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גּוּפָה

𐤂𐤅𐤐𐤄

gûwphâh

H1480 noun

SILEX Entry

Root גוף body, corporeal form

Definition

A dead body, carcass, or corpse—specifically a lifeless human body. The term is used for a physical body that no longer has life, distinct from terms for living persons. The semantic range in biblical usage is focused exclusively on the human body post-mortem, without spiritual or metaphorical connotations in the Hebrew Bible.

Semantic Range

corpse, dead body, carcass (human), lifeless body

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root גוף (gûp), meaning 'body'. The nominal form גּוּפָה denotes the state of the body as lifeless or a carcass, emphasizing the physical aspect post-death.

Historical & Contextual Notes

גּוּפָה appears infrequently in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Proverbs 9:18) and is used specifically to indicate a dead human body, as opposed to נְבֵלָה (neveilah), which is commonly applied to animal carcasses, and פֶּגֶר (peger), which can refer to both human and animal corpses but often highlights the uncleanness or decomposition of the corpse. גּוּפָה carries a neutral tone regarding ritual impurity or desecration. Its later usage outside the Bible extends to the living body in post-biblical Hebrew, but in biblical texts, it remains tied to the context of death. English translations often render גּוּפָה as 'corpse' or 'body'; however, 'corpse' is most accurate to the biblical sense. The underlying root is related to the concept of physical bodily structure rather than personality or animation. The term does not carry legal or cultic implications distinct from related terms but serves as a descriptive term for a dead body.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from גּוּף; a corpse (as closed to sense); body.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גוף (g-w-p) — body, corporeal form

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1479 גּוּף they will enclose

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1480-01 גּוּפַ֣ת gufat HNcfsc the body corpse of 1
H1480-02 גּוּפֹ֣ת gufot HNcfpc the bodies corpses of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1480-01 1 Chronicles 10:12 גּוּפַ֣ת gufat HNcfsc the body corpse of
H1480-02 1 Chronicles 10:12 גּוּפֹ֣ת gufot HNcfpc the bodies corpses of
← H1479 Hebrew Lexicon H1481 →