אֹפֶן
𐤀𐤐𐤍
ʼôphen
H655 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Basic sense: a wheel or (occasionally) a circular structure; by extension, something that revolves or moves in cycles. In poetic and figurative language, refers to timing, a period, or season, especially as a turn or cycle of events. Used rarely in the Hebrew Bible, where it may also appear in idiomatic expressions indicating appropriateness or fittingness ('fitly', i.e., in a wheel-like or timely manner).
Semantic Range
wheel; turning or revolving object; cycle; season; occasion; fitting manner (idiomatically, as in something turning out 'in the right way'); complex mechanical component (esp. chariot or throne wheels in visionary passages)
Root / Etymology
Root uncertain; Strong suggested relation to a hypothetical, unattested root meaning 'to revolve,' but no such root exists in attested Hebrew. Closely related to the well-attested noun אוֹפָן (ophan), 'wheel,' itself derived from the concept of something turning or revolving.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אֹפֶן appears only a handful of times in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Prov 25:11, Isa 47:2, Ezek 10:13) and often in poetic or idiomatic contexts. In Ezekiel, אוֹפָן refers directly to the wheels of the divine chariot. In Proverbs 25:11, the plural אֲפָנִים ('apannim') is used in the phrase עַל־אָפְנֵי כֶסֶף ("on wheels of silver"), interpreted metaphorically, as part of a simile for beauty or aptness. In post-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic, the term continues to carry the primary sense of a wheel or circular motion. English translations sometimes obscure the mechanical or cyclic undertones by rendering the word abstractly ('season', 'fitly'), but the core image is of a turning mechanism. Distinct from other Hebrew words for wheel (e.g., גַּלְגַּל, galgal), אֹפֶן tends to evoke a particular kind of wheel—often large, complex, or associated with divine imagery rather than everyday vehicles.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to revolve; a turn, i.e. a season; [phrase] fitly.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אפן (ʾ-p-n) — to turn, revolve, wheel
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H655-01 |
אָפְנָֽי/ו | afenayv | HNcmpc/Sp3ms |
its wheels | his wheels | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H655-01 |
Proverbs 25:11 | אָפְנָֽי/ו | afenayv | HNcmpc/Sp3ms |
its wheels | his wheels |