6708. tsechichi

Lexical Summary

tsechichi: Parched, dry

Original Word: צְחִיחִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tschiychiy
Pronunciation: tse-khee-khee
Phonetic Spelling: (tsekh-ee-khee')
KJV: higher place
Word Origin: [from H6706 (צְּחִיַח - bare)]

1. bare spot, i.e. in the glaring sun

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

higher place

From tschiyach; bare spot, i.e. In the glaring sun -- higher place.

see HEBREW tschiyach

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
see tsachiach.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Imagery

צְחִיחִי depicts a spot that is laid bare, an open stretch where natural protection is absent. In the single biblical occurrence the term evokes vulnerability—portions of Jerusalem’s wall left uncovered and unfortified. The picture is of ground so exposed that the enemy could rush straight in unless defenders were posted there.

Biblical Occurrence

Nehemiah 4:13: “So I stationed men behind the lowest points of the wall, the exposed areas, posting them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.”

Historical Setting

The year is approximately 445 BC. Nehemiah has returned from Persia with royal permission to rebuild Jerusalem’s shattered defenses. Opposition from surrounding governors (Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites) mounts as construction progresses. Their combined threats make every gap in the wall a potential breach. צְחִיחִי pinpoints those weak spots where a hostile force could burst through and halt the restoration of the covenant city. Nehemiah’s response—placing armed families directly in front of the exposed ground—reveals both his strategic acumen and his conviction that God’s people must actively guard what God has entrusted to them.

Strategic Significance

1. Assessing Reality: Before assigning labor, Nehemiah walks the length of the wall at night (Nehemiah 2:15). He sees the צְחִיחִי for himself, teaching leaders today to evaluate vulnerabilities honestly.
2. Mobilizing Families: Instead of professional soldiers alone, whole households stand together. This intertwines civic duty, worship, and family discipleship; every father, mother, and youth learns to wield both trowel and sword (Nehemiah 4:17).
3. Blending Prayer and Preparedness: Nehemiah’s plan balances faith (“Our God will fight for us,” Nehemiah 4:20) with vigilance (“we prayed to our God and posted a guard,” Nehemiah 4:9). The presence of צְחִיחִי forces the community to marry dependence on God with responsible action.

Theological Themes

• Vulnerability and Watchfulness: Scripture repeatedly calls God’s people to shore up breaches (Ezekiel 13:5; Isaiah 58:12). צְחִיחִי illustrates the truth that spiritual negligence invites attack, whereas alertness preserves covenant blessing.
• Corporate Responsibility: The exposed places were not assigned to isolated individuals; families and clans stood shoulder to shoulder, demonstrating the principle that communal fidelity protects individual wellbeing (compare Ephesians 4:16).
• Salvation Paralleled in Walls: Isaiah 60:18 envisions a future where God makes “your walls Salvation.” Until that consummation, the existence of צְחִיחִי reminds believers of the need for ongoing defense against sin and opposition (1 Peter 5:8).

Ministry Applications

1. Identify the Exposed Places: Churches and households should conduct honest assessments—doctrinal gaps, neglected prayer, unguarded relationships—where an adversary could exploit weakness.
2. Station the Families: Spiritual formation begins at home. Fathers, mothers, and children can serve together in worship, service, and witness, converting potential breaches into lines of strength.
3. Combine Prayer with Practical Safeguards: Fasting, intercession, sound policies, and accountable fellowship parallel Nehemiah’s armed watchmen.
4. Maintain Continuous Vigilance: Even after the wall was joined, half the laborers carried weapons (Nehemiah 4:17). Likewise, a church that has experienced renewal must remain alert lest old vulnerabilities reopen.

Christological Reflection

Every exposed place in ancient Jerusalem anticipated the ultimate Defender. Jesus Christ stood in the gap no one else could fill (Isaiah 59:16), bearing the assault of sin and death on the cross. In Him believers find the perfect wall of salvation; yet until His return, the pattern modeled in Nehemiah—faith expressed through watchful obedience—remains the mandate.

Summary

צְחִיחִי, though occurring only once, captures a perennial reality: God’s people live amid threats that exploit whatever is left unguarded. Nehemiah’s swift action at the exposed places of Jerusalem’s wall calls every generation to discern its own vulnerabilities, stand together in faith and readiness, and trust the Lord who both commands vigilance and provides ultimate security.

Forms and Transliterations

בַּצְּחִיחִ֑ים בצחיחים baṣ·ṣə·ḥî·ḥîm baṣṣəḥîḥîm batztzechiChim

Englishman's Concordance

Nehemiah 4:13
HEB: [בַּצְּחִחִיִּים כ] (בַּצְּחִיחִ֑ים ק) וָֽאַעֲמִ֤יד
INT: behind the wall higher place stationed the people

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6708
1 Occurrence

baṣ·ṣə·ḥî·ḥîm — 1 Occ.