ha.sah marks a call for silence or quiet, including the act of quieting a gathered people.

The attested use chiefly gives an injunction or summons to silence in settings of secrecy, holy assembly, and speech before the LORD; one occurrence describes Caleb quieting the people before he speaks.

1. Call or command for silence · dominant

   Imperative verb forms and interjectional forms occur where silence is called for: in Judges 3:19 the king's "Silence" sends those standing by out, while in Nehemiah 8:11 the Levites tell the people, "Be silent, for the day is holy." In Habakkuk 2:20 and Zephaniah 1:7 the APB renders a call to silence before the LORD, and Amos 6:10 places "Be silent" with the warning not to remember the LORD's name. Amos 8:3 presents widespread death and bodies "cast out in silence," though the translation does not isolate the imperative form's contribution.

   Amos 6:10Amos 8:3Habakkuk 2:20Judges 3:19Nehemiah 8:11Zephaniah 1:7
2. Quieting a group before speaking · rare

   In Numbers 13:30, the Hiphil sequential imperfect form describes Caleb quieting the people before Moses; the APB then gives Caleb's call to go up and take possession of the land.

   Numbers 13:30

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously presents the clauses with "Be silent," "Silence," "keep silence," and "quieted," while Amos 8:3 has "in silence." These renderings show the verses' presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent.