What does סָפַד (sāpad) mean in the Bible?
סָפַד (sāpad): Embodied grief ritual—tearing hair and beating breasts—expressing acute communal or personal lamentation over death or disaster
Hebrew · H5594
סָפַד
Properly, to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief); generally to lament ; by implication, to wail
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סָפַד H5594
Pronunciation sāpad
What does סָפַד (sāpad) mean in the Bible?
סָפַד (sāpad): Embodied grief ritual—tearing hair and beating breasts—expressing acute communal or personal lamentation over death or disaster
Full entry for סָפַד (H5594) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5594?
The BSB source-word alignment has 30 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include mourn (5), to mourn (4), and lament (2), and mourn (2), be mourned (2).
Where does סָפַד (sāpad) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 23:2. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (9), 1 Kings (4), 2 Samuel (3), Zechariah (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It mourn 5× Jeremiah 4:8, Jeremiah 22:18, Ezekiel 24:16, Ezekiel 24:23
to mourn 4× Genesis 23:2, 1 Samuel 25:1, Ecclesiastes 3:4, Jeremiah 16:5
and lament 2× Jeremiah 34:5, Joel 1:13
and mourn 2× 2 Samuel 3:31, Jeremiah 49:3
be mourned 2× Jeremiah 16:4, Jeremiah 25:33
mourned 2× 1 Kings 14:18, Jeremiah 16:6
will mourn 2× 1 Kings 14:13, Zechariah 12:12
and mourned 1× Zechariah 7:5
and mourners 1× Ecclesiastes 12:5
and they lamented 1× 1 Kings 13:30
Beat 1× Isaiah 32:12
had mourned 1× 1 Samuel 28:3
I will lament 1× Micah 1:8
she mourned 1× 2 Samuel 11:26
they lamented 1× Genesis 50:10
They mourned 1× 2 Samuel 1:12
They will mourn 1× Zechariah 12:10
to mourn for him 1× 1 Kings 13:29
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 23:2 לִסְפֹּ֥ד to to mourn Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Genesis 50:10 וַיִּ֨סְפְּדוּ־ to they lamented Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1 Samuel 25:1 וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־ to to mourn Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1 Samuel 28:3 וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־ to had mourned Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 2 Samuel 1:12 וַֽיִּסְפְּדוּ֙ to They mourned Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 2 Samuel 3:31 וְסִפְד֖וּ to and mourn Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural 2 Samuel 11:26 וַתִּסְפֹּ֖ד to she mourned Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular 1 Kings 13:29 לִסְפֹּ֖ד to to mourn for him Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 1 Kings 13:30 וַיִּסְפְּד֥וּ to and they lamented Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1 Kings 14:13 וְסָֽפְדוּ־ to will mourn Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 23:2
Aligned rows 30
Books represented 11
Genesis 2 1 Samuel 2 2 Samuel 3 1 Kings 4 Ecclesiastes 2 Isaiah 1 Jeremiah 9 Ezekiel 2 Joel 1 Micah 1 Zechariah 3
Source forms
וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־ 3x way·yis·pə·ḏū- 1 Samuel 25:1, 1 Samuel 28:3, 1 Kings 14:18
יִסְפְּד֣וּ 3x yis·pə·ḏū Jeremiah 16:6, Jeremiah 22:18
אֶסְפְּדָ֣ה 1x ’es·pə·ḏāh Micah 1:8
הַסֹּפְדִֽים׃ 1x has·sō·p̄ə·ḏîm Ecclesiastes 12:5
וַֽיִּסְפְּדוּ֙ 1x way·yis·pə·ḏū 2 Samuel 1:12
וַיִּסְפְּד֥וּ 1x way·yis·pə·ḏū 1 Kings 13:30
וַיִּ֨סְפְּדוּ־ 1x way·yis·pə·ḏū- Genesis 50:10
וְסָפְדָ֣ה 1x wə·sā·p̄ə·ḏāh Zechariah 12:12
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 6x Genesis 50:10, 1 Samuel 25:1, 1 Samuel 28:3, 2 Samuel 1:12
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural 4x Jeremiah 16:6, Jeremiah 22:18, Jeremiah 34:5
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 3x Genesis 23:2, 1 Kings 13:29, Jeremiah 16:5
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural 2x 1 Kings 14:13, Zechariah 12:10
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural 2x 2 Samuel 3:31, Joel 1:13
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural 2x Jeremiah 16:4, Jeremiah 25:33
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural 1x Ecclesiastes 12:5
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular 1x Zechariah 12:12
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Embodied grief ritual—tearing hair and beating breasts—expressing acute communal or personal lamentation over death or disaster
Strong's H5594
Lexical occurrences 32 verses Word forms 2 forms 14 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Isaiah 32:9-20 Source Gloss
properly, to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief); generally to lament ; by implication, to wail
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Embodied grief ritual—tearing hair and beating breasts—expressing acute communal or personal lamentation over death or disaster
properly, to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief); generally to lament; by implication, to wail BDB: wail Usage: lament, mourn(-er), wail.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 14
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 11×
Imperfect Jer 16:6 · Jer 22:18 · Jer 34:5 · Ezek 24:16 · Ezek 24:23 · Mic 1:8 7×
Sequential imperfect Jer 4:8 · Jer 49:3 2×
Infinitive construct Eccl 3:4 1×
Participle active Isa 32:12 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 2×
Imperfect Jer 16:4 · Jer 25:33 2×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Women called to lament and mourn in response to coming desolation and judgment
Showing 1 selected witness from 32 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
סָפַד is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain