8357. shethah
Lexical Summary
shethah: Surface, expanse, field

Original Word: שֵׁתָה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shethah
Pronunciation: SHEH-tah
Phonetic Spelling: (shay-thaw')
KJV: buttock
Word Origin: [from H7896 (שִׁיתּ - set)]

1. the seat (of the person)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
buttock

From shiyth; the seat (of the person) -- buttock.

see HEBREW shiyth

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
the same as sheth, q.v.

Brown-Driver-Briggs
III. שֵׁת noun [masculine] seat (of body), buttocks (compare Late Hebrew שִׁית, Aramaic foundation; compare [שָׁת] p. 1011; NöM 98); — absolute ׳שׁ Isaiah 20:4; plural suffix שְׁתוֺתֵיהֶם 2 Samuel 10:4.

III. שׁתה (√ of following; Aramaic שְׁתִי, weave (Judges 16:13 ᵑ7 ᵑ6); textura; compare Arabic , , set the warp).

Topical Lexicon
Term Overview

Shētāh denotes the buttocks, especially as bared through the tearing or cutting away of the lower garment. Both occurrences in Scripture present the exposure as a calculated act of humiliation.

Scriptural Occurrences

2 Samuel 10:4 – Hanun “cut off their garments at the buttocks and sent them away”, disgracing David’s ambassadors.
Isaiah 20:4 – Assyria will lead captives “naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame”.

Cultural Background of Shame and Nakedness

In the Ancient Near East, modest dress signified personal honor and social standing. Exposing the buttocks equated to stripping someone of dignity, rendering him powerless before onlookers. Such shame could be inflicted by cutting the tunic (as in 2 Samuel) or parading captives unclothed (as in Isaiah).

Theological Significance

Public nakedness in Scripture regularly signals judgment and disgrace (Genesis 3:10-11; Nahum 3:5). Shētāh, therefore, embodies:
• Judgment on the proud (Isaiah 20) – mighty nations fall under God’s hand.
• Contempt for God’s representatives (2 Samuel 10) – disrespect toward the Lord’s people invites divine retaliation.

Prophetic Dimension

Isaiah’s sign-act foreshadows the Assyrian conquest and anticipates the universal exposure of human pride before God (Hebrews 4:13). The image urges nations and individuals alike to seek refuge in the LORD rather than political alliances.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

1. Humiliation can precede divine vindication. David’s shamed envoys ultimately saw their king triumph (2 Samuel 12:26-31).
2. Guarding human dignity reflects God’s image. Any act that degrades another person is a moral affront.
3. Understanding cultural shame helps modern believers minister cross-culturally, offering the gospel’s promise of restored honor (Galatians 3:28).

Christological Reflection

The exposure involved in crucifixion (Hebrews 12:2) echoes the shame of shētāh, yet Jesus bore that humiliation to clothe believers in righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). Thus, the term’s imagery finds its ultimate reversal in the Cross.

Related Motifs for Further Study

Nakedness and shame – Exodus 32:25; Revelation 3:18

Captivity imagery – Deuteronomy 28:36; Luke 21:24

Honor versus disgrace – Proverbs 3:35; Romans 9:33

Summary

Shētāh appears only twice, yet it provides a vivid lens on honor, shame, and divine sovereignty. It warns of the disgrace awaiting those who oppose God while pointing to the covering granted to all who trust in His redemptive work.

Forms and Transliterations
שְׁתֽוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם שֵׁ֖ת שת שתותיהם šə·ṯō·w·ṯê·hem šêṯ šəṯōwṯêhem shet shetoteiHem
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Samuel 10:4
HEB: בַּחֵ֖צִי עַ֣ד שְׁתֽוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵֽם׃
KJV: in the middle, [even] to their buttocks, and sent them away.
INT: the middle far their buttocks and sent

Isaiah 20:4
HEB: וְיָחֵ֑ף וַחֲשׂוּפַ֥י שֵׁ֖ת עֶרְוַ֥ת מִצְרָֽיִם׃
KJV: and barefoot, even with [their] buttocks uncovered,
INT: and barefoot uncovered with buttocks to the shame of Egypt

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8357
2 Occurrences


šêṯ — 1 Occ.
šə·ṯō·w·ṯê·hem — 1 Occ.

8356
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