זַלְעָפָה
𐤆𐤋𐤏𐤐𐤄
zalʻâphâh
H2152 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Refers to a fierce, consuming heat or scorching, typically associated with extreme wind or drought conditions. By extension, can signify intense desolation, calamity, or terrifying circumstances resulting from such natural phenomena. In poetic language, it may also connote overwhelming horror or consuming emotional turmoil, often as a metaphor for divine wrath or disaster.
Semantic Range
scorching heat, burning wind, parching drought, consuming calamity, horror, terror, overwhelming emotional turmoil; metaphor for divine wrath or affliction
Root / Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew root זעף (zʿf), which means 'to be vexed, angry, to rage.' The noun form זַלְעָפָה (zal‘âphâh) concretizes the abstract concept of wrath or agitation into the more tangible experience of burning heat or a consuming force. The connection is metaphorical, linking emotional fury or rage to the experience of scorched, desolating heat. In form, the word is feminine and includes a prefixed 'ז׳ with a root-echoing lamed, a common noun formation pattern for expressing intensity or force related to the root action.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical usage, זַלְעָפָה appears primarily in poetic and wisdom literature (notably Job 30:30, Psalm 11:6), where it evokes imagery of searing, destructive heat—whether as literal scorching wind (such as the sirocco or khamsin), with the connotation of famine or deadly drought, or as a metaphor for extreme suffering, horror, or the burning anger of YHWH. The term thus bridges physical and emotional domains: the devastation wrought by harsh climate (fitting ancient Near Eastern realities of drought and dust-laden winds) and the internal devastation of dread or divine wrath. Unlike other Hebrew words for heat or anger (such as חֵמָה for 'fury' or חֹרֶב for 'dryness/destruction'), זַלְעָפָה strongly connotes a deadly, overwhelming force, often as an agent of judgment or existential despair. Standard English translations—'horror,' 'fierce heat,' or 'calamity'—partially reflect this meaning but may not fully convey the original's blending of scorching meteorology and emotional/spiritual ruin.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or זִלְעָפָהxlit zilʻâphâph corrected to zilʻâphâh; from זָעַף; a glow (of wind or anger); also a famine (as consuming); horrible, horror, terrible.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
זעף (z-ʿ-p̄) — to rage, to be vexed, to become heated
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2196 | זָעַף | and in his seething |
| H2197 | זַעַף | in storming-anger |
| H2198 | זָעֵף | and visibly upset |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2152-01 |
זַלְעָפָ֣ה | zaleafah | HNcfsa |
burning indignation | scorching fury | 1 | |
H2152-03 |
זִלְעָפ֗וֹת | zileafot | HNcfpa |
burning | scorching furies | 1 | |
H2152-02 |
זַלְעֲפ֥וֹת | zaleafot | HNcfpc |
the burning heats | scorching furies of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2152-03 |
Psalms 11:6 | זִלְעָפ֗וֹת | zileafot | HNcfpa |
burning | scorching furies | |
H2152-01 |
Psalms 119:53 | זַלְעָפָ֣ה | zaleafah | HNcfsa |
burning indignation | scorching fury | |
H2152-02 |
Lamentations 5:10 | זַלְעֲפ֥וֹת | zaleafot | HNcfpc |
the burning heats | scorching furies of |