Tsiyim, doubtfully referred to tsiydh, "drought," occurs in prophecies of the desolation of Babylon in
Isa 13:21 ("wild beasts of the desert") and
Jer 50:39, of Edom in
Isa 34:14, of Assyria in
Isa 23:13 ("them that dwell in the wilderness"). It is associated in these passages with names of wild beasts and birds, some of them of very doubtful meaning, such as tannim, ochim, iyim, seirim, benoth yaanah. Wild beasts of some sort are clearly meant, though the kind can only be conjectured. The word occurs in
Ps 74:14 ("the people inhabiting the wilderness") where it is possible to understand "beasts" instead of people. It occurs also in
Ps 72:9 ("they that dwell in the wilderness"), where it seems necessary to understand "men." If the reading stands, it is not easy to reconcile this passage with the others.