סָפִיחַ
𐤎𐤐𐤉𐤇
çâphîyach
H5599 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A self-sown plant or crop, specifically referring to volunteer growth that results from seeds left unintentionally after a previous harvest. In agricultural contexts, denotes grain or plants that arise naturally without deliberate planting, often as a result of residual seed scattered from earlier harvest cycles. The term is also used in sabbatical and jubilee laws to describe produce that sprouts on its own during periods when agricultural sowing is prohibited.
Semantic Range
self-sown plant, volunteer crop, spontaneously grown produce, unintended growth of crops, by-product of previous harvest
Root / Etymology
Root: סָפַח (s-p-ḥ), which broadly means 'to join, attach, add.' The noun סָפִיחַ derives from this root in the sense of something added on or occurring in addition, especially in an unintended or secondary manner.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The word is rare, occurring only in Leviticus 25:5, 11 and 2 Kings 19:29 (= Isaiah 37:30). In Leviticus, it refers to the volunteer crops that grow without deliberate sowing during the sabbatical and jubilee years, which are not to be harvested as cultivated crops. In 2 Kings/Isaiah, it describes what will naturally grow and serve as food provisionally due to agricultural disruption. This usage conveys the sense that these crops are supplementary and unintended, reinforcing their status as unplanned or accidental produce. Later English translations such as 'that which groweth of itself' or 'volunteer crop' are attempts to express this nuance. The term is not directly equivalent to modern concepts of wild plants or weeds, but specifically to edible crops that emerge without sowing from a previous harvest. In post-biblical Hebrew, the term largely falls out of use, and a different vocabulary develops for spontaneous growth. Standard English translations often obscure the technical agricultural implications that were clearer to the original audience.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from סָפַח; something (spontaneously) falling off, i.e. a self-sown crop; figuratively, a freshet; (such) things as (which) grow (of themselves), which groweth of its own accord (itself).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ספח (s-p-ḥ) — to join, attach, add
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4555 | מִסְפָּחָה | the attached veils |
| H4556 | מִסְפַּחַת | the spreading skin-attachment |
| H4939 | מִשְׂפָּח | devastating slaughter |
| H5596 | סָפַח | from attaching oneself |
| H5597 | סַפַּחַת | spreading skin-affliction |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5599-03 |
סְפִיחֶ֔י/הָ | seficheyha | HNcmpc/Sp3fs |
aftergrowth-its | her self-sown crops | 2 |
H5599-01 |
סָפִ֔יחַ | saficha | HNcmsa |
self-sown | self-added growth | 2 |
H5599-02 |
סְפִ֤יחַ | seficha | HNcmsc |
aftergrowth | volunteer growth of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5599-02 |
Leviticus 25:5 | סְפִ֤יחַ | seficha | HNcmsc |
aftergrowth | volunteer growth of |
H5599-03 |
Leviticus 25:11 | סְפִיחֶ֔י/הָ | seficheyha | HNcmpc/Sp3fs |
aftergrowth-its | her self-sown crops |
H5599-01 |
2 Kings 19:29 | סָפִ֔יחַ | saficha | HNcmsa |
what grows of itself | self-added growth |
H5599-01 |
Isaiah 37:30 | סָפִ֔יחַ | saficha | HNcmsa |
self-sown | self-added growth |
H5599-03 |
Job 14:19 | סְפִיחֶ֥י/הָ | seficheyha | HNcmpc/Sp3fs |
its growths | her self-sown crops |