Lexical Summary shathan: To urinate Original Word: שָׁתַן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance piss A primitive root; (causatively) to make water, i.e. Urinate -- piss. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origindenominative verb from shayin Definition to urinate NASB Translation every (3), male* (6). Brown-Driver-Briggs [שָׁתַן] verb Hiph`il urinate (secondary √ from above); — Participle מַשְׁתִּין בְּקִיר (i.e. a male person) 1 Samuel 25:22,34; 1 Kings 14:10; 1 Kings 16:11; 1 Kings 21:21; 2 Kings 9:8 (all of exterminating a family). שׁיר (√ of following, compare NöZMG xxxvii (1883), 537). Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Idiomatic Force שָׁתַן appears only in the stereotyped phrase “one who urinates against the wall,” an earthy idiom that marks out a male. Far from casual vulgarity, the expression functions as a vivid forensic marker: the entire male line of a household is placed under sentence of elimination. The image of a male relieving himself while standing is concrete, memorable, and unmistakably gender-specific; its rhetorical power lies in evoking the total extinction of a family’s future and its name within Israel. Occurrences and Narrative Settings 1 Samuel 25:22, 34 – David, enraged by Nabal’s insult, vows to annihilate every male of Nabal’s household before Abigail’s intercession averts bloodshed. 1 Kings 14:10 – Ahijah prophesies that the house of Jeroboam will lose “every male in Israel, both slave and free.” 1 Kings 16:11 – Zimri, after assassinating Elah, “struck down all the household of Baasha,” fulfilling the earlier prophetic word. 1 Kings 21:21 – Elijah pronounces the same formula against Ahab after Naboth’s vineyard is seized. 2 Kings 9:8 – Jehu receives an identical promise concerning the house of Ahab. In every scene the phrase rises during watershed moments of covenant judgment, underscoring Yahweh’s resolve to excise rebellious leadership from His people. Historical and Covenant Context Ancient Near Eastern dynasties stood or fell with the production of male heirs. By targeting “every male,” the Lord declares not merely the death of individuals but the assured collapse of dynastic continuity. For Israel, whose tribal allotments and royal legitimacy rested on patrilineal descent, such a verdict meant the erasure of a name from land, memory, and Messianic possibility (compare Deuteronomy 25:6). The repetition of the formula against Jeroboam, Baasha, and Ahab traces a theological arc: idolatry and injustice fracture covenant loyalty, and divine justice responds with decisive, lineage-level consequences. Theological Significance of Male Line Judgment 1. Covenant Fidelity: The judgments make plain that kings who lead Israel into sin threaten the covenant community itself; God therefore severs their line to protect His redemptive purposes. Translation Choices and Reverent Speech Modern English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, render the idiom as “every male,” choosing clarity over literalism while retaining the full scope of judgment. This demonstrates responsible translation: capturing intent, guarding reverence, and avoiding unnecessary offense. Yet the starkness of the original phrase should not be lost on readers; it conveys a seriousness that more generic language might soften. Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Divine Jealousy for Holiness: Leaders who despise God’s law endanger their followers and their descendants. Teaching on these texts confronts complacency in spiritual leadership today (James 3:1). Conclusion שָׁתַן serves as more than a colloquialism; it is a theological signpost. In six strategic passages the phrase brands covenant infidelity with a verdict of irreversible loss, validating the prophets, safeguarding redemptive history, and admonishing every generation to walk in humble obedience before the God who both forms and ends dynasties according to His righteous will. Forms and Transliterations מַשְׁתִּ֣ין מַשְׁתִּ֥ין משתין maš·tîn mashTin maštînLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 25:22 HEB: עַד־ הַבֹּ֖קֶר מַשְׁתִּ֥ין בְּקִֽיר׃ NAS: I leave [as much as] one male of any KJV: light any that pisseth against the wall. INT: by morning pisseth the wall 1 Samuel 25:34 1 Kings 14:10 1 Kings 16:11 1 Kings 21:21 2 Kings 9:8 6 Occurrences |