שְׂפָתָ֣י/ו
𐤔𐤐𐤕𐤉/𐤅
sefatayv
his 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.
Proverbs 17:28 · Word #7
Lexicon H8193
| Lemma | שָׂפָה |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤔𐤐𐤄 |
| Transliteration | sâphâh |
| Strong's | H8193 |
| In-context | his lips |
Morphology HNcfdc/Sp3ms
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 | c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word |
SIBI-P1 H8193-18
his two lip-boundaries
| Root | שׂפה (ś-p-h) |
| Core Meanings | edge, boundary, lip, border, speech |
| Semantic Range | physical lips; speech or utterance; language; edge or brim of objects; shore or bank; border or boundary |
| Conceptual Significance | As the bodily boundary of speech, "lips" often represent spoken words, vows, praise, or deceit in biblical theology. The root’s boundary sense underscores how speech marks limits—between truth and falsehood, purity and defilement, covenant faithfulness and rebellion. |
| Morphological Notes | Common feminine dual noun in construct form (שְׂפָתַיִם → שְׂפָתֵי) with 3ms pronominal suffix (-ו), indicating possession: "his." The dual form reflects the natural pair of lips. |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun derives from the root idea of an edge or boundary, with "lip" understood as the bodily edge that marks the boundary of the mouth. The form is feminine dual construct with a 3rd masculine singular suffix, hence "his two," yielding "his two lip-boundaries." |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root שׂפה (edge, boundary, lip, border, 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 |
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 |