אָסַף
𐤀𐤎𐤐
ʼâçaph
H622 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To gather, collect, bring together; by extension, to assemble people or things, to receive into one's keeping, to take away or remove, sometimes with the sense of withdrawing or ending. The verb applies to the collection of items such as crops, the assembly of persons, and removal (including the death of persons, i.e., 'to be gathered to one's ancestors'). Its usage encompasses both physical and metaphorical senses, including collecting harvest, assembling groups, taking in, removing, or even causing someone or something to cease (as in death or destruction).
Semantic Range
to gather together, to collect crops/harvest, to assemble people, to receive guests, to take away, to remove (by force or by death), to withdraw, to recover, to bring in, to destroy, to restore, to bring back exiles, to end (metaphorically, as in life)
Root / Etymology
אָסַף derives from the root אסף, which fundamentally means 'to gather' or 'to collect.' The verb is a qal root, with pi'el and hiphil forms extending the causative sense ('to cause to gather,' 'to assemble'). The noun אָסֵף and various derivatives similarly relate to gathering, collection, or assembly.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In early Israelite society, אָסַף appears in contexts involving harvest (e.g., gathering crops in the agricultural cycle), as well as assembling people for social, religious, or military reasons. The verb can refer to welcoming guests or receiving individuals into a group (e.g., bringing someone into one's house). Notably, in its passive or reflexive forms, it is used idiomatically for death ('to be gathered to one's fathers'), expressing the idea of being united with one's ancestors rather than implying annihilation. In narrative and prophetic texts, the verb sometimes signals removal from a situation (e.g., taken away by force, lost), destruction (gathered to be destroyed), or the restoration/return of exiles (gathering dispersed Israelites, especially in exilic and post-exilic literature). Compared with related verbs such as קָבַץ (qāvaṣ, 'to assemble in a more formal or forced sense'), אָסַף is broader and can denote both the act of collecting things and people as well as the end of life. English translations often vary depending on context, using 'gather,' 'bring in,' 'assemble,' 'receive,' or 'take away,' but at times fail to reflect the cultural connotation of being 'gathered to one's ancestors.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.); assemble, bring, consume, destroy, felch, gather (in, together, up again), [idiom] generally, get (him), lose, put all together, receive, recover (another from leprosy), (be) rereward, [idiom] surely, take (away, into, up), [idiom] utterly, withdraw.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אסף (ʾ-s-p̄) — gathering, collecting, assembling, taking in, withdrawing
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H43 | אֶבְיָסָף | Father-has-gathered |
| H614 | אָסִיף | the ingathering |
| H623 | אָסָף | he gathered |
| H624 | אָסֻף | in the gathered-storehouses of |
| H625 | אֹסֶף | like ingatherings of |
Word Forms
71 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H622-46 |
וַ/יֶּאֱסֹ֥ף | vayeesof | HC/Vqw3ms |
and he gathered | and he gathered | 20 |
H622-29 |
נֶאֶסְפ֖וּ | neesefu | HVNp3cp |
were gathered | were gathered | 14 |
H622-45 |
וַ/יֵּאָסְפ֥וּ | vayeasefu | HC/VNw3mp |
and gathered | and they were gathered | 12 |
H622-43 |
וַ/יַּ֣אַסְפ֔וּ | vayaasefu | HC/Vqw3mp |
and they gathered | and they gathered | 10 |
H622-68 |
יֵֽאָסֵף֙ | yeasef | HVNi3ms |
be gathered | he will be gathered | 9 |
H622-44 |
וַ/יֵּאָ֖סֶף | vayeasef | HC/VNw3ms |
and was gathered | and he was gathered | 7 |
H622-19 |
אִסְפ֛וּ | isefu | HVqv2mp |
Gather | Gather! | 6 |
H622-69 |
יֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ | yeasefu | HVNi3mp |
are gathered | they will be gathered | 6 |
H622-13 |
אֱסֹף֙ | esof | HVqv2ms |
gather | Gather! | 5 |
H622-17 |
הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ | heasefu | HVNv2mp |
Assemble | gather yourselves | 5 |
Occurrences in Scripture
202 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H622-49 |
Genesis 6:21 | וְ/אָסַפְתָּ֖ | veasafeta | HC/Vqp2ms |
and gather | and you gathered |
H622-44 |
Genesis 25:8 | וַ/יֵּאָ֖סֶף | vayeasef | HC/VNw3ms |
and was gathered | and he was gathered |
H622-44 |
Genesis 25:17 | וַ/יֵּאָ֖סֶף | vayeasef | HC/VNw3ms |
and was gathered | and he was gathered |
H622-61 |
Genesis 29:3 | וְ/נֶאֶסְפוּ | veneesefu | HC/VNp3cp |
were gathered | and they were gathered |
H622-15 |
Genesis 29:7 | הֵאָסֵ֣ף | heasef | HVNc |
for gathering | to be gathered |
H622-69 |
Genesis 29:8 | יֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ | yeasefu | HVNi3mp |
are gathered | they will be gathered |
H622-46 |
Genesis 29:22 | וַ/יֶּאֱסֹ֥ף | vayeesof | HC/Vqw3ms |
gathered | and he gathered |
H622-01 |
Genesis 30:23 | אָסַ֥ף | asaf | HVqp3ms |
has taken away | he gathered |
H622-61 |
Genesis 34:30 | וְ/נֶאֶסְפ֤וּ | veneesefu | HC/VNp3cp |
they will gather | and they were gathered |
H622-44 |
Genesis 35:29 | וַ/יֵּאָ֣סֶף | vayeasef | HC/VNw3ms |
and was gathered | and he was gathered |