סָרַח III (v. precd.; cmp. רִיחַ) to evaporate, be decomposed; to decay; to smell badly.—Part. pass. סָרוּחַ; f. סְרוּחָה; pl. סְרוּחִים, סְרוּחִין; סְרוּחוֹת. Ter. III, 1; a. fr.—Trnsf. a) (cmp. חָמַץ) to sin, offend. Snh. 71ᵇ; Keth. 45ᵃ סָרְחָה ולבסוף בגרה if she sinned (had intercourse) and afterwards became of age. Num. R. s. 13 אם אינה סוֹרַחַת … ואם סורחת מלקה (not סוחרת) is she (the ass whom he rides) is not mischievous, he does not strike her, but if she is, he strikes her; Yalk. Lev. 554; Yalk. Prov. 959. Ib. שאם יִסְרַח יהא וכ׳ to chastise him with them in case he should offend. Yoma 75ᵃ הוא ס׳ עלי he (my husband) acted offensively towards me; היא סרחה וכ׳ she acted offensively &c. Ib. 77ᵃ סרחה אומתך thy people has degenerated. Midr. Till. to Ps. VI סרחה עליו מדינתו one of his provinces rebelled against him. Ex. R. s. 43 סָרַחְתָּ כל הסרחון הזה וכ׳ thou hast done all that mischief, and thou criest? Ex. R. s. 42 לא היה לכם לִסְרוֹחַ וכ׳ you ought not to have sinned either on the second or the third day, but must you sin on the very first day?; a. fr.—b) to become senseless (cmp. טַעַם); to be stupid. Sot. IX, 15 (49ᵇ) והכמות סופרים תִּסְרַח (or תִּסָּרֵחַ Nif.) and the wisdom of the scholars shall become vapid (v. Jer. XLIX, 7); Snh. 97ᵃ; Cant. R. to II, 13; Yalk. Am. 549.—Part. pass. as ab. Cant. R. to IV, 8 דיעה ס׳ וכ׳ that senseless fool &c., v. דֵּעָה. Num. R. s. 20; Tanḥ. Bal. 9 (ref. to the peculiar expression inNum. XXII, 29) אע"פ … לשונו ס׳ even when speaking the sacred tongue, the gentile’s speech is tasteless (or obscene).
Nif. - נִסְרַח to become vapid, be stupid. Ḥag. 5ᵇ (ref. to Jer. l. c.) כיון שאבדה … נִסְרַחַת וכ׳ when counsel was gone from the children (of Israel), the wisdom of the nations became vapid.