סָפָה

çâphâh /saw-faw'/ Ask about this word
Roota primitive root · properly, to scrape (literally, to shave; but usually figuratively) together (i.e. to accumulate or increase) or away (i.e. to scatter, remove, or ruin; intransitively, to perish)
KJV usageadd, augment, consume, destroy, heap, join, perish, put.
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Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word çâphâh, represented by H5595, is a primitive root with a dualistic meaning. It appears 20 times in 20 unique verses. The word's core idea is to scrape, which can be understood figuratively as scraping together to accumulate and increase, or scraping away to scatter, remove, or destroy. This results in it being translated as add, augment, consume, destroy, heap, join, and perish.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical usage, H5595 captures both the act of accumulation and the act of eradication. It is used to describe the compounding of wrongdoing, as in the warning to "add sin to sin" Isaiah 30:1 or "to add drunkenness to thirst" Deuteronomy 29:19. Conversely, it frequently signifies total destruction or consumption as a form of judgment or consequence. In the account of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham asks God, "Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" Genesis 18:23, and Lot is warned to escape "lest thou be consumed" Genesis 19:17. It also describes a personal fear of death, as when David says in his heart, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul" 1 Samuel 27:1.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words further explore the theme of destruction and finality:

  • H3615 kâlâh: A primitive root meaning to end, be finished, perish, or consume. It is used to describe how God's compassions "fail not" Lamentations 3:22.
  • H4191 mûwth: This primitive root means to die or, causatively, to kill. It carries the weight of ultimate finality, as established in the Garden of Eden with the command, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" Genesis 2:17.
  • H7843 shâchath: Meaning to decay or ruin, this word often denotes corruption or destruction. It is used when God declares his intent to bring a flood "to destroy all flesh" from the earth Genesis 6:17.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H5595 is significant, often illustrating the direct link between actions and their consequences.

  • The Accumulation of Guilt: The word is used to show how negative actions build upon each other. This is seen when rebellious counsel is said to "add sin to sin" Isaiah 30:1 or when a new generation is warned against augmenting the "fierce anger of the LORD" Numbers 32:14.
  • Divine Judgment: A primary use of H5595 is to describe destruction as a result of wickedness. The warning for Israel is that if they "do wickedly, ye shall be consumed" 1 Samuel 12:25. Similarly, the land mourns and beasts "are consumed" because of the wickedness of the inhabitants Jeremiah 12:4.
  • Peril and Ruin: The word encapsulates the state of being at risk of utter ruin. This applies to individuals, like the poor man who "is destroyed for want of judgment" Proverbs 13:23, and to communities, as when people are warned to separate from the wicked "lest ye be consumed in all their sins" Numbers 16:26.

Summary

In summary, H5595 is a powerful word that conveys a dynamic of cause and effect. It demonstrates how things can be scraped together—whether it be sins or years—or scraped away entirely. From the act of heaping mischiefs Deuteronomy 32:23 to the threat of being utterly consumed Genesis 19:15, çâphâh illustrates a core biblical principle: that accumulation can lead directly to destruction, and that actions, whether individual or collective, carry the potential for ruin.

Grammatical Forms

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 21 occurrences, inflected in 12 grammatical forms.

  • Qal Infinitive Construct 4×
  • Niphal Participle Singular Masculine Absolute 3×
  • Niphal Imperfect 2nd Plural Masculine 2×
  • Niphal Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 2×
  • Qal Imperative 2nd Plural Masculine 2×
  • Qal Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 2×
  • Hiphil Imperfect 1st Singular common gender 1×
  • Niphal Consecutive Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×
  • Niphal Imperfect 1st Singular common gender 1×
  • Qal Consecutive Perfect 3rd Plural common gender 1×
  • Qal Imperfect 3rd Singular Feminine 1×
  • Qal Perfect 3rd Singular Feminine 1×
Singular
One.
Plural
More than one.
Masculine
Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine
Feminine grammatical gender.
common gender
Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
1st
First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
2nd
Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd
Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect
Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Perfect
A completed act whose results continue.
Imperative
A command or entreaty.
Infinitive
The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle
A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
Qal
The simple, basic stem — plain action in the active voice.
Niphal
Simple passive or reflexive of the Qal.
Hiphil
The causative stem — the subject causes the action.
Consecutive Perfect
Perfect with vav — continues a sequence into the future.
Absolute
The independent form of a noun (not bound to another).
Construct
Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".

Theographic Context

Biblical Distribution

Appears in 20 verses across 9 books. Most frequent in Genesis (4 verses).

4
Genesis
2
Numbers
2
Deuteronomy
3
1 Samuel
1
1 Chronicles
1
Psalms
1
Proverbs
4
Isaiah
2
Jeremiah

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