תַּפּוּחַ
𐤕𐤐𐤅𐤇
tappûwach
H8598 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A fruit-bearing tree or its fruit, most likely the apple tree or a tree with fragrant, rounded fruit; by extension, can refer to the fruit itself. The term designates both the tree (Malus domestica or a botanically similar species in the Levant) and its produce. The fruit is specifically noted for its pleasant aroma in biblical contexts.
Semantic Range
apple tree, apple fruit, tree with fragrant fruit, metaphor for beauty or delight, place name ('Beth-tappuah')
Root / Etymology
From the root נָפַח (n-p-ḥ), 'to breathe, blow,' referencing the notion of fragrance or aroma. תַּפּוּחַ (tappûwach) is formed as a noun indicating 'something fragrant'—likely through a semantic shift from 'exhaling' aroma to 'that which has fragrance.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
תַּפּוּחַ appears primarily in poetic texts such as Song of Songs (Song 2:3, 2:5, 7:8) and Proverbs (Prov 25:11), often associated with pleasantness, desirability, and sometimes used metaphorically for things of beauty or delight. The actual botanical identification is debated; while ancient and some modern translations render it as 'apple,' the availability of apples (Malus domestica) in Iron Age Israelite and Judahite contexts is not well documented. Some scholars propose the identification as quince (Cydonia oblonga) or citron, given the fragrance and climate suitability. The term may have functioned as a synecdoche for attractive or desirable pome fruits in general. In the Septuagint and Vulgate traditions, it is usually rendered as 'apple,' influencing later English Bible translations, but this may not have perfectly corresponded to the ancient fruit. The term is never used in specifically cultic or ritual contexts, but carries literary and metaphorical weight. Related words include בֵּית תַּפּוּחַ ('Beth-tappuah'), a place name referencing abundance of such trees.
Translation Consistency
תַּפּוּחַ most commonly names the fruit (and by extension the tree producing it). "Apple" is the natural, everyday English noun that covers both the fruit and the tree in typical biblical usage, fits the pleasant/fragrant sense, and works for literal and metaphorical contexts (including place names). Adjectival renderings like "fragrant" or comparative words like "like" are not nouns and would break consistency.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָפַח; an apple (from its fragrance), i.e. the fruit or the tree (probably includ. others of the pome order, as the quince, the orange, etc.); apple (tree). See also בֵּית תַּפּוּחַ.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נפח (n-p-ḥ) — to breathe, to blow, to exhale
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4646 | מַפָּח | final exhalation of |
| H4647 | מַפֻּחַ | forge bellows |
| H5301 | נָפַח | I caused to breathe out |
| H5302 | נֹפַח | Nophach |
Word Forms
6 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8598-01 |
בַּ/תַּפּוּחִ֑ים | batapuchim | HRd/Ncmpa |
with apples | fragrant apples | fragrant apples | 1 |
H8598-06 |
וְ/תַפּ֗וּחַ | vetapucha | HC/Ncmsa |
and apple tree | and fragrant apple-tree | and apple tree | 1 |
H8598-05 |
תַּפּוּחֵ֣י | tapuchey | HNcmpc |
apples of | fragrant apples of | apples of | 1 |
H8598-03 |
כַּ/תַּפּוּחִֽים | katapuchim | HRd/Ncmpa |
like-apples | like fragrant apples | like apples | 1 |
H8598-02 |
הַ/תַּפּ֨וּחַ֙ | hatapucha | HTd/Ncmsa |
the apple tree | the fragrant apple tree | the fragrant apple tree | 1 |
H8598-04 |
כְּ/תַפּ֨וּחַ֙ | ketapucha | HR/Ncmsa |
like an apple tree | like a fragrant apple-tree | like a fragrant apple-tree | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
6 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8598-06 |
Joel 1:12 | וְ/תַפּ֗וּחַ | vetapucha | HC/Ncmsa |
and apple tree | and fragrant apple-tree | and apple tree |
H8598-05 |
Proverbs 25:11 | תַּפּוּחֵ֣י | tapuchey | HNcmpc |
apples of | fragrant apples of | apples of |
H8598-04 |
Song of Songs 2:3 | כְּ/תַפּ֨וּחַ֙ | ketapucha | HR/Ncmsa |
like an apple tree | like a fragrant apple-tree | like a fragrant apple-tree |
H8598-01 |
Song of Songs 2:5 | בַּ/תַּפּוּחִ֑ים | batapuchim | HRd/Ncmpa |
with apples | fragrant apples | fragrant apples |
H8598-03 |
Song of Songs 7:9 | כַּ/תַּפּוּחִֽים | katapuchim | HRd/Ncmpa |
like-apples | like fragrant apples | like apples |
H8598-02 |
Song of Songs 8:5 | הַ/תַּפּ֨וּחַ֙ | hatapucha | HTd/Ncmsa |
the apple tree | the fragrant apple tree | the fragrant apple tree |