בׇּאְשָׁה
stink-weed or any other noxious or useless plant
Definition
בׇּאְשָׁה (boʼshâh) refers to a stink-weed or any other noxious, foul-smelling, and useless plant that infests cultivated fields. It is a specific type of undesirable growth that ruins a crop, likely a weed known for its offensive odor and detrimental effect on agriculture. In its sole biblical occurrence, Job 31:40, it symbolizes the cursed and unfruitful result of wrongdoing, contrasting with the desired harvest of wheat and barley. The term broadly encompasses plants that are both worthless and repulsive.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in Job 31:40. It appears in the context of Job's final oath of innocence, where he pronounces a self-curse: 'Let thorns grow instead of wheat, and stink-weed (בׇּאְשָׁה) instead of barley.' Its usage is poetic and metaphorical, representing the ultimate agricultural disaster and the barren, cursed consequences of sin.
Etymology
The noun בׇּאְשָׁה is the feminine form of the root בְּאֹשׁ (be'osh, H889), which means 'a foul smell' or 'stench.' It is directly derived from the verb בָּאַשׁ (ba'ash, H887), meaning 'to have a bad smell, to stink.' Thus, the word's core meaning is built on the concept of foul odor, extending to plants that are characterized by and named for their repulsive smell.
Semantic Range
Though used only once, this word carries significant theological weight in its context. In Job 31:40, it is not merely a botanical term but a powerful metaphor for the cursed outcomes of unrighteousness. Job uses it to underscore the sincerity of his oath—he is so confident in his integrity that he invokes the most devastating agricultural blight as the fitting penalty for any hidden sin. It enriches the reading by connecting physical barrenness and foulness to spiritual corruption and divine judgment.
In an ancient agrarian society like Israel, a plant that ruined crops and smelled foul was a direct threat to survival and prosperity. The 'stink-weed' represented economic loss, failed labor, and potential hunger. Its mention would immediately evoke a strong sense of undesirability and curse, far more potently than for a modern reader. The KJV translation as 'cockle' reflects an early understanding of it as a specific, troublesome weed in grain fields.
דַּרְדַּר (dardar, H1863) — 'thistle'; a prickly, troublesome weed. חוֹחַ (choach, H2336) — 'thorn, brier'; a general term for thorny plants. שָׁמִיר (shamir, H8068) — 'brier, thorn'; often used for hard, sharp weeds.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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