The first occurrence.
They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter. Job 24:8
The primitive root.
Strong’s H4268 machaceh, a concrete noun meaning “refuge;” from Strong’s H2620 חסה chacah, a primitive root meaning, “to seek or find refuge.” The 3-letter root is chet + sin + hey.
chet ח = the wall, thus outside, divide, half
sin ס = the thorn, thus grab, hate, protect
hey ה = man w/ raised arms, thus look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath
The story: When the wall (chet) which protects (sin) is found (hey, in the sense of pointing out a discovery). Our English word “house” comes from the CH-S root.
Why do you call samech sin?
I googled this endlessly and cannot find a concensus. They are different letters with the same “s” sound? Also I read somewhere Ephraims tribe was distinguishable by using “th” sound for sin instead of “s” and English sure has a lot of “th”at ?? . Prophetic?? Please shed light on this. “Th”anks .Jennah
Jennah, According to the Ancient Hebrew Research Center, the original pictograph for the thorn, the “s” sound, was called “sin.” It was similar in sound to the original pictograph for the two front teeth, the “sh” sound, which was called “shin.” I don’t know anything about “th” for “s” at present, but Dr. Benner at the Ancient Hebrew Research Center might.