H8263 — שֶׁקֶץ (sheqets)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H8263
Original: שֶׁקֶץ
Transliteration: sheqets
Pronunciation: sheh'-kets
Part of Speech: Masculine noun (n-m)
Root: H8262 שָׁקַץ (shaqats) — to be filthy, to loathe, to detest
Occurrences: 11 unique verses (11 tokens) across 3 OT books
First Occurrence: Lev 7:21 — "any abominable unclean [thing]"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From H8262 שָׁקַץ (shaqats). Filth, i.e. (figuratively and specifically) an idolatrous object — "abominable(-tion)." The noun denotes the detestable thing itself (the creature or object classified as loathsome), as distinct from the abstract moral category (H8441 to'ebah) or the idolatrous cult object (H8251 shiqquwts). Sheqets is the concrete classification label applied to creatures in the dietary/purity laws.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
an abomination	7	63.6%
abominable	2	18.2%
and the abomination	1	9.1%
even an abomination	1	9.1%

KJV renders sheqets uniformly within the "abomination" range. No translation variation reveals semantic subcategories — the English collapses all 11 uses into one gloss.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Leviticus	9	1.0
Ezekiel	1	0.1
Isaiah	1	0.1

Sheqets is overwhelmingly a Leviticus word (82% of all uses). Nine of eleven occurrences fall within Leviticus 7 and 11, the dietary/purity legislation. The two prophetic uses (Isa 66:17; Eze 8:10) recall the Levitical creature classification in contexts of apostasy — eating sheqets creatures or depicting them in illicit worship.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Aquatic Creatures Lacking Fins and Scales¶

Lev 11:10 — "all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers... they shall be an abomination (sheqets) unto you"
Lev 11:11 — "They shall be even an abomination (sheqets) unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination (sheqets)"
Lev 11:12 — "Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination (sheqets) unto you"

Three consecutive verses establish the classification criterion for aquatic creatures: fins and scales required. Those lacking them receive the sheqets label.

2. Prohibited Birds¶

Lev 11:13 — "these are they which ye shall have in abomination (sheqets) among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination (sheqets): the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray"

Certain bird species are classified as sheqets. No anatomical criterion is stated — the text provides a species list (Lev 11:13-19) introduced by this classification label.

3. Winged Swarming Creatures¶

Lev 11:20 — "All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination (sheqets) unto you"
Lev 11:23 — "But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination (sheqets) unto you"

Winged insects that walk on all fours are classified sheqets. The text carves out an exception (Lev 11:21-22) for those with jointed legs for leaping (locust, beetle, grasshopper) — these are not sheqets.

4. Land-Swarming Creatures¶

Lev 11:41 — "every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination (sheqets); it shall not be eaten"
Lev 11:42 — "Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination (sheqets)"

Ground-swarming creatures (belly-crawlers, multi-legged things) receive the sheqets classification. This section pairs sheqets with H8318 sherets ("swarming thing") — the two words co-occur in 5 of 11 verses (45%).

5. Contact Defilement (Purity-Law Context)¶

Lev 7:21 — "the soul that shall touch any unclean thing... or any abominable (sheqets) unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings... shall be cut off"

The earliest occurrence uses sheqets as an adjective-like modifier ("abominable unclean thing") within a purity ruling about contact defilement and sacrificial eligibility. A person touching a sheqets creature and then eating the peace offering is "cut off."

6. Prophetic Recall of Dietary Classification¶

Isa 66:17 — "eating swine's flesh, and the abomination (sheqets), and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD"
Eze 8:10 — "every form of creeping things, and abominable (sheqets) beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall"

Both prophetic uses recall the Levitical creature categories. Isaiah 66:17 places sheqets between swine and mouse — dietary violations at the eschatological judgment. Ezekiel 8:10 describes temple wall images of sheqets beasts alongside idols, merging creature-classification language with idolatry exposure.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
אָכַל (ʼakal)	H398	6x (55%)	"shall not eat... an abomination" — dietary prohibition
שֶׁרֶץ (sherets)	H8318	5x (45%)	"creeping thing... an abomination" — swarming creature classification
עוֹף (ʻowph)	H5775	3x (27%)	"fowls... an abomination" — prohibited bird species
אַרְבַּע (ʼarbaʻ)	H702	3x (27%)	"upon all four" — locomotion criterion
בָּשָׂר (basar)	H1320	3x (27%)	"shall not eat of their flesh" — dietary context
סְנַפִּיר (çᵉnappîyr)	H5579	2x (18%)	"fins and scales" — aquatic criterion
קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת (qasqeseth)	H7193	2x (18%)	"fins and scales" — aquatic criterion
מַיִם (mayim)	H4325	2x (18%)	"in the waters" — habitat domain
נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh)	H5315	2x (18%)	"the soul that shall touch" — defilement consequence

The collocations confirm sheqets as a dietary-classification term: over half of its verses include "eat" (akal), and nearly half include "swarming thing" (sherets). The anatomical criteria words (fins, scales, four-footed) appear repeatedly.

Word Family / Cognates¶

H8262 שָׁקַץ (shaqats) — root verb: to be filthy, to loathe, to detest; 7 occurrences. The verbal form of the same root — "ye shall not make yourselves abominable" (Lev 11:43; 20:25). The action of detesting or rendering detestable.
H8251 שִׁקּוּץ (shiqquwts) — sibling noun from same root: disgusting thing, filthy idol; 29 occurrences. An intensified form (qittul pattern) used almost exclusively for idolatrous objects — pagan deities, cult images, "the abomination of desolation" (Dan 11:31; 12:11). While sheqets classifies creatures, shiqquwts classifies idols.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
תּוֹעֵבַה (to'ebah)	H8441	"abomination" (24 shared-translation verses)	to'ebah = broad moral/ethical abomination (sexual sin, injustice, idolatry, false weights); sheqets = creature classification in purity law
פִּגּוּל (piggul)	H6292	"abominable" (2 shared-translation verses)	piggul = time-expired sacrificial flesh eaten past its lawful window (Lev 7:18; 19:7); sheqets = inherently unclean creatures
שָׁקַץ (shaqats)	H8262	"abominable" (2 shared-translation verses)	shaqats = the verb (action of detesting); sheqets = the noun (the detestable thing itself)

Semantic Domain¶

Objects — detestable/unclean things. Sheqets sits at the intersection of ritual purity and dietary law, classifying certain creatures as inherently incompatible with Israel's holy status.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
βδέλυγμα (bdelygma) G946	11	7.84	Every occurrence of sheqets → bdelygma. Total correspondence.
ἑρπετόν (herpeton) G2062	4	7.69	"Creeping thing" — not a translation of sheqets but co-occurs in the same verses
κρέας (kreas) G2907	3	6.44	"Flesh/meat" — co-occurring dietary context word
πετεινόν (peteinon) G4071	3	6.33	"Bird" — co-occurring creature classification word

The LXX translates sheqets as βδέλυγμα (bdelygma) with 100% consistency (all 11 verses). This collapses the Hebrew distinction between sheqets (creature classification) and shiqquwts (idolatrous object) and to'ebah (moral abomination) — all three map to the same Greek word. The NT βδέλυγμα therefore carries the semantic weight of all three Hebrew sources, though its usage skews toward the shiqquwts/idolatry sense (Matt 24:15; Rev 17:4-5).