The word בסוב (b’sov / ba’sov) is real, rare, and richly poetic—a beautiful anomaly in the Hebrew language. Though largely absent from modern spoken or written usage, it holds a quiet power that deserves revival. Rooted in the biblical verb לסוב (“to turn, swirl, circle”), it offers a vivid way to express motion, transition, and cultural shifts: “in the turn of…”, “at the swirl of…”, or “where things shift.” The original Hebrew is בסוב (without niqqud), or בַּסוֹב / בְּסוֹב (with niqqud), pronounced /bə‑sōv/ and /ba‑sōv/.

The word בסוב is virtually nonexistent in modern Hebrew, but it makes a notable appearance in 1957 in the poem “בסוב הרוח” (“In the Turning of the Wind”) by Israeli poet Nathan Alterman (1910–1970). This poem is the sixth in his מלחמת ערים (“War of Cities”) cycle, where בסוב evokes ideological upheaval and a poetic storm. The phrase בסוב הרוח (b’sov ha-ruach) appears—translated variously as “in the swirling of the wind,” “as the wind swirled,” or “when the wind turned.” This poetic usage evokes a transitional moment—a shift carried by an invisible force.

The nature of the word is poetic and archaic—used almost exclusively in high literary or biblical-infused registers.

The elegance of בסוב lies in its ambiguity. It can express:

בסוב comes from the Hebrew root סב״ב (Samekh–Bet–Bet), which conveys the........

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