---
title: צִי — a wild beast · The Tanakh dictionary
description: צִי (lemma:צִי), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 6 times: a wild beast. BDB 1906: n.m. desert-dweller or crier, yelper. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# צִי

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«צִי» in the Tanakh dictionary: **a wild beast** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 6 times · **Key:** lemma:צִי · **BDB:** צִי²

### Glosses

desert-dwellers (6)

### Meaning (OSHB)

a wild beast [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/lemma_3a_5e6_5b4_5d9/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. desert-dweller or crier, yelper [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/lemma_3a_5e6_5b4_5d9/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Je 50:39 a wild beast, proposes either desert-dweller (denom. from צִיָּה, so most), or crier, yelper (√\* צוה = ضوى \[yelp, Dozy\], BaNB 188, cf. Ew§ 146 g, note);—in any case a specif. animal, but not certainly identif.; BoHieroz. i, lib. 3, § 14, cp. Arabic ضَيْوَنٌ wild cat;—pl. צִיִּים Is 13:21 (f. אִיִּים v 22), 23:13; 34:14 (+ אִיִּים), Je 50:39 (id.; all betokening desolation); לְעַם לְצ׳ ψ 74:14 (read לְעַם צ׳ Hup-Now Bae); appar. of people 72:9, but prob. corrupt, Ol conj. צָרִים (‖ אֹיְבָיו), and so most moderns.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 6 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «צִי» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/lemma_3a_5e6_5b4_5d9/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 72:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.72.9/)

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לְ֭פָנָיו יִכְרְע֣וּ צִיִּ֑ים וְ֝אֹיְבָ֗יו עָפָ֥ר יְלַחֵֽכוּ׃

*Word for word:* before him they.will.bow.down desert-dwellers and enemies his dust they.will.lick.up

*JPS 1917:* Let them that dwell in the wilderness bow before him; and his enemies lick the dust.

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[Psalms 74:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.74.14/)

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אַתָּ֣ה רִ֭צַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֣י לִוְיָתָ֑ן תִּתְּנֶ֥נּוּ מַ֝אֲכָ֗ל לְעָ֣ם לְצִיִּֽים׃

*Word for word:* you you.crushed the.heads of.Leviathan you gave.it food to a.people to desert-dwellers

*JPS 1917:* Thou didst crush the heads of leviathan, Thou gavest him to be food to the folk inhabiting the wilderness.

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