שְׂ֝פָתַ֗יִם

𐤔𐤐𐤕𐤉𐤌

sefatayim

of lips

or (in dual and plural) שֶׂפֶת; probably from סָפָה or שָׁפָה through the idea of termination (compare סוֹף); the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.); band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, (sea-)shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.

H8193

Proverbs 14:23 · Word #6

Lexicon H8193

Lemmaשָׂפָה
Lemma (Paleo)𐤔𐤐𐤄
Transliterationsâphâh
Strong'sH8193
In-contextof lips

Morphology HNcfda All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender f — Feminine — Feminine
Number d — Dual — Dual (exactly two)
State a — Absolute — The noun stands independently

SIBI-P1 H8193-17

two lips

Rootשׂפה (ś-p-h)
Core Meaningsedge, border, boundary, lip, speech
Semantic Rangephysical lips; speech or utterance; language; edge or brim of an object; shore or bank; boundary line.
Conceptual Significanceשָׂפָה links the physical boundary of the mouth with the act of speech, underscoring the biblical view that words emerge from one’s inner being. It can also denote linguistic identity ("one lip" = one language) or physical borders, reinforcing themes of separation, identity, and the power of spoken words in covenantal life.
Morphological NotesCommon feminine noun in the dual absolute form (‑ַיִם ending), denoting a natural pair; no pronominal suffix.
Rendering RationaleThe form שְׂפָתַיִם is a feminine dual absolute noun, indicating a natural pair. Rendering it as "two lips" preserves the dual number inherent in the Hebrew form while maintaining the root idea of a boundary or edge, since lips are the border of the mouth and, by extension, the boundary of speech.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root שׂפה (edge, border, boundary, lip, speech)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H8193-01 besefetoteykha within your lips
H8193-02 besifetey in the two boundary-lips of
H8193-03 besifetoteyhem in their lips
H8193-04 bisefat at the lip-boundary of
H8193-06 bisefatayv with his two lips
H8193-09 lisefato to his lip-edge
H8193-10 misefat from the lip of
H8193-11 misefato from his lip-boundary
H8193-12 safah a boundary-lip
H8222-01 safam upper-lip
H8193-14 sefatah her boundary-lip
H8193-15 sefatam their lip
H8193-16 sefatay my two boundary-lips
H8193-18 sefatayv his two lip-boundaries
H8193-19 sefateyha the boundary-lips of her
H8193-20 sefateykha your two boundary-lips
H8193-21 sefateymo their pair of lips
H8193-22 sefateynu our two boundary-lips
H8193-23 sefato his boundary-lip
H8193-24 shftyv his boundary-lips
H8193-25 sifetey the two lips of
H8193-27 sifetotayikhe your (feminine) boundary-lips
H8193-28 sifetotayv his boundary-lips
H8193-30 usefatayv and his two boundary-lips
H8193-31 usefateykha and your two lips
H8193-32 usefato and his boundary-lip
H8193-33 uvisefatayv and with his lip-edges
H8193-34 vesafah and a boundary-lip
H8193-35 vesifetey and the two boundary-lips of
H8193-38 visefatayv on his two lips
H8193-39 vshftv with his lip

Word Usage (177 occurrences of H8193)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 11:1 שָׂפָ֣ה safah language
Genesis 11:6 וְ/שָׂפָ֤ה vesafah and language
Genesis 11:7 שְׂפָתָ֑/ם sefatam their language