חַף
𐤇𐤐
chaph
H2643 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
An adjective describing a condition of moral innocence or blamelessness, free from guilt or wrongdoing; sometimes with a nuance of being untainted, clear, or uncontaminated, particularly in a legal or ritual context. Can also refer to hands that are 'clean' or actions that are irreproachable.
Semantic Range
innocent, guiltless, free from blame, blameless, pure (in a moral or legal sense), untainted, uncontaminated (figurative), having clean hands (idiomatically referring to innocence)
Root / Etymology
Root: חפף. The root primarily means 'to cover, surround, encircle.' The adjective חַף appears to be a derived form indicating 'free from' or 'untouched by' something negative. The etymological shift is likely from the root sense of 'covered' to the notion of being 'covered from defilement'—hence 'innocent' or 'pure.' However, direct evidence for this transition is limited, and the exact derivation is not fully certain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חַף is rare and occurs in specific legal or poetic contexts. Its usage centers on the notion of being clear of wrongdoing (for example, 'innocent hands' in legal language). The term is not common in everyday speech and does not refer to ritual purity as does טָהוֹר. Modern translations sometimes render it as 'innocent' or 'free from guilt,' though this can miss the nuanced sense of being unblemished or untouched by accusation. In contrast to terms such as נָקִי (naki, 'clean, innocent'), חַף emphasizes a condition of having nothing attached or 'clinging' that would imply guilt, especially in the context of hands ('innocent hands'). In the Hebrew Bible, its use is predominantly poetic, suggesting that this adjective carried a refined or formal register, particularly in legal, judicial, or lament contexts. There is little evidence of the term shifting significantly in meaning across periods, but its usage is sparse, typically limited to poetic or stylized prose.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from חׇפַף (in the moral sense of covered from soil); pure; innocent.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
חפף (ḥ-p-p) — to cover, surround, encircle
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2653 | חׇפַף | the sheltering one |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2643-01 |
חַ֥ף | chaf | HAamsa |
innocent | blameless | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2643-01 |
Job 33:9 | חַ֥ף | chaf | HAamsa |
innocent | blameless |