šā·raq wə·šā·rāq wə·yiš·rōq wəšāraq wəšārāq wəyišrōq yiš·rōq yishRok yišrōqInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts