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יָפֶה

𐤉𐤐𐤄

yâpheh

H3303 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root יפה to be beautiful, become fair, be attractive

Definition

Attractive, beautiful in appearance; pleasing or handsome in physical form or aspect. The term is primarily used to describe what is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, whether a person's appearance, an animal, or objects such as cities or land. In rarer instances, it is extended to the quality or pleasantness of voice or speech, and, by extension, to positive or admirable qualities (such as favor).

Semantic Range

beautiful in appearance, comely, handsome, attractive, pleasant (as in voice or expression), admirable, desirable (of land or things), pleasing (occasionally in broader senses)

Root / Etymology

From the root יפה (y-p-h), meaning 'to be beautiful' or 'to become fair.' יָפֶה is the masculine singular adjective form derived from this root, expressing the state or quality of being attractive or aesthetically pleasing. The core root meaning is focused on attractiveness or beauty, though the lexical meaning of יָפֶה expands to broader senses of physical and occasionally moral or qualitative attractiveness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יָפֶה appears across a range of biblical contexts, most often as an epithet for physical beauty—describing both men and women (e.g., Sarah, Joseph, Absalom), but it can also qualify objects (such as land, Gen 49:15). In narrative contexts, it often serves to highlight exceptional attractiveness, sometimes influencing a character's fate or role. In poetic or wisdom literature, יָפֶה can carry connotations of pleasantness or desirability beyond the strictly visual. The word is less frequently used for animals or landscapes, but appears in those contexts to stress quality and allure. English translations often render יָפֶה as 'beautiful,' 'fair,' or 'pleasant,' but these may not always capture the breadth of the Hebrew, which can reach aesthetic, emotional, or evaluative domains. The feminine form, יָפָה (yafah), is used in parallel fashion for women and feminine nouns. Unlike טוֹב (tov, 'good'), which denotes general goodness or moral quality, יָפֶה specifically relates to attractiveness, though there is occasional overlap. Over time, post-biblical Hebrew continued to use יָפֶה chiefly as 'beautiful' or 'good-looking,' with little semantic shift.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from יָפָה; beautiful (literally or figuratively); [phrase] beautiful, beauty, comely, fair(-est, one), [phrase] goodly, pleasant, well.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

יפה (y-p-h) — to be beautiful, be attractive, become fair

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3302 יָפָה you beautify yourself
H3304 יְפֵה־פִיָּה strikingly beautiful
H3305 יָפוֹ Yapho
H3308 יֳפִי in your beauty

Word Forms

13 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3303-06 יָפָ֥ה yafah HAafsa beautiful beautiful 12
H3303-12 יְפֵה yefeh HAamsc beautiful beautiful 7
H3303-08 יָפֶ֛ה yafeh HAamsa fair beautiful 5
H3303-11 יְפַת yefat HAafsc beautiful beautiful of 5
H3303-01 הַ/יָּפָ֖ה hayafah HTd/Aafsa most beautiful the beautiful one 3
H3303-13 יְפ֥וֹת yefot HAafpc attractive beautiful ones 2
H3303-07 יָפָתִ֖/י yafati HAafsc/Sp1cs my beautiful one my beautiful one 2
H3303-03 וִ/יפַ֥ת vifat HC/Aafsc and beautiful and beautiful of 2
H3303-10 יָּפ֧וּ yafu HVqp3cp beautiful they were beautiful 1
H3303-02 הַ/יָּפ֛וֹת hayafot HTd/Aafpa the beautiful the beautiful ones 1

Occurrences in Scripture

43 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3303-11 Genesis 12:11 יְפַת yefat HAafsc beautiful beautiful of
H3303-06 Genesis 12:14 יָפָ֥ה yafah HAafsa beautiful beautiful
H3303-11 Genesis 29:17 יְפַת yefat HAafsc beautiful beautiful of
H3303-03 Genesis 29:17 וִ/יפַ֥ת vifat HC/Aafsc and beautiful and beautiful of
H3303-12 Genesis 39:6 יְפֵה yefeh HAamsc handsome beautiful
H3303-04 Genesis 39:6 וִ/יפֵ֥ה vifeh HC/Aamsc and handsome and beautiful
H3303-13 Genesis 41:2 יְפ֥וֹת yefot HAafpc attractive beautiful ones
H3303-13 Genesis 41:4 יְפֹ֥ת yefot HAafpc beautiful beautiful ones
H3303-05 Genesis 41:18 וִ/יפֹ֣ת vifot HC/Aafpc and sleek and beautiful ones
H3303-11 Deuteronomy 21:11 יְפַת yefat HAafsc beautiful beautiful of
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