HISS, a sound made by rapidly expelling the air between tongue and teeth, a gesture of special meaning in many Near Eastern cultures. Occurs only in the OT, Heb. שָׁרַק, H9239, “to hiss,” “to whistle” (1 Kings 9:8; Jer 19:8). Apparently the hissing was a gesture of derision or possibly surprise. Hissing to attract attention is noted in Isaiah 5:26, et al. The VSS vary between “hissing” and “whistling” in their tr. The noun appears in Jeremiah 19:8 along with the verb; it is a sign of horror and may be a gesture to ward off evil. The noun, שְׁרֵקָה, H9240, appears four times in Jeremiah, once in 2 Chronicles 29:8, and Micah 6:16. In all passages it appears with Heb. שַׁמָּה֒, H9014, “desolation,” “horror,” “ruin” and the like.