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אָפָה

𐤀𐤐𐤄

ʼâphâh

H644 verb

SILEX Entry

Root אפה to bake, cook by dry heat

Definition

To bake, especially in reference to bread or other food prepared by dry heat, typically using an oven or a heated surface; to cook by baking. The verb denotes the act of preparing food, particularly grain-based products, through exposure to sustained heat—usually in an oven but sometimes also on stones or in coals.

Semantic Range

to bake (bread, grain products), to cook with dry heat, to prepare food in an oven, to be baked (passive), baking as a professional or ritual activity

Root / Etymology

From the root אפה, most likely bearing an original sense relating to the application of heat or fire for the purpose of food preparation. The root meaning is 'to bake', though some comparative Semitic data show similar-sounding roots with the sense 'to cook' or 'to heat.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In pre-monarchic and monarchic Israelite contexts, אָפָה primarily referred to the preparation of bread, a staple food item. The process most often involved earthen ovens (תָּנּוּר, tannūr) or flat stones, both ubiquitous in domestic food preparation. Usage also extends to Levitical and ritual contexts, where baked offerings (e.g., unleavened cakes) appear, indicating sacrificial and communal aspects of baking. In later biblical periods, the term can refer more generally to baked goods. Some occurrences may simply mean to cook, but in ancient Israelite life, baking was so closely associated with bread-making that the verb almost always indicates that specific process. The English term 'baker' used in translation is a derived participle form (אֹפֶה), not a separate word. Unlike the term בָּשַׁל (to boil) or צָלָה (to roast), אָפָה is distinguished by its focus on dry heat baking rather than wet cooking or open-flame roasting. Standard translations as 'bake' are accurate but may miss the technical or ritual nuance the term bears in specific passages.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to cook, especially to bake; bake(-r, (-meats)).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אפה (ʾ-p-h) — to bake, cook by dry heat

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3989 מַאֲפֶה baked product of
H8601 תֻּפִין baked cakes of

Word Forms

18 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H644-04 הָ/אוֹפִֽים haofim HTd/Vqrmpa baker the ones who bake 6
H644-08 תֵאָפֶה֙ teafeh HVNi3fs is baked she will be baked 2
H644-17 וְ/הָ/אֹפֶ֑ה vehaofeh HC/Td/Vqrmsa and the baker and the baking-one 2
H644-05 מֵֽ/אֹפֶ֑ה meofeh HR/Vqrmsa by the baker one who bakes 1
H644-15 וְ/אָפִיתָ֣ veafita HC/Vqq2ms and you shall bake and you baked 1
H644-02 אָפִ֤יתִי afiti HVqp1cs I-have-baked I baked 1
H644-18 יֹאפוּ֙ yofu HVqi3mp they shall bake they bake 1
H644-12 וַ/תֹּפֵ֖/הוּ vatofehu HC/Vqw3fs/Sp3ms and-she-baked-it and she baked him 1
H644-06 אֹפֶ֑ה ofeh HVqrmsa baker's the one who bakes 1
H644-09 תֵּאָפֶ֑ינָה teafeynah HVNi3fp baked they will be baked 1

Occurrences in Scripture

25 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H644-01 Genesis 19:3 אָפָ֖ה afah HVqp3ms he baked he baked
H644-17 Genesis 40:1 וְ/הָ/אֹפֶ֑ה vehaofeh HC/Td/Vqrmsa and the baker and the baking-one
H644-04 Genesis 40:2 הָ/אוֹפִֽים haofim HTd/Vqrmpa baker the ones who bake
H644-17 Genesis 40:5 וְ/הָ/אֹפֶ֗ה vehaofeh HC/Td/Vqrmsa and the baker and the baking-one
H644-04 Genesis 40:16 הָ/אֹפִ֖ים haofim HTd/Vqrmpa baker the ones who bake
H644-06 Genesis 40:17 אֹפֶ֑ה ofeh HVqrmsa baker's the one who bakes
H644-04 Genesis 40:20 הָ/אֹפִ֖ים haofim HTd/Vqrmpa of the bakers the ones who bake
H644-04 Genesis 40:22 הָ/אֹפִ֖ים haofim HTd/Vqrmpa of the bakers the ones who bake
H644-04 Genesis 41:10 הָ/אֹפִֽים haofim HTd/Vqrmpa baker the ones who bake
H644-13 Exodus 12:39 וַ/יֹּאפ֨וּ vayofu HC/Vqw3mp And they baked and they baked
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