סָפַד (H5594) — Hebrew Lexicon

סָפַד

𐤎𐤐𐤃

çâphad

H5594 verb

SILEX Entry

Root ספד to mourn, to lament, to wail publicly

Definition

To express grief audibly and visibly, particularly through lamentation rituals; to mourn the dead, to engage in public acts of mourning, including wailing, dirges, and formal expressions of communal bereavement. Commonly refers to the performance of mourning rites, especially in funerary settings and other occasions of collective loss.

Semantic Range

to mourn aloud for the dead, to lament in ritual or public settings, to wail or express communal grief, to deliver a dirge or elegy, to participate in formal mourning proceedings

Root / Etymology

From the root ספד (samekh-peh-dalet), which conveys the idea of mourning or lamentation. The root itself is primarily associated with the act of expressing grief, especially for the dead, although it sometimes extends to general public expressions of sorrow.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, סָפַד denotes ritual mourning, especially in response to death (e.g., Genesis 23:2; 2 Samuel 3:31; Jeremiah 34:5). The verb is frequently used with reference to the structured, often communal practices of lamentation in ancient Israelite society—including wailing, professional mourning, and the recitation or singing of dirges. Unlike general terms for feeling sorrow (e.g., אָבַל, to mourn), סָפַד emphasizes the outward, often public, performance of mourning, which could include dramatic physical and vocal displays. The classic gestures referenced in older glosses (tearing hair, beating the breast) are supported as standard mourning practices in the ancient Near East, though the verb itself is broader and not restricted to any single ritual gesture. In later Hebrew and post-biblical contexts, the term develops a specialized association with the recitation of formal funerary elegies (ספד/הספד). English translations such as "lament" or "mourn" sometimes flatten this nuance by not distinguishing between personal emotion and public mourning ritual.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief); generally to lament; by implication, to wail; lament, mourn(-er), wail.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ספד (s-p-d) — to mourn, to lament, to wail publicly

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H4553	מִסְפֵּד	the lamentation-rite

Word Forms

19 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H5594-13`	וַ/יִּ֨סְפְּדוּ	vayisepedu	`HC/Vqw3mp`	and they mourned	and they publicly mourned	6
`H5594-19`	יִסְפְּד֣וּ	yisepedu	`HVqi3mp`	they will mourn	they will publicly lament	4
`H5594-04`	לִ/סְפֹּ֥ד	lisepod	`HR/Vqc`	to mourn	to perform mourning rites	3
`H5594-17`	וְ/סִפְד֖וּ	vesifedu	`HC/Vqv2mp`	and mourn	and mourn aloud	2
`H5594-15`	וְ/סָֽפְדוּ	vesafedu	`HC/Vqp3cp`	and they will mourn	and they mourned	2
`H5594-18`	יִסָּֽפְדוּ֙	yisafedu	`HVNi3mp`	they-shall-be-lamented	they will be mourned	2
`H5594-02`	הַ/סֹּפְדִֽים	hasofedim	`HTd/Vqrmpa`	the mourners	the ones lamenting	1
`H5594-12`	וַ/תִּסְפֹּ֖ד	vatisepod	`HC/Vqw3fs`	and she lamented	she publicly mourned	1
`H5594-09`	סֹֽפְדִ֑ים	sofedim	`HVqrmpa`	mourn	mourning ones	1
`H5594-10`	תִסְפְּד֖וּ	tisepedu	`HVqi2mp`	you shall mourn	you will publicly mourn	1
`H5594-08`	סִפְד֣וּ	sifedu	`HVqv2mp`	lament	Mourn publicly!	1
`H5594-11`	תִסְפֹּד֙	tisepod	`HVqi2ms`	you shall mourn	you will publicly mourn	1
`H5594-07`	סְפֹ֕דְנָה	sefodenah	`HVqv2fp`	lament	Mourn publicly, you women	1
`H5594-14`	וְ/סָפְדָ֣ה	vesafedah	`HC/Vqp3fs`	and shall mourn	and she lamented	1
`H5594-01`	אֶסְפְּדָ֣ה	esepedah	`HVqi1cs`	I will lament	I will publicly mourn	1
`H5594-06`	סְפ֖וֹד	sefod	`HVqc`		to mourn publicly	1
`H5594-05`	מִסְפַּד֙	misepad	`HNcmsc`	mourning	mourning-rite of	1
`H5594-03`	כְּ/מִסְפֵּד֙	kemiseped	`HR/Ncmsa`	as the mourning	as a ritual lament	1
`H5594-16`	וְ/סָפ֜וֹד	vesafod	`HC/Vqa`	and mourned	and to publicly mourn	1

Occurrences in Scripture

32 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H5594-04`	Genesis 23:2	לִ/סְפֹּ֥ד	lisepod	`HR/Vqc`	to mourn	to perform mourning rites
`H5594-13`	Genesis 50:10	וַ/יִּ֨סְפְּדוּ	vayisepedu	`HC/Vqw3mp`	and they mourned	and they publicly mourned
`H5594-13`	1 Samuel 25:1	וַ/יִּסְפְּדוּ	vayisepedu	`HC/Vqw3mp`	and lamented	and they publicly mourned
`H5594-13`	1 Samuel 28:3	וַ/יִּסְפְּדוּ	vayisepedu	`HC/Vqw3mp`	had mourned	and they publicly mourned
`H5594-13`	2 Samuel 1:12	וַֽ/יִּסְפְּדוּ֙	vayisepedu	`HC/Vqw3mp`	and they mourned	and they publicly mourned
`H5594-17`	2 Samuel 3:31	וְ/סִפְד֖וּ	vesifedu	`HC/Vqv2mp`	and mourn	and mourn aloud
`H5594-12`	2 Samuel 11:26	וַ/תִּסְפֹּ֖ד	vatisepod	`HC/Vqw3fs`	and she lamented	she publicly mourned
`H5594-04`	1 Kings 13:29	לִ/סְפֹּ֖ד	lisepod	`HR/Vqc`	to mourn	to perform mourning rites
`H5594-13`	1 Kings 13:30	וַ/יִּסְפְּד֥וּ	vayisepedu	`HC/Vqw3mp`	and they mourned	and they publicly mourned
`H5594-15`	1 Kings 14:13	וְ/סָֽפְדוּ	vesafedu	`HC/Vqp3cp`	and they will mourn	and they mourned
`H5594-13`	1 Kings 14:18	וַ/יִּסְפְּדוּ	vayisepedu	`HC/Vqw3mp`	and they mourned	and they publicly mourned
`H5594-09`	Isaiah 32:12	סֹֽפְדִ֑ים	sofedim	`HVqrmpa`	mourn	mourning ones
`H5594-08`	Jeremiah 4:8	סִפְד֣וּ	sifedu	`HVqv2mp`	lament	Mourn publicly!
`H5594-18`	Jeremiah 16:4	יִסָּֽפְדוּ֙	yisafedu	`HVNi3mp`	they-shall-be-lamented	they will be mourned
`H5594-04`	Jeremiah 16:5	לִ/סְפּ֔וֹד	lisepod	`HR/Vqc`	to lament	to perform mourning rites
`H5594-19`	Jeremiah 16:6	יִסְפְּד֣וּ	yisepedu	`HVqi3mp`	they will mourn	they will publicly lament
`H5594-19`	Jeremiah 22:18	יִסְפְּד֣וּ	yisepedu	`HVqi3mp`	they will mourn	they will publicly lament
`H5594-19`	Jeremiah 22:18	יִסְפְּד֣וּ	yisepedu-2	`HVqi3mp`	they will mourn	they will publicly lament
`H5594-18`	Jeremiah 25:33	יִסָּפְד֗וּ	yisafedu	`HVNi3mp`	will be lamented	they will be mourned
`H5594-19`	Jeremiah 34:5	יִסְפְּדוּ	yisepedu	`HVqi3mp`	they will lament	they will publicly lament
`H5594-07`	Jeremiah 49:3	סְפֹ֕דְנָה	sefodenah	`HVqv2fp`	lament	Mourn publicly, you women
`H5594-11`	Ezekiel 24:16	תִסְפֹּד֙	tisepod	`HVqi2ms`	you shall mourn	you will publicly mourn
`H5594-10`	Ezekiel 24:23	תִסְפְּד֖וּ	tisepedu	`HVqi2mp`	you shall mourn	you will publicly mourn
`H5594-17`	Joel 1:13	וְ/סִפְד֜וּ	vesifedu	`HC/Vqv2mp`	and mourn	and mourn aloud
`H5594-01`	Micah 1:8	אֶסְפְּדָ֣ה	esepedah	`HVqi1cs`	I will lament	I will publicly mourn
`H5594-05`	Micah 1:11	מִסְפַּד֙	misepad	`HNcmsc`	mourning	mourning-rite of
`H5594-16`	Zechariah 7:5	וְ/סָפ֜וֹד	vesafod	`HC/Vqa`	and mourned	and to publicly mourn
`H5594-15`	Zechariah 12:10	וְ/סָפְד֣וּ	vesafedu	`HC/Vqq3cp`	and they will mourn	and they mourned
`H5594-03`	Zechariah 12:10	כְּ/מִסְפֵּד֙	kemiseped	`HR/Ncmsa`	as the mourning	as a ritual lament
`H5594-14`	Zechariah 12:12	וְ/סָפְדָ֣ה	vesafedah	`HC/Vqp3fs`	and shall mourn	and she lamented
`H5594-06`	Ecclesiastes 3:4	סְפ֖וֹד	sefod	`HVqc`		to mourn publicly
`H5594-02`	Ecclesiastes 12:5	הַ/סֹּפְדִֽים	hasofedim	`HTd/Vqrmpa`	the mourners	the ones lamenting

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