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גֶּפֶן

𐤂𐤐𐤍

gephen

H1612 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Vine, specifically the cultivated grapevine (Vitis vinifera) grown for its fruit. In most contexts in the Hebrew Bible, גֶּפֶן (gephen) refers to the domesticated, fruit-bearing plant whose grapes are used for food and for the production of wine. The term emphasizes the agricultural and economic importance of the grapevine in ancient Israelite society and is often employed as a symbol of prosperity, blessing, or the state of the land. Less commonly, it may also refer more generally to the vine as a plant, but its primary reference is to the grapevine and its agricultural product.

Semantic Range

grapevine, cultivated vine, plant for grapes, symbol of prosperity or people, vine (general usage—but almost always grapevine in context)

Root / Etymology

Root: ג-פ-נ (g-p-n). The specific root and etymological development are debated; traditionally, it has been linked with a root meaning 'to bend' or 'to twine,' relating to the plant's climbing or trailing nature, but the root does not occur elsewhere in Biblical Hebrew. The word appears in a few Semitic languages (e.g., Ugaritic gpn), suggesting an old West Semitic term for the grapevine; thus, precise etymology is uncertain, but likely indigenous to Northwest Semitic languages.

Historical & Contextual Notes

גֶּפֶן occurs widely throughout the Hebrew Bible, especially in legal, agricultural, metaphorical, and poetic passages. In legal and narrative texts (e.g., Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), it frequently appears alongside other primary agricultural products such as grain and olives, signifying the standard triple crop of the land. In the prophetic and poetic literature, גֶּפֶן serves as a metaphor for the people of Israel, their prosperity or desolation, depending on context (e.g., Isaiah 5, Psalm 80), and in wisdom literature for the blessings of home and family (e.g., Psalm 128:3). Unlike related terms (e.g., גַּפְנָה gaphnah, a rarer feminine or collective form), גֶּפֶן normally refers to a single vine or the species in general, rather than a vineyard (which is כֶּרֶם kerem). Later English translations sometimes render גֶּפֶן simply as 'vine,' which, without context, may obscure the consistent biblical reference to the grapevine specifically. In post-biblical Hebrew and later periods, it retained its agricultural and symbolic meanings. The term is never used for non-grape vines, nor for the place where vines grow (for which 'vineyard'—כֶּרֶם—is the standard term).

Translation Consistency

primary "grapevine" 5 occurrences

The SILEX definition and usage overwhelmingly refer to the cultivated grapevine (Vitis vinifera), and corpus choices favor “grapevine” (37 of 55). “Grapevine” is specific, natural English, and fits both literal agricultural senses and symbolic uses (prosperity/people), so it ensures consistent, clear rendering across all forms of H1612.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to bend; a vine (as twining), especially the grape; vine, tree.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

גפן (gephen) — to bend, to twine (uncertain; see etymology)

Root גפן to bend, to twine (uncertain; see etymology)

Word Forms

22 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1612-10 הַ/גֶּ֖פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine 13
H1612-09 גֶּ֣פֶן gefen HNcbsc vine grapevine grapevine 10
H1612-08 גַּפְנ/וֹ֙ gafeno HNcbsc/Sp3ms his vine his grapevine his grapevine 4
H1612-18 מִ/גֶּ֤פֶן migefen HR/Ncbsc from the vine from a grapevine from a grapevine 4
H1612-05 גַּפְנָ֔/ם gafenam HNcbsc/Sp3mp their vines their grapevine their grapevine 3
H1612-17 לְ/גֶ֨פֶן legefen HR/Ncbsa a vine to a cultivated grapevine to a cultivated grapevine 3
H1612-14 כַ/גֶּ֛פֶן khagefen HRd/Ncbsa as a vine like the grapevine like the grapevine 2
H1612-21 וְ/גֶ֥פֶן vegefen HC/Ncbsa and-vine grapevine and grapevine 2
H1612-01 בַּ/גְּפָנִ֔ים bagefanim HRd/Ncbpa on the vines among grapevines among grapevines 1
H1612-02 בַּ/גֶּ֜פֶן bagefen HRd/Ncbsa on the vine in the grapevine in the grapevine 1

Occurrences in Scripture

55 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1612-11 Job 15:33 כַּ/גֶּ֣פֶן kagefen HRd/Ncbsa like a vine like a grapevine like a grapevine
H1612-22 Song of Songs 2:13 וְ/הַ/גְּפָנִ֥ים vehagefanim HC/Td/Ncbpa and the vines and the grapevines and the grapevines
H1612-10 Song of Songs 6:11 הַ/גֶּ֔פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-10 Song of Songs 7:9 הַ/גֶּ֔פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa of-the-vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-10 Song of Songs 7:13 הַ/גֶּ֨פֶן֙ hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the-vine the grapevine the grapevine
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