צוּף
𐤑𐤅𐤐
tsûwph
H6687 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To overflow, to stream or gush forth (especially with liquid); to move with a flowing or streaming motion; in poetic or figurative language, to depict movement or spreading like that of water. In some rare contexts, used of swimming, i.e., gliding or moving through water, though this sense appears only by extension.
Semantic Range
to overflow, to stream forth, to gush, to move or float on water (swim, by extension), spreading abundantly
Root / Etymology
From the root צוּף, whose core meaning is 'to overflow, to stream or flow.' The verb is formed directly from the root and is not derived from a more complex paradigm.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The verb צוּף occurs infrequently in the Hebrew Bible, and primarily within poetic or elevated language. Its connotation centers on abundant or forceful movement of liquid, with imagery often connected to torrents, gushing springs, or overflowing containers. In rare cases (cf. Jonah 2:4), it carries the sense 'to swim,' based on the idea of 'floating' or 'moving along' in water, but this is not its primary lexical meaning. Unlike more common terms for running or flowing (such as זרם, 'to gush, run'), צוּף conveys a sense of inundation or unrestrained flow, sometimes with the nuance of spreading over or flooding. English translations sometimes use 'swim,' especially in contexts where a person is being carried by water, but this narrow rendering does not express the full scope of the Hebrew term. The root does not occur in later standard Hebrew, and the noun form (צִיף) is rare or unattested. In post-biblical Hebrew, other roots are used for both 'swim' and 'overflow.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to overflow; (make to over-) flow, swim.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
צוף (ṣ-w-p̄) — to overflow, to stream, to gush, to move abundantly
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6688 | צוּף | dripping honeycomb |
| H6689 | צוּף | Tsophai |
| H6851 | צַפְצָפָה | flow-grown willow |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6687-03 |
וַ/יָּ֖צֶף | vayatsef | HC/Vhw3ms |
and it floated | and he caused to overflow | 1 |
H6687-01 |
הֵצִ֜יף | hetsif | HVhp3ms |
he made ... overflow | he caused to overflow | 1 |
H6687-02 |
צָֽפוּ | tsafu | HVqp3cp |
flowed over | they overflowed | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6687-01 |
Deuteronomy 11:4 | הֵצִ֜יף | hetsif | HVhp3ms |
he made ... overflow | he caused to overflow |
H6687-03 |
2 Kings 6:6 | וַ/יָּ֖צֶף | vayatsef | HC/Vhw3ms |
and it floated | and he caused to overflow |
H6687-02 |
Lamentations 3:54 | צָֽפוּ | tsafu | HVqp3cp |
flowed over | they overflowed |