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סָפַד

𐤎𐤐𐤃

çâphad

H5594 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To express grief audibly and visibly, particularly through lamentation rituals; to mourn the dead, to engage in public acts of mourning, including wailing, dirges, and formal expressions of communal bereavement. Commonly refers to the performance of mourning rites, especially in funerary settings and other occasions of collective loss.

Semantic Range

to mourn aloud for the dead, to lament in ritual or public settings, to wail or express communal grief, to deliver a dirge or elegy, to participate in formal mourning proceedings

Root / Etymology

From the root ספד (samekh-peh-dalet), which conveys the idea of mourning or lamentation. The root itself is primarily associated with the act of expressing grief, especially for the dead, although it sometimes extends to general public expressions of sorrow.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, סָפַד denotes ritual mourning, especially in response to death (e.g., Genesis 23:2; 2 Samuel 3:31; Jeremiah 34:5). The verb is frequently used with reference to the structured, often communal practices of lamentation in ancient Israelite society—including wailing, professional mourning, and the recitation or singing of dirges. Unlike general terms for feeling sorrow (e.g., אָבַל, to mourn), סָפַד emphasizes the outward, often public, performance of mourning, which could include dramatic physical and vocal displays. The classic gestures referenced in older glosses (tearing hair, beating the breast) are supported as standard mourning practices in the ancient Near East, though the verb itself is broader and not restricted to any single ritual gesture. In later Hebrew and post-biblical contexts, the term develops a specialized association with the recitation of formal funerary elegies (ספד/הספד). English translations such as "lament" or "mourn" sometimes flatten this nuance by not distinguishing between personal emotion and public mourning ritual.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief); generally to lament; by implication, to wail; lament, mourn(-er), wail.

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

ספד (miçpêd) — to lament, to mourn, to wail

Root ספד to mourn, to lament, to wail publicly
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4553 מִסְפֵּד the lamentation-rite

Word Forms

19 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5594-13 וַ/יִּסְפְּד֥וּ vayisepedu HC/Vqw3mp and they mourned and they publicly mourned and they publicly mourned 6
H5594-19 יִסְפְּד֣וּ yisepedu HVqi3mp they will mourn they will publicly lament they will publicly lament 4
H5594-04 לִ/סְפֹּ֖ד lisepod HR/Vqc to mourn to perform mourning rites to perform mourning rites 3
H5594-15 וְ/סָֽפְדוּ vesafedu HC/Vqp3cp and they will mourn and they mourned and they will mourn 2
H5594-17 וְ/סִפְד֖וּ vesifedu HC/Vqv2mp and mourn and mourn aloud and mourn aloud 2
H5594-18 יִסָּֽפְדוּ֙ yisafedu HVNi3mp they-shall-be-lamented they will be mourned they will be mourned 2
H5594-01 אֶסְפְּדָ֣ה esepedah HVqi1cs I will lament I will publicly mourn I will publicly mourn 1
H5594-02 הַ/סֹּפְדִֽים hasofedim HTd/Vqrmpa the mourners the ones lamenting the mourners 1
H5594-03 כְּ/מִסְפֵּד֙ kemiseped HR/Ncmsa as the mourning as a ritual lament as a ritual lament 1
H5594-05 מִסְפַּד֙ misepad HNcmsc mourning mourning-rite of mourning-rite of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

32 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5594-04 Genesis 23:2 לִ/סְפֹּ֥ד lisepod HR/Vqc to mourn to perform mourning rites to perform mourning rites
H5594-13 Genesis 50:10 וַ/יִּ֨סְפְּדוּ vayisepedu HC/Vqw3mp and they mourned and they publicly mourned and they publicly mourned
H5594-13 1 Samuel 25:1 וַ/יִּסְפְּדוּ vayisepedu HC/Vqw3mp and lamented and they publicly mourned and they publicly mourned
H5594-13 1 Samuel 28:3 וַ/יִּסְפְּדוּ vayisepedu HC/Vqw3mp had mourned and they publicly mourned and they publicly mourned
H5594-13 2 Samuel 1:12 וַֽ/יִּסְפְּדוּ֙ vayisepedu HC/Vqw3mp and they mourned and they publicly mourned and they publicly mourned
H5594-17 2 Samuel 3:31 וְ/סִפְד֖וּ vesifedu HC/Vqv2mp and mourn and mourn aloud and mourn aloud
H5594-12 2 Samuel 11:26 וַ/תִּסְפֹּ֖ד vatisepod HC/Vqw3fs and she lamented she publicly mourned and she publicly mourned
H5594-04 1 Kings 13:29 לִ/סְפֹּ֖ד lisepod HR/Vqc to mourn to perform mourning rites to perform mourning rites
H5594-13 1 Kings 13:30 וַ/יִּסְפְּד֥וּ vayisepedu HC/Vqw3mp and they mourned and they publicly mourned and they publicly mourned
H5594-15 1 Kings 14:13 וְ/סָֽפְדוּ vesafedu HC/Vqp3cp and they will mourn and they mourned and they will mourn
H5594-13 1 Kings 14:18 וַ/יִּסְפְּדוּ vayisepedu HC/Vqw3mp and they mourned and they publicly mourned and they publicly mourned
H5594-09 Isaiah 32:12 סֹֽפְדִ֑ים sofedim HVqrmpa mourn mourning ones mourning ones
H5594-08 Jeremiah 4:8 סִפְד֣וּ sifedu HVqv2mp lament Mourn publicly! Mourn publicly
H5594-18 Jeremiah 16:4 יִסָּֽפְדוּ֙ yisafedu HVNi3mp they-shall-be-lamented they will be mourned they will be mourned
H5594-04 Jeremiah 16:5 לִ/סְפּ֔וֹד lisepod HR/Vqc to lament to perform mourning rites to perform mourning rites
H5594-19 Jeremiah 16:6 יִסְפְּד֣וּ yisepedu HVqi3mp they will mourn they will publicly lament they will mourn
H5594-19 Jeremiah 22:18 יִסְפְּד֣וּ yisepedu HVqi3mp they will mourn they will publicly lament they will publicly lament
H5594-19 Jeremiah 22:18 יִסְפְּד֣וּ yisepedu-2 HVqi3mp they will mourn they will publicly lament they will publicly lament
H5594-18 Jeremiah 25:33 יִסָּפְד֗וּ yisafedu HVNi3mp will be lamented they will be mourned they will be mourned
H5594-19 Jeremiah 34:5 יִסְפְּדוּ yisepedu HVqi3mp they will lament they will publicly lament they will lament
H5594-07 Jeremiah 49:3 סְפֹ֕דְנָה sefodenah HVqv2fp lament Mourn publicly, you women Mourn publicly
H5594-11 Ezekiel 24:16 תִסְפֹּד֙ tisepod HVqi2ms you shall mourn you will publicly mourn you will publicly mourn
H5594-10 Ezekiel 24:23 תִסְפְּד֖וּ tisepedu HVqi2mp you shall mourn you will publicly mourn you will publicly mourn
H5594-17 Joel 1:13 וְ/סִפְד֜וּ vesifedu HC/Vqv2mp and mourn and mourn aloud and mourn aloud
H5594-01 Micah 1:8 אֶסְפְּדָ֣ה esepedah HVqi1cs I will lament I will publicly mourn I will publicly mourn
H5594-05 Micah 1:11 מִסְפַּד֙ misepad HNcmsc mourning mourning-rite of mourning-rite of
H5594-16 Zechariah 7:5 וְ/סָפ֜וֹד vesafod HC/Vqa and mourned and to publicly mourn and mourned
H5594-15 Zechariah 12:10 וְ/סָפְד֣וּ vesafedu HC/Vqq3cp and they will mourn and they mourned and they will mourn
H5594-03 Zechariah 12:10 כְּ/מִסְפֵּד֙ kemiseped HR/Ncmsa as the mourning as a ritual lament as a ritual lament
H5594-14 Zechariah 12:12 וְ/סָפְדָ֣ה vesafedah HC/Vqp3fs and shall mourn and she lamented and it lamented
H5594-06 Ecclesiastes 3:4 סְפ֖וֹד sefod HVqc to mourn publicly to mourn publicly
H5594-02 Ecclesiastes 12:5 הַ/סֹּפְדִֽים hasofedim HTd/Vqrmpa the mourners the ones lamenting the mourners
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