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עוֹף

𐤏𐤅𐤐

ʻôwph

H5776 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עוף to fly, to soar, to glide

Definition

A flying creature; bird or winged creature. The term עוֹף refers generally to animals capable of flight, with primary emphasis on birds, but in some contexts includes other flying animals (such as bats or insects). The collective sense is often in view, signifying the avian kind or class rather than a particular bird. Semantic range covers flying animals, especially birds, in ritual, dietary, narrative, and poetic contexts.

Semantic Range

bird, fowl, flying creature, avian kind, any animal capable of flight (including birds, bats, sometimes insects), collective group of birds; metaphorical usage for fleetingness or movement through air

Root / Etymology

From the root עוף, which carries the basic sense 'to fly, move through air.' The noun form עוֹף arises by substantivizing the root idea, referring to entities characterized by flight. The etymology is clear and consistent in associated Semitic languages, such as Ugaritic and Aramaic.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Israelite texts, עוֹף is a generic designation for flying creatures, distinct from more specific terms for particular bird species or classes (such as צִפּוֹר, which more often means 'small bird' or 'songbird'). It appears frequently in the creation and dietary laws (Genesis 1:20-30; Leviticus 11), and includes both edible and non-edible species. In some contexts (e.g., Leviticus 11), עוֹף may include or overlap with certain flying insects, though later tradition distinguishes between 'birds' and 'insects.' The scope of עוֹף is broader than the English 'fowl' or 'bird,' especially in legal and poetic uses. In post-exilic and later Hebrew, distinctions between עוֹף and related terms become more regular, but the biblical usage remains collective and inclusive of all that flies. English translations often limit to 'bird' or 'fowl,' which can miss the wider semantic field. The word is also used metaphorically (e.g., birds as symbols of freedom or fleetingness), although such usage is less frequent than the literal sense.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to עוֹף; {a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively}; fowl.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עוף (ʿ-w-p̄) — to fly, to move through the air

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3287 יָעֵף the exhausted one
H4155 מוּעָף covered-over dimness
H4588 מָעוּף shadowed gloom of
H5774 עוּף he flew
H5775 עוֹף flying creature

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5776-01 ע֖וֹף of ANcmsa a bird flying creature 1
H5776-02 וְ/עוֹף veof AC/Ncmsc and birds and flying creature 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5776-02 Daniel 2:38 וְ/עוֹף veof AC/Ncmsc and birds and flying creature
H5776-01 Daniel 7:6 ע֖וֹף of ANcmsa a bird flying creature
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