אָפַק (H662) — Hebrew Lexicon

אָפַק

𐤀𐤐𐤒

ʼâphaq

H662 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

A verb meaning primarily to hold back, restrain, or control, especially in the sense of restraining emotion (such as anger or weeping) or preventing oneself from reacting. It denotes deliberate self-control, containment of inner feelings, or suppressing outward reaction. In several contexts, it implies mastering oneself to avoid an immediate or natural outburst, such as the suppression of tears or anger.

Semantic Range

to restrain oneself, to hold back emotion (esp. anger or weeping), to control or master oneself, to suppress expression, to contain (reflexive sense)

Root / Etymology

From the root אָפַק (aleph-pe-kuf), which fundamentally suggests concepts of strength or fortitude. The verb as used in the Hebrew Bible consistently conveys the action of holding something in, of keeping under control — with the root’s core sense connected to being strong or breaking forth (as in later cognates), but the nuance for this verb centers on internal restraint.

Historical & Contextual Notes

אָפַק appears primarily in narrative literature, including Genesis (e.g. Joseph restraining himself from weeping, Gen 43:31), Esther (Esth 5:10), and elsewhere, typically in reference to emotions. Its usage highlights intentional self-mastery rather than involuntary suppression. Other Hebrew verbs such as חשׂך (chasakh, 'withhold, spare') or עצר (atsar, 'restrain, stop') may overlap, but אָפַק emphasizes internal suppression, especially of emotions. English translations sometimes render the word as 'restrain', 'hold back', or 'control,' but may miss the emotional nuance. In later periods and in Rabbinic usage, derived forms and related nouns reflect nuances of strength or fortitude, but the biblical sense is focused on emotional self-restraint. The term is not tied to any particular religious or ethnic identity and does not carry connotations of ritual purity or impurity.

Translation Consistency

primary "restrain" 7 occurrences

The SILEX range focuses on deliberately holding back or controlling emotions (e.g., anger or weeping). "Restrain" is a natural, single-word English verb that captures the reflexive sense of containing or suppressing an outward reaction, matches the predominant P2 renderings ("restrained"), and will produce consistent, idiomatic forms across all occurrences.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to contain, i.e. (reflex.) abstain; force (oneself), restrain.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אפק (ʾ-p-q) — strength, restraint, containment

Root אפק to be strong, to restrain, to contain

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H650	אָפִיק	his streambeds
H663	אֲפֵק	Stronghold
H664	אֲפֵקָה	and Aphekah

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`H662-06`	וַ/יִּ֨תְאַפַּ֔ק	vayiteapaq	`HC/Vtw3ms`	and controlled himself	and he restrained himself	and he restrained himself	2
`H662-05`	וָֽ/אֶתְאַפַּ֔ק	vaeteapaq	`HC/Vtw1cs`	and-I-forced-myself	and I restrained myself	and I restrained myself	1
`H662-01`	אֶתְאַפָּ֑ק	eteapaq	`HVti1cs`	and restrained myself	I restrain myself	I have restrained myself	1
`H662-02`	הִתְאַפָּֽקוּ	hiteapaqu	`HVtp3cp`	are withheld	they restrained themselves	they restrained themselves	1
`H662-04`	תִתְאַפַּ֖ק	titeapaq	`HVti2ms`	will you restrain yourself	you will restrain yourself	will you restrain yourself	1
`H662-03`	לְ/הִתְאַפֵּ֗ק	lehiteapeq	`HR/Vtc`	to restrain himself	to restrain oneself	to restrain himself	1

Occurrences in Scripture

7 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`H662-06`	Genesis 43:31	וַ/יִּ֨תְאַפַּ֔ק	vayiteapaq	`HC/Vtw3ms`	and controlled himself	and he restrained himself	and he restrained himself
`H662-03`	Genesis 45:1	לְ/הִתְאַפֵּ֗ק	lehiteapeq	`HR/Vtc`	to restrain himself	to restrain oneself	to restrain himself
`H662-05`	1 Samuel 13:12	וָֽ/אֶתְאַפַּ֔ק	vaeteapaq	`HC/Vtw1cs`	and-I-forced-myself	and I restrained myself	and I restrained myself
`H662-01`	Isaiah 42:14	אֶתְאַפָּ֑ק	eteapaq	`HVti1cs`	and restrained myself	I restrain myself	I have restrained myself
`H662-02`	Isaiah 63:15	הִתְאַפָּֽקוּ	hiteapaqu	`HVtp3cp`	are withheld	they restrained themselves	they restrained themselves
`H662-04`	Isaiah 64:11	תִתְאַפַּ֖ק	titeapaq	`HVti2ms`	will you restrain yourself	you will restrain yourself	will you restrain yourself
`H662-06`	Esther 5:10	וַ/יִּתְאַפַּ֣ק	vayiteapaq	`HC/Vtw3ms`	and he restrained himself	and he restrained himself	and he restrained himself

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