שָׂפָה

𐤔𐤐𐤄

sâphâh

H8193 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׂפה edge, boundary, lip

Definition

The anatomical lip; by extension, the edge or boundary of an object, especially a vessel or body of water; in abstract or collective sense, language or speech. In concrete contexts, refers to the physical lips as organs for speaking or as an indicator of speech; in spatial contexts, describes the border, margin, or rim of diverse entities.

Semantic Range

lip (anatomical), edge or rim (of a vessel, garment, or spatial feature), border (of water or terrain), seashore, bank (of a river), speech, language, utterance, words, margin

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root שׂפה, traditionally understood as relating to the notion of a boundary or termination. The root conveys the sense of marking out or forming a limit, which developed into references to the literal lips (as limits of the mouth), and metaphorically, to any edge or boundary (such as the bank of a river or brim of a vessel). The extension to 'language' or 'speech' arises via metonymy, as speech expresses itself through the lips.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In early Israelite texts, שָׂפָה most often refers literally to the lips, both as body parts and as the instruments of speech (e.g., prayers, vows, deceit, praise). The transition to 'language' (as in Genesis 11's description of a single שָׂפָה for all humanity) reflects a conceptual progression whereby lips represent the act or system of speaking. Later, the word applies to the edge or border of vessels, garments, rivers, and especially the seashore (e.g., Genesis 22:17). The use for 'language' remains significant in exilic and post-exilic texts, especially in discussions of unity, confusion, or diversity of peoples. While English translations frequently use 'lip', 'speech', 'language', and 'shore', no single term in English captures the range of concrete anatomical, spatial, and abstract linguistic reference carried by שָׂפָה. The related root סָפָה ('to end, consume') and noun סוֹף ('end') are semantically adjacent but distinct; שָׁפָה ('to sweep away') is not directly related etymologically despite some overlap in semantic field. Unlike related terms such as פֶּה ('mouth'), שָׂפָה primarily describes the boundary or margin, rather than the cavity or orifice at the center.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (in dual and plural) שֶׂפֶת; probably from סָפָה or שָׁפָה through the idea of termination (compare סוֹף); the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.); band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, (sea-)shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׂפה (ś-p-h) — edge, boundary, lip

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8145 שֵׁנִי his lip
H8222 שָׂפָם mustache

Word Forms

39 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8193-13 שְׂפַ֥ת sefat HNcfsc lip edge-of 39
H8193-16 שְׂפָתַ֔/י sefatay HNcfdc/Sp1cs my lips my two lips 19
H8193-25 שִׂפְתֵ֤י sifetey HNcfdc lips edges of 17
H8193-17 שְׂפָתָֽיִם sefatayim HNcfda of lips lips 16
H8193-18 שְׂפָתָ֖י/ו sefatayv HNcfdc/Sp3ms his lips his lips 14
H8193-12 שָׂפָ֣ה safah HNcfsa of lip lip 9
H8193-20 שְׂפָתֶ֖י/ךָ sefateykha HNcfdc/Sp2ms your lips your lips 7
H8193-23 שְׂפָת֕/וֹ sefato HNcfsc/Sp3ms its edge his lip 5
H8193-19 שְׂפָתֶ֔י/הָ sefateyha HNcfdc/Sp3fs of her lips her lips 5
H8193-06 בִּ/שְׂפָתָֽי/ו bisefatayv HR/Ncfdc/Sp3ms with his lips in his lips 3

Occurrences in Scripture

177 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8193-12 Genesis 11:1 שָׂפָ֣ה safah HNcfsa language lip
H8193-34 Genesis 11:6 וְ/שָׂפָ֤ה vesafah HC/Ncfsa and language lip-boundary
H8193-15 Genesis 11:7 שְׂפָתָ֑/ם sefatam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their language their lip
H8193-13 Genesis 11:7 שְׂפַ֥ת sefat HNcfsc language edge-of
H8193-13 Genesis 11:9 שְׂפַ֣ת sefat HNcfsc language edge-of
H8193-13 Genesis 22:17 שְׂפַ֣ת sefat HNcfsc the shore edge-of
H8193-13 Genesis 41:3 שְׂפַ֥ת sefat HNcfsc the bank edge-of
H8193-13 Genesis 41:17 שְׂפַ֥ת sefat HNcfsc the bank edge-of
H8193-13 Exodus 2:3 שְׂפַ֥ת sefat HNcfsc the bank of edge-of
H8193-17 Exodus 6:12 שְׂפָתָֽיִם sefatayim HNcfda lips lips