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עָיֵף

𐤏𐤉𐤐

ʻâyêph

H5889 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root עיף to be weary, to be exhausted, to faint

Definition

Primarily denotes being physically or emotionally exhausted, faint, or weary; describes a state of fatigue resulting from exertion, travel, hunger, thirst, or hardship. In some contexts, it can refer more specifically to thirst or general depletion of strength.

Semantic Range

weary, faint, exhausted, languid, depleted, thirsty (by extension), worn out

Root / Etymology

From the root עיף meaning to be weary, faint, or exhausted. The root expresses the sense of tiredness or being worn out and appears also in related nouns and adjectives derived from it.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical Hebrew, עָיֵף is most often used to convey the experience of tiredness or weakness due to physical hardship, such as in Deuteronomy 25:18, where it refers to the condition of those straggling behind during a journey due to exhaustion. It can also imply weariness from lack of water (i.e., thirst; see Judges 8:15). The underlying emphasis is on diminished vitality, whether from travel, hunger, thirst, or the hardship of battle. Its use is generally concrete and reflects immediate, bodily experience. English translations often render it as 'faint', 'weary', or 'exhausted', but these may not always capture the nuance of depletion due to specific causes (e.g., thirst, hunger). The meaning remains consistent throughout its biblical usage, without significant ideological or religious development. It differs from related terms such as יָגֵעַ (yāgēa‘), which typically emphasizes labor-induced weariness, whereas עָיֵף may highlight fatigue from any exerting circumstance, not exclusively work.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָיֵף; languid; faint, thirsty, weary.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עיף (ʿ-y-p̄) — to be weary, to be exhausted, to faint

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5888 עָיֵף weary

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5889-01 עָיֵֽף ayef HAamsa weary weary one 6
H5889-02 עֲיֵפָֽה ayefah HAafsa weary weary 4
H5889-03 עֲיֵפִ֖ים ayefim HAampa weary weary ones 3
H5889-06 וְ/עָיֵ֥ף veayef HC/Aamsa and weary and weary 2
H5889-04 לַ/עֲיֵפָֽה laayefah HR/Aafsa to the weary weary one 1
H5889-05 לֶֽ/עָיֵ֔ף leayef HRd/Aamsa to the weary to a weary one 1

Occurrences in Scripture

17 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5889-01 Genesis 25:29 עָיֵֽף ayef HAamsa weary weary one
H5889-01 Genesis 25:30 עָיֵ֖ף ayef HAamsa I am exhausted weary one
H5889-01 Deuteronomy 25:18 עָיֵ֣ף ayef HAamsa faint weary one
H5889-03 Judges 8:4 עֲיֵפִ֖ים ayefim HAampa weary weary ones
H5889-03 Judges 8:5 עֲיֵפִ֣ים ayefim HAampa they are weary weary ones
H5889-03 2 Samuel 16:14 עֲיֵפִ֑ים ayefim HAampa weary weary ones
H5889-06 2 Samuel 17:29 וְ/עָיֵ֥ף veayef HC/Aamsa and weary and weary
H5889-01 Isaiah 5:27 עָיֵ֤ף ayef HAamsa weary weary one
H5889-05 Isaiah 28:12 לֶֽ/עָיֵ֔ף leayef HRd/Aamsa to the weary to a weary one
H5889-01 Isaiah 29:8 עָיֵ֔ף ayef HAamsa faint weary one
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