שָׂפָה
sâphâh · saw-faw'
the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.)
Lexicon
Derivation: or (in dual and plural) שֶׂפֶת; probably from H5595 (סָפָה) or H8192 (שָׁפָה) through the idea of termination (compare H5490 (סוֹף));
the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.)
- the lip (as a natural boundary)
- by implication, language
- by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.)
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, (sea-)shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.
Letters
- שShin300
Picture: two front teeth (or a composite bow)
- Concrete
- teeth · sharp · press · bow
- Extended
- to consume · to destroy · to press or grind · to change · again
- פPe80
Picture: an open mouth
- Concrete
- mouth · lips · teeth
- Extended
- to speak · a word · an edge or opening · to scatter speech
- הHe5
Picture: a person with both arms raised
- Concrete
- a man calling out · a window · breath
- Extended
- behold! · revelation · to reveal · the (definite article)
Possible cultural reading (auto-composed)
to consume, to destroy › to speak, the word › to reveal, behold
To consume, to destroy that works to speak, the word that works to reveal, behold.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of שָׂפָה above is the attested meaning; this pictographic reading is a tradition about how the sign-shapes may have been heard. Both can be held at once, they are answering different questions.
Usage
176 occurrences · 176 OT · 0 NT · 91 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- lips20 · 19%
- my lips8 · 8%
- his lips8 · 8%
- of his lips6 · 6%
- of my lips6 · 6%
- shore5 · 5%
- speech5 · 5%
- with his lips5 · 5%
- the lips4 · 4%
- of the lips3 · 3%
- in thy lips3 · 3%
- but the lips3 · 3%
- side3 · 3%
- thy lips3 · 3%
- language3 · 3%
- but a prating2 · 2%
- the lip2 · 2%
- and the brim2 · 2%
- of thy lips2 · 2%
- on the edge2 · 2%
- edge2 · 2%
- and thy lips2 · 2%
- brink2 · 2%
- upon the bank2 · 2%
- the language2 · 2%
Where it is used, by book.
Inflected forms found in the text.
Counts are computed from the tagged Hebrew and Greek text aligned to the King James Version, not from an estimate.