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שְׂרֵפָה

𐤔𐤓𐤐𐤄

sᵉrêphâh

H8316 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שרף to burn, consume by fire, destroy by fire

Definition

Ritual or destructive burning; the act or process of setting fire to something such as objects, materials, cities, or, in rare contexts, corpses, whether for disposal, judgment, or ritual purification. The term refers both to ordinary combustion and to acts of intentional, often symbolic, destruction by fire.

Semantic Range

burning (of objects), destruction by fire, punitive burning (of persons or remains), ritual burning (of sacrificial or impure items), act of setting fire, result of being burned

Root / Etymology

From the root שָׂרַף (to burn, to consume by fire). שְׂרֵפָה derives as a feminine noun indicating the act or result of burning. The root conveys the idea of consuming or utterly destroying by fire.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שְׂרֵפָה is commonly used to describe the burning of materials, objects, and occasionally towns (e.g., Joshua 6:24, Jeremiah 34:22). It can be used for the disposal of contaminated or ritually impure objects (e.g., Exodus 12:10; Leviticus 4:12), in which case burning is part of prescribed ritual procedures. It also refers to the punitive or ritual burning of individuals or remains (e.g., Leviticus 21:9; Joshua 7:25), but such usage is less common. While later traditions sometimes interpret these references as 'cremation,' in the biblical context the term often carries connotations of judgment, destruction, or purification rather than funerary practice. In post-biblical usage, the term became more specialized in some Jewish legal contexts. English translations such as 'burning' or 'cremation' may not fully communicate the nuance of ritual, destructive, and purifying actions associated with the term in Hebrew.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׂרַף; cremation; burning.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שרף (ś-r-p) — burn, consume by fire, destroy by fire

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4955 מִשְׂרָפָה burnings
H5636 סַרְפָּד the burning-weed
H8314 שָׂרָף the burning ones

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8316-06 שְׂרֵפָ֣ה serefah HNcfsa burning burning 4
H8316-03 לִ/שְׂרֵפָ֑ה liserefah HR/Ncfsa for-burning for burning 2
H8316-01 הַ/שְּׂרֵפָ֔ה haserefah HTd/Ncfsa the burning the burning 2
H8316-07 שְׂרֵפַ֥ת serefat HNcfsc of the burning burning of 2
H8316-02 כִּ/שְׂרֵפַ֥ת kiserefat HR/Ncfsc like the burning like burning-of 1
H8316-05 מִ/שְׂרֵפָ֑ה miserefah HR/Ncfsa from the burning from a burning 1
H8316-04 לִ/שְׂרֵ֣פַת liserefat HR/Ncfsc to-burning to burning of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

13 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8316-03 Genesis 11:3 לִ/שְׂרֵפָ֑ה liserefah HR/Ncfsa them for burning
H8316-01 Leviticus 10:6 הַ/שְּׂרֵפָ֔ה haserefah HTd/Ncfsa burning the burning
H8316-01 Numbers 17:2 הַ/שְּׂרֵפָ֔ה haserefah HTd/Ncfsa the burning the burning
H8316-07 Numbers 19:6 שְׂרֵפַ֥ת serefat HNcfsc the burning burning of
H8316-07 Numbers 19:17 שְׂרֵפַ֣ת serefat HNcfsc of the burning burning of
H8316-06 Deuteronomy 29:22 שְׂרֵפָ֣ה serefah HNcfsa burning burning
H8316-03 Isaiah 9:4 לִ/שְׂרֵפָ֖ה liserefah HR/Ncfsa for-burning for burning
H8316-04 Isaiah 64:10 לִ/שְׂרֵ֣פַת liserefat HR/Ncfsc to-burning to burning of
H8316-06 Jeremiah 51:25 שְׂרֵפָֽה serefah HNcfsa burnt burning
H8316-05 Amos 4:11 מִ/שְׂרֵפָ֑ה miserefah HR/Ncfsa from the burning from a burning
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