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שְׁפִי

𐤔𐤐𐤉

shᵉphîy

H8205 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שפה to be bare, to be exposed, to be smooth

Definition

A pronounced elevation or rise; in context, most often refers to a prominent bare hill, ridge, or mountain slope distinguished primarily by the absence of vegetation or cover. In biblical texts, typically designates a stark, treeless upland or summit providing a clear view or marking a topographical feature.

Semantic Range

bare hill, bald ridge, exposed elevation, summit without vegetation, prominent slope or rise, region lacking covering

Root / Etymology

From the root שָׁפָה (shaphah), meaning 'to be bare, smooth, plain.' The noun שְׁפִי derives from this verbal root and denotes a place devoid of covering or growth, emphasizing 'bareness' or 'exposure' rather than simply being high.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שְׁפִי appears only rarely in the Hebrew Bible (notably in Isaiah 41:18 and Ezekiel 3:9) and is best understood as a term for a prominent, exposed geographical feature such as a bald hilltop or a ridge with little or no vegetation. Unlike other topographical terms such as גִּבְעָה (hill) or הַר (mountain), שְׁפִי uniquely highlights the visual bareness and isolation of the elevation, rather than merely its height or shape. In later translation traditions, this word is often rendered as 'high place' or 'bare hill,' but these do not always capture the connotation of starkness and exposure inherent to the term. Its rarity and poetic use suggest it was not a technical term for any particular religious or cultic site, but a descriptive word for a particular kind of visible landscape in the southern Levant. The related term שָׁפָה also gives rise to words describing lips or the edge of a vessel, all based on the concept of a distinct, exposed margin.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁפָה; bareness; concretely, a bare hill or plain; high place, stick out.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שפה (sh-p-h) — to be bare, to be exposed, to be smooth

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8194 שָׁפָה and strained curds of
H830 אַשְׁפֹּת refuse heaps

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8205-01 שְׁפָיִים֙ shefayim HNcmpa bare heights bare ridges 8
H8205-03 ו/שפי vshfy HC/Ncmsc and his bones and bare hill of 1
H8205-02 שֶֽׁפִי shefi HNcmsa to a bare height bare ridge 1

Occurrences in Scripture

10 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8205-02 Numbers 23:3 שֶֽׁפִי shefi HNcmsa to a bare height bare ridge
H8205-01 Isaiah 41:18 שְׁפָיִים֙ shefayim HNcmpa bare heights bare ridges
H8205-01 Isaiah 49:9 שְׁפָיִ֖ים shefayim HNcmpa bare heights bare ridges
H8205-01 Jeremiah 3:2 שְׁפָיִ֜ם shefayim HNcmpa the bare heights bare ridges
H8205-01 Jeremiah 3:21 שְׁפָיִ֣ים shefayim HNcmpa the bare heights bare ridges
H8205-01 Jeremiah 4:11 שְׁפָיִים֙ shefayim HNcmpa from-bare-heights bare ridges
H8205-01 Jeremiah 7:29 שְׁפָיִ֖ם shefayim HNcmpa bare heights bare ridges
H8205-01 Jeremiah 12:12 שְׁפָיִ֣ם shefayim HNcmpa bare heights bare ridges
H8205-01 Jeremiah 14:6 שְׁפָיִ֔ם shefayim HNcmpa the bare heights bare ridges
H8205-03 Job 33:21 ו/שפי vshfy HC/Ncmsc and his bones and bare hill of
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