סֵפֶק
𐤎𐤐𐤒
çêpheq
H5607 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A blow, strike, or act of striking with the hands; by extension, a stroke (as of punishment or calamity). In some contexts, the word denotes sufficiency or abundance, encompassing the sense of having enough or being satisfied. It infrequently appears with the nuance of retribution or chastisement, likely in reference to the stroke or blow received. Rare and poetically employed, especially in wisdom literature.
Semantic Range
blow, strike, act of striking, stroke (as of calamity or punishment), sufficiency, satiety, abundance
Root / Etymology
From the root סָפַק, meaning 'to clap, strike hands together, slap, or smite.' The noun סֵפֶק is derived as a concrete noun from this verbal root. While the root typically refers to the physical act of striking or clapping (as in applause or lament), the noun's sense extends into more abstract meanings — particularly a blow (as a calamity) and, separately, the notion of sufficiency (possibly as 'a quantity that satisfies, fills the palm'). The variation שֶׂפֶק is likely an orthographic or dialectical variant.
Historical & Contextual Notes
סֵפֶק appears only in poetic and wisdom literature contexts (primarily Job 20:22; 36:18) and is not a common Hebrew term. In Job, it is used with nuances of both disaster (a stroke or calamity befalling the wicked) and adequacy (having enough, sufficiency). The connection between 'stroke' and 'sufficiency' is likely idiomatic, possibly developed from the imagery of the hand striking (as in measuring or distributing what is adequate), or the completeness of a blow. In later Hebrew, related forms primarily mean 'to clap hands' or 'applaud' or 'smite,' never taking on the meaning of sufficiency. English translations may obscure the double nuance; context determines whether the sense is negative (stroke, blow, calamity) or positive/neutral (enough, abundance). The word never refers in the Hebrew Bible to an ethnic or religious identity, nor does it take on the sense of 'chastisement' outside the context of calamity. The variant spelling שֶׂפֶק occurs with the same range of meaning and may reflect a dialect variation or scribal preference during the composition of Job.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or שֶׂפֶק; (Job 20:22; Job 36:18), from סָפַק; chastisement; also satiety; stroke, sufficiency.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ספק (s-p-q) — to strike, to clap, to smite
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5606 | סָפַק | I clapped |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5607-02 |
בְ/סָ֑פֶק | vesafeq | HR/Ncmsa |
with stroke | a striking-blow | 1 |
H5607-01 |
שִׂ֭פְק/וֹ | sifeqo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
of his sufficiency | his blow | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences