H7686 šag̱āh To stray (from the right path)

Excerpt from The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament, “

שָׁגָה šag̱āh: A verb meaning to stray, to go astray, to err, to deceive, to wander, to make a mistake, to reel. It is primarily used to express the idea of straying or wandering. It is used frequently to describe a wandering or aimless flock, both figuratively and literally (Ezek. 34:6). Isaiah used this verb to suggest swerving, meandering, or reeling in drunkenness (Isa. 28:7). At times, it could define intoxication, not only from wine or beer but also from love (Prov. 5:19, 20). This verb also depicts moral corruption (Prov. 5:23). Deuteronomy 27:18 describes it as a reason for being cursed (i.e., leading a blind man astray). Leviticus 4:13 indicates a sin of ignorance of which the person is still guilty and must provide an atonement when knowledge of the sin is known. The word also expresses a misleading mentally (i.e., being a deceiver or the deceived). The idea of atonement for sin, even of that which is an inadvertent or unintentional sin, is a prevalent thought found in Scripture (Ezek. 45:20).”

Warren Baker and Eugene E. Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), 1101–1102.

Strong’s phonetic: shaw-gaw’