סוּף
𐤎𐤅𐤐
çûwph
H5486 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To come to an end, to cease, to fail, or to perish. This verb is used in various contexts to denote the completion, cessation, or destruction of something, whether physical, temporal, or existential.
Semantic Range
to come to an end, cease, fail, perish, be destroyed, be terminated, utterly pass away
Root / Etymology
Root סוּף (ס־ו־ף), meaning 'to come to an end' or 'cease.' The verb derives directly from this root and carries the sense of reaching a limit, being terminated, or destroyed. There is no securely identified cognate in other Semitic languages, and the root does not exhibit a wide derivational family within Biblical Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The verb סוּף appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible, attested in poetic or archaic language. Its meaning is generally clear from context, indicating some definitive conclusion, usually destructive or negative (as with perishing, being utterly destroyed, or something terminating). It is distinct from verbs like כָּלָה (kalah, 'to complete, finish, consume') and תָּם (tam, 'to be finished, completed'), which emphasize completion or fulfillment rather than annihilation. Standard English translations often render סוּף with 'be consumed,' 'perish,' or 'be utterly destroyed,' but the nuance can shift depending on the specific context. In post-biblical and later Hebrew, the noun form סוֹף came to mean 'end' (in a temporal or abstract sense), but in Biblical usage the verbal root emphasizes the act or event of ending rather than the state of having an end.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to snatch away, i.e. terminate; consume, have an end, perish, [idiom] be utterly.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
סוף (s-w-p̄) — end, cessation, perishing, termination
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5487 | סוּף | she came to an end |
| H5488 | סוּף | in the reed |
| H5489 | סוּף | marsh-reed |
| H5490 | סוֹף | in the end of |
| H5491 | סוֹף | to end of |
Word Forms
6 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5486-03 |
סָ֥פוּ | safu | HVqp3cp |
they are swept away | they came to an end | 1 |
H5486-05 |
יָס֥וּף | yasuf | HVqi3ms |
shall-perish | he will come to an end | 1 |
H5486-06 |
יָסֻ֖פוּ | yasufu | HVqi3mp |
they shall come to an end | they will come to an end | 1 |
H5486-02 |
אֲסִיפֵ֖/ם | asifem | HVhi1cs/Sp3mp |
their gathering | I will end them | 1 |
H5486-01 |
אָסֵ֜ף | asef | HVhi1cs |
I will make an end | I will bring to an end | 1 |
H5486-04 |
וְ/סָפ֛וּ | vesafu | HC/Vqq3cp |
and they shall have an end | and they came to an end | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
6 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5486-06 |
Isaiah 66:17 | יָסֻ֖פוּ | yasufu | HVqi3mp |
they shall come to an end | they will come to an end |
H5486-02 |
Jeremiah 8:13 | אֲסִיפֵ֖/ם | asifem | HVhi1cs/Sp3mp |
their gathering | I will end them |
H5486-04 |
Amos 3:15 | וְ/סָפ֛וּ | vesafu | HC/Vqq3cp |
and they shall have an end | and they came to an end |
H5486-01 |
Zephaniah 1:2 | אָסֵ֜ף | asef | HVhi1cs |
I will make an end | I will bring to an end |
H5486-03 |
Psalms 73:19 | סָ֥פוּ | safu | HVqp3cp |
they are swept away | they came to an end |
H5486-05 |
Esther 9:28 | יָס֥וּף | yasuf | HVqi3ms |
shall-perish | he will come to an end |