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סָפִיחַ

𐤎𐤐𐤉𐤇

çâphîyach

H5599 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A self-sown plant or crop, specifically referring to volunteer growth that results from seeds left unintentionally after a previous harvest. In agricultural contexts, denotes grain or plants that arise naturally without deliberate planting, often as a result of residual seed scattered from earlier harvest cycles. The term is also used in sabbatical and jubilee laws to describe produce that sprouts on its own during periods when agricultural sowing is prohibited.

Semantic Range

self-sown plant, volunteer crop, spontaneously grown produce, unintended growth of crops, by-product of previous harvest

Root / Etymology

Root: סָפַח (s-p-ḥ), which broadly means 'to join, attach, add.' The noun סָפִיחַ derives from this root in the sense of something added on or occurring in addition, especially in an unintended or secondary manner.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The word is rare, occurring only in Leviticus 25:5, 11 and 2 Kings 19:29 (= Isaiah 37:30). In Leviticus, it refers to the volunteer crops that grow without deliberate sowing during the sabbatical and jubilee years, which are not to be harvested as cultivated crops. In 2 Kings/Isaiah, it describes what will naturally grow and serve as food provisionally due to agricultural disruption. This usage conveys the sense that these crops are supplementary and unintended, reinforcing their status as unplanned or accidental produce. Later English translations such as 'that which groweth of itself' or 'volunteer crop' are attempts to express this nuance. The term is not directly equivalent to modern concepts of wild plants or weeds, but specifically to edible crops that emerge without sowing from a previous harvest. In post-biblical Hebrew, the term largely falls out of use, and a different vocabulary develops for spontaneous growth. Standard English translations often obscure the technical agricultural implications that were clearer to the original audience.

Translation Consistency

primary "volunteer" 1 occurrence

In agricultural English, 'volunteer' is the common, natural term for plants or crops that grow on their own from leftover seed. It concisely captures the typical sense of סָפִיחַ as unintended/self-sown produce, is widely understood in farming contexts, and works smoothly as a consistent base word across all forms (e.g., 'volunteer plant,' 'volunteers').

Alternatives (4 occurrences):
"self-sown crops" (2x) "self-volunteered growth" (2x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from סָפַח; something (spontaneously) falling off, i.e. a self-sown crop; figuratively, a freshet; (such) things as (which) grow (of themselves), which groweth of its own accord (itself).

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

ספח (miçpâchâh) — to join, attach, add

Root ספח to join, attach, add
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4555 מִסְפָּחָה the attached veils
H4556 מִסְפַּחַת the spreading skin-attachment
H4939 מִשְׂפָּח devastating slaughter
H5596 סָפַח from attaching oneself
H5597 סַפַּחַת spreading skin-affliction

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5599-01 סָפִ֔יחַ saficha HNcmsa self-sown self-added growth self-volunteered growth 2
H5599-03 סְפִיחֶ֥י/הָ seficheyha HNcmpc/Sp3fs aftergrowth-its her self-sown crops her self-sown crops 2
H5599-02 סְפִ֤יחַ seficha HNcmsc aftergrowth volunteer growth of volunteer growth of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5599-02 Leviticus 25:5 סְפִ֤יחַ seficha HNcmsc aftergrowth volunteer growth of volunteer growth of
H5599-03 Leviticus 25:11 סְפִיחֶ֔י/הָ seficheyha HNcmpc/Sp3fs aftergrowth-its her self-sown crops her self-sown crops
H5599-01 2 Kings 19:29 סָפִ֔יחַ saficha HNcmsa what grows of itself self-added growth self-volunteered growth
H5599-01 Isaiah 37:30 סָפִ֔יחַ saficha HNcmsa self-sown self-added growth self-volunteered growth
H5599-03 Job 14:19 סְפִיחֶ֥י/הָ seficheyha HNcmpc/Sp3fs its growths her self-sown crops her self-sown crops
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