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גֶּפֶן

𐤂𐤐𐤍

gephen

H1612 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Vine, specifically the cultivated grapevine (Vitis vinifera) grown for its fruit. In most contexts in the Hebrew Bible, גֶּפֶן (gephen) refers to the domesticated, fruit-bearing plant whose grapes are used for food and for the production of wine. The term emphasizes the agricultural and economic importance of the grapevine in ancient Israelite society and is often employed as a symbol of prosperity, blessing, or the state of the land. Less commonly, it may also refer more generally to the vine as a plant, but its primary reference is to the grapevine and its agricultural product.

Semantic Range

grapevine, cultivated vine, plant for grapes, symbol of prosperity or people, vine (general usage—but almost always grapevine in context)

Root / Etymology

Root: ג-פ-נ (g-p-n). The specific root and etymological development are debated; traditionally, it has been linked with a root meaning 'to bend' or 'to twine,' relating to the plant's climbing or trailing nature, but the root does not occur elsewhere in Biblical Hebrew. The word appears in a few Semitic languages (e.g., Ugaritic gpn), suggesting an old West Semitic term for the grapevine; thus, precise etymology is uncertain, but likely indigenous to Northwest Semitic languages.

Historical & Contextual Notes

גֶּפֶן occurs widely throughout the Hebrew Bible, especially in legal, agricultural, metaphorical, and poetic passages. In legal and narrative texts (e.g., Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), it frequently appears alongside other primary agricultural products such as grain and olives, signifying the standard triple crop of the land. In the prophetic and poetic literature, גֶּפֶן serves as a metaphor for the people of Israel, their prosperity or desolation, depending on context (e.g., Isaiah 5, Psalm 80), and in wisdom literature for the blessings of home and family (e.g., Psalm 128:3). Unlike related terms (e.g., גַּפְנָה gaphnah, a rarer feminine or collective form), גֶּפֶן normally refers to a single vine or the species in general, rather than a vineyard (which is כֶּרֶם kerem). Later English translations sometimes render גֶּפֶן simply as 'vine,' which, without context, may obscure the consistent biblical reference to the grapevine specifically. In post-biblical Hebrew and later periods, it retained its agricultural and symbolic meanings. The term is never used for non-grape vines, nor for the place where vines grow (for which 'vineyard'—כֶּרֶם—is the standard term).

Translation Consistency

primary "grapevine" 48 occurrences

The SILEX definition and usage overwhelmingly refer to the cultivated grapevine (Vitis vinifera), and corpus choices favor “grapevine” (37 of 55). “Grapevine” is specific, natural English, and fits both literal agricultural senses and symbolic uses (prosperity/people), so it ensures consistent, clear rendering across all forms of H1612.

Alternatives (2 occurrences):
"vine" (2x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to bend; a vine (as twining), especially the grape; vine, tree.

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

גפן (gephen) — to bend, to twine (uncertain; see etymology)

Root גפן to bend, to twine (uncertain; see etymology)

Word Forms

22 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1612-10 הַ/גֶּ֖פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine 13
H1612-09 גֶּ֣פֶן gefen HNcbsc vine grapevine grapevine 10
H1612-08 גַּפְנ/וֹ֙ gafeno HNcbsc/Sp3ms his vine his grapevine his grapevine 4
H1612-18 מִ/גֶּ֤פֶן migefen HR/Ncbsc from the vine from a grapevine from a grapevine 4
H1612-05 גַּפְנָ֔/ם gafenam HNcbsc/Sp3mp their vines their grapevine their grapevine 3
H1612-17 לְ/גֶ֨פֶן legefen HR/Ncbsa a vine to a cultivated grapevine to a cultivated grapevine 3
H1612-14 כַ/גֶּ֛פֶן khagefen HRd/Ncbsa as a vine like the grapevine like the grapevine 2
H1612-21 וְ/גֶ֥פֶן vegefen HC/Ncbsa and-vine grapevine and grapevine 2
H1612-01 בַּ/גְּפָנִ֔ים bagefanim HRd/Ncbpa on the vines among grapevines among grapevines 1
H1612-02 בַּ/גֶּ֜פֶן bagefen HRd/Ncbsa on the vine in the grapevine in the grapevine 1

Occurrences in Scripture

55 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1612-09 Genesis 40:9 גֶ֖פֶן gefen HNcbsa a vine grapevine a grapevine
H1612-19 Genesis 40:10 וּ/בַ/גֶּ֖פֶן uvagefen HC/Rd/Ncbsa and on the vine and in the grapevine and on the grapevine
H1612-16 Genesis 49:11 לַ/גֶּ֨פֶן֙ lagefen HRd/Ncbsa to the vine to the grapevine to the grapevine
H1612-18 Numbers 6:4 מִ/גֶּ֣פֶן migefen HR/Ncbsc from the grapevine from a grapevine from a grapevine
H1612-21 Numbers 20:5 וְ/גֶ֨פֶן֙ vegefen HC/Ncbsa and-vine grapevine and grapevine
H1612-21 Deuteronomy 8:8 וְ/גֶ֥פֶן vegefen HC/Ncbsa vines grapevine and grapevine
H1612-18 Deuteronomy 32:32 מִ/גֶּ֤פֶן migefen HR/Ncbsc from the vine from a grapevine from a grapevine
H1612-05 Deuteronomy 32:32 גַּפְנָ֔/ם gafenam HNcbsc/Sp3mp of them their grapevine their grapevine
H1612-15 Judges 9:12 לַ/גָּ֑פֶן lagafen HRd/Ncbsa to the vine to the grapevine to the vine
H1612-10 Judges 9:13 הַ/גֶּ֔פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-18 Judges 13:14 מִ/גֶּ֨פֶן migefen HR/Ncbsc from the vine from a grapevine from a grapevine
H1612-08 1 Kings 5:5 גַּפְנ/וֹ֙ gafeno HNcbsc/Sp3ms his vine his grapevine his grapevine
H1612-09 2 Kings 4:39 גֶּ֣פֶן gefen HNcbsc vine grapevine grapevine
H1612-08 2 Kings 18:31 גַּפְנ/וֹ֙ gafeno HNcbsc/Sp3ms of his vine his grapevine his grapevine
H1612-09 Isaiah 7:23 גֶּ֖פֶן gefen HNcbsa vines grapevine grapevine
H1612-09 Isaiah 16:8 גֶּ֣פֶן gefen HNcbsc vine grapevine grapevine
H1612-09 Isaiah 16:9 גֶּ֣פֶן gefen HNcbsc vine grapevine grapevine
H1612-03 Isaiah 24:7 גָ֑פֶן gafen HNcbsa the vine grapevine grapevine
H1612-09 Isaiah 32:12 גֶּ֖פֶן gefen HNcbsa vine grapevine grapevine
H1612-18 Isaiah 34:4 מִ/גֶּ֔פֶן migefen HR/Ncbsa from the vine from a grapevine from a grapevine
H1612-08 Isaiah 36:16 גַּפְנ/וֹ֙ gafeno HNcbsc/Sp3ms his vine his grapevine his grapevine
H1612-10 Jeremiah 2:21 הַ/גֶּ֥פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-06 Jeremiah 5:17 גַּפְנְ/ךָ֖ gafenekha HNcbsc/Sp2ms your vines your grapevine your grapevine
H1612-14 Jeremiah 6:9 כַ/גֶּ֖פֶן khagefen HRd/Ncbsa as a vine like the grapevine like the grapevine
H1612-02 Jeremiah 8:13 בַּ/גֶּ֜פֶן bagefen HRd/Ncbsa on the vine in the grapevine in the grapevine
H1612-10 Jeremiah 48:32 הַ/גֶּ֣פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-10 Ezekiel 15:2 הַ/גֶּ֖פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa of the vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-10 Ezekiel 15:6 הַ/גֶּ֨פֶן֙ hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the-vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-17 Ezekiel 17:6 לְ/גֶ֨פֶן legefen HR/Ncbsa a vine to a cultivated grapevine to a cultivated grapevine
H1612-17 Ezekiel 17:6 לְ/גֶ֔פֶן legefen-2 HR/Ncbsa a vine to a cultivated grapevine to a cultivated grapevine
H1612-10 Ezekiel 17:7 הַ/גֶּ֨פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-17 Ezekiel 17:8 לְ/גֶ֥פֶן legefen HR/Ncbsc a vine to a cultivated grapevine to a cultivated grapevine
H1612-14 Ezekiel 19:10 כַ/גֶּ֛פֶן khagefen HRd/Ncbsa like a vine like the grapevine like the grapevine
H1612-04 Hosea 2:14 גַּפְנָ/הּ֙ gafenah HNcbsc/Sp3fs her-vine her grapevine her grapevine
H1612-09 Hosea 10:1 גֶּ֤פֶן gefen HNcbsa a luxuriant vine grapevine grapevine
H1612-13 Hosea 14:8 כַ/גָּ֑פֶן khagafen HRd/Ncbsa like the vine like a cultivated grapevine like a cultivated grapevine
H1612-07 Joel 1:7 גַּפְנִ/י֙ gafeni HNcbsc/Sp1cs my vine my grapevine my grapevine
H1612-10 Joel 1:12 הַ/גֶּ֣פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-20 Joel 2:22 וָ/גֶ֖פֶן vagefen HC/Ncbsa and vine and grapevine and vine
H1612-08 Micah 4:4 גַּפְנ֛/וֹ gafeno HNcbsc/Sp3ms his-vine his grapevine his grapevine
H1612-01 Habakkuk 3:17 בַּ/גְּפָנִ֔ים bagefanim HRd/Ncbpa on the vines among grapevines among grapevines
H1612-10 Haggai 2:19 הַ/גֶּ֨פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-09 Zechariah 3:10 גֶּ֖פֶן gefen HNcbsa vine grapevine grapevine
H1612-10 Zechariah 8:12 הַ/גֶּ֜פֶן hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-10 Malachi 3:11 הַ/גֶּ֨פֶן֙ hagefen HTd/Ncbsa the vine the grapevine the grapevine
H1612-05 Psalms 78:47 גַּפְנָ֑/ם gafenam HNcbsc/Sp3mp their vines their grapevine their grapevine
H1612-09 Psalms 80:9 גֶּ֭פֶן gefen HNcbsa vine grapevine grapevine
H1612-09 Psalms 80:15 גֶּ֣פֶן gefen HNcbsa the vine grapevine grapevine
H1612-05 Psalms 105:33 גַּ֭פְנָ/ם gafenam HNcbsc/Sp3mp their vines their grapevine their grapevine
H1612-12 Psalms 128:3 כְּ/גֶ֥פֶן kegefen HR/Ncbsa like a vine like a grapevine like a grapevine
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