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טַף

𐤈𐤐

ṭaph

H2945 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A collective term for young children, especially infants and toddlers, who are not yet able to walk confidently or participate fully in adult activities. By extension, it can sometimes include dependent non-adults, especially in family or household contexts. The primary sense centers on early childhood. The term is used to denote the youngest and most dependent segment of a household or community.

Semantic Range

young children, dependent children, infants, toddlers, collective of little ones, non-adult dependents in a household; rarely, the full dependent family group

Root / Etymology

From the root טָפַף, which may carry the basic meaning 'to walk with short steps, to trip, to toddle.' טַף (ṭaf) then, as a noun, refers to those who exhibit this manner of movement—i.e., young children or toddlers. The root meaning ('to walk with a tripping gait') is more descriptive of infant locomotion; the actual word is a collective noun for young dependents. The derivation is plausible but not universally agreed upon; some etymological uncertainty remains, as the word's use does not always strictly correspond to the suggested root sense.

Historical & Contextual Notes

טַף primarily occurs in reference to the children of Israelites, especially in narratives and legal sections delineating household groups (e.g., Genesis 43:8, Exodus 12:37, Joshua 1:14; 8:35; 22:14). It is generally contrasted with 'adult men' (אֲנָשִׁים) and women (נָשִׁים), though context may clarify its reference. While often translated as 'children' or 'little ones,' it is not a technical age category, and the range may shift depending on the narrative—sometimes including all non-adult members under a household's care, especially in census or migration contexts (e.g., Numbers 14:3). The term does not, in ancient Israelite context, imply school-age or adolescent children but rather those clearly under adult supervision and incapable of independent action. It is collective in form; seldom does it refer to a single individual. English translations often render טַף as 'children' or 'little ones,' but these may obscure its collective and specifically young connotation. Later came to be distinguished from sons/daughters (בָּנִים/בָּנוֹת), who may be older minors or even young adults. The semantic field overlaps but is not identical to other Hebrew words for 'children,' such as יֶלֶד (yeled). In post-biblical Hebrew, the usage of טַף narrows further, sometimes limited simply to 'infants.'

Translation Consistency

primary "children" 33 occurrences

Natural, simple, and widely used to render טַף’s primary sense of the youngest, dependent members of a household (infants/toddlers). It covers the typical range (little ones, toddlers, dependent youths) while remaining idiomatic and consistent across all occurrences.

Alternatives (9 occurrences):
"little ones" (6x) "toddlers" (1x) "among the young ones" (1x) "toddling little ones" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from טָפַף (perhaps referring to the tripping gait of children); a family (mostly used collectively in the singular); (little) children (ones), families.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

טפף (ṭaph) — to move lightly, to trip along, to toddle

Root טפף to move lightly, to trip along, to toddle
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2952 טָפַף and mincingly walking

Word Forms

16 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2945-07 טַפָּ֖/ם tapam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their little ones their toddling little ones their children 6
H2945-12 וְ/הַ/טָּ֑ף vehataf HC/Td/Ncmsa and the little ones the toddling little ones and the children 6
H2945-02 הַ/טַּ֖ף hataf HTd/Ncmsa the little ones the toddling little ones the toddling little children 5
H2945-08 טַפְּ/כֶ֣ם tapekhem HNcmsc/Sp2mp your little ones your toddlers your children 5
H2945-03 לְ/טַפְּ/כֶם֙ letapekhem HR/Ncmsc/Sp2mp for your little ones to your toddlers for your little ones 3
H2945-09 טַפֵּֽ/נוּ tapenu HNcmsc/Sp1cp our little ones our toddling little ones our children 3
H2945-15 וְ/טַפְּ/כֶם֩ vetapekhem HC/Ncmsc/Sp2mp and your little ones your toddling little ones and your children 3
H2945-06 טַ֤ף taf HNcmsa little-children toddling little ones toddling children 2
H2945-13 וְ/טַ֨ף vetaf HC/Ncmsa and children toddling young and children 2
H2945-01 בַּ/טָּ֑ף bataf HRd/Ncmsa among the little ones young toddling ones among the young ones 1

Occurrences in Scripture

42 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2945-07 Genesis 34:29 טַפָּ/ם֙ tapam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their little ones their toddling little ones their children
H2945-09 Genesis 43:8 טַפֵּֽ/נוּ tapenu HNcmsc/Sp1cp our little ones our toddling little ones our children
H2945-03 Genesis 45:19 לְ/טַפְּ/כֶם֙ letapekhem HR/Ncmsc/Sp2mp for your little ones to your toddlers for your little ones
H2945-07 Genesis 46:5 טַפָּ/ם֙ tapam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their little ones their toddling little ones their children
H2945-02 Genesis 47:12 הַ/טָּֽף hataf HTd/Ncmsa the little ones the toddling little ones the toddling little children
H2945-03 Genesis 47:24 לְ/טַפְּ/כֶֽם letapekhem HR/Ncmsc/Sp2mp for your little ones to your toddlers for your little ones
H2945-07 Genesis 50:8 טַפָּ/ם֙ tapam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their little ones their toddling little ones their children
H2945-08 Genesis 50:21 טַפְּ/כֶ֑ם tapekhem HNcmsc/Sp2mp your little ones your toddlers your children
H2945-08 Exodus 10:10 טַפְּ/כֶ֑ם tapekhem HNcmsc/Sp2mp your little ones your toddlers your children
H2945-08 Exodus 10:24 טַפְּ/כֶ֖ם tapekhem HNcmsc/Sp2mp your little ones your toddlers your children
H2945-05 Exodus 12:37 מִ/טָּֽף mitaf HR/Ncmsa children from toddling children little children
H2945-16 Numbers 14:3 וְ/טַפֵּ֖/נוּ vetapenu HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cp and our little ones and our toddlers and our little ones
H2945-15 Numbers 14:31 וְ/טַ֨פְּ/כֶ֔ם vetapekhem HC/Ncmsc/Sp2mp your little ones your toddling little ones and your children
H2945-14 Numbers 16:27 וְ/טַפָּֽ/ם vetapam HC/Ncmsc/Sp3mp and their little ones their toddlers their toddlers
H2945-07 Numbers 31:9 טַפָּ֑/ם tapam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their little ones their toddling little ones their children
H2945-01 Numbers 31:17 בַּ/טָּ֑ף bataf HRd/Ncmsa among the little ones young toddling ones among the young ones
H2945-02 Numbers 31:18 הַ/טַּ֣ף hataf HTd/Ncmsa the young girls the toddling little ones the toddling little children
H2945-04 Numbers 32:16 לְ/טַפֵּֽ/נוּ letapenu HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cp for our little ones for our toddling little ones for our toddling little ones
H2945-09 Numbers 32:17 טַפֵּ֨/נוּ֙ tapenu HNcmsc/Sp1cp our little ones our toddling little ones our children
H2945-03 Numbers 32:24 לְ/טַפְּ/כֶ֔ם letapekhem HR/Ncmsc/Sp2mp for your little ones to your toddlers for your little ones
H2945-09 Numbers 32:26 טַפֵּ֣/נוּ tapenu HNcmsc/Sp1cp our little ones our toddling little ones our children
H2945-15 Deuteronomy 1:39 וְ/טַפְּ/כֶם֩ vetapekhem HC/Ncmsc/Sp2mp and your little ones your toddling little ones and your children
H2945-12 Deuteronomy 2:34 וְ/הַ/טָּ֑ף vehataf HC/Td/Ncmsa and the little ones the toddling little ones and the children
H2945-12 Deuteronomy 3:6 וְ/הַ/טָּֽף vehataf HC/Td/Ncmsa and the children the toddling little ones and the children
H2945-15 Deuteronomy 3:19 וְ/טַפְּ/כֶם֮ vetapekhem HC/Ncmsc/Sp2mp and your little ones your toddling little ones and your children
H2945-12 Deuteronomy 20:14 וְ/הַ/טַּ֨ף vehataf HC/Td/Ncmsa and the little ones the toddling little ones and the children
H2945-08 Deuteronomy 29:10 טַפְּ/כֶ֣ם tapekhem HNcmsc/Sp2mp your little ones your toddlers your children
H2945-12 Deuteronomy 31:12 וְ/הַ/טַּ֔ף vehataf HC/Td/Ncmsa and the children the toddling little ones and the children
H2945-08 Joshua 1:14 טַפְּ/כֶם֮ tapekhem HNcmsc/Sp2mp your little ones your toddlers your children
H2945-12 Joshua 8:35 וְ/הַ/טַּ֔ף vehataf HC/Td/Ncmsa and the little ones the toddling little ones and the children
H2945-02 Judges 18:21 הַ/טַּ֧ף hataf HTd/Ncmsa the little ones the toddling little ones the toddling little children
H2945-12 Judges 21:10 וְ/הַ/טָּֽף vehataf HC/Td/Ncmsa and the little ones the toddling little ones and the children
H2945-02 2 Samuel 15:22 הַ/טַּ֖ף hataf HTd/Ncmsa the little ones the toddling little ones the toddling little children
H2945-11 Jeremiah 40:7 וָ/טָ֔ף vataf HC/Ncmsa and children and toddling little ones and little ones
H2945-13 Jeremiah 41:16 וְ/טַף֙ vetaf HC/Ncmsa and children toddling young and children
H2945-02 Jeremiah 43:6 הַ/טַּף֮ hataf HTd/Ncmsa the children the toddling little ones the toddling little children
H2945-13 Ezekiel 9:6 וְ/טַ֨ף vetaf HC/Ncmsa and little children toddling young and children
H2945-06 Esther 3:13 טַ֤ף taf HNcmsa little-children toddling little ones toddling children
H2945-06 Esther 8:11 טַ֣ף taf HNcmsa little ones toddling little ones toddling children
H2945-10 Ezra 8:21 וּ/לְ/טַפֵּ֖/נוּ uletapenu HC/R/Ncmsc/Sp1cp and for our little ones our toddling little ones and for our little ones
H2945-07 2 Chronicles 20:13 טַפָּ֖/ם tapam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their little ones their toddling little ones their children
H2945-07 2 Chronicles 31:18 טַפָּ֧/ם tapam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their-little-ones their toddling little ones their children
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