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צָפַר

𐤑𐤐𐤓

tsâphar

H6852 verb

SILEX Entry

Root צפר to go early, to depart at dawn, to move about briskly

Definition

To go about briskly, often with the sense of rising or departing early; the verb primarily refers to movement undertaken at dawn or in the early morning, emphasizing alacrity or eagerness in setting out. Depending on context, it can convey the nuances of acting promptly at daybreak, leaving a location early, or hastening to depart.

Semantic Range

to rise early, to depart early, to go about at daybreak, to skip about, to hasten at dawn

Root / Etymology

Root: צפר (ts-p-r). The root fundamentally conveys the sense of early activity, especially in relation to dawn or morning. This meaning is distinct from related roots such as צפר (as in 'to chirp,' referring to the sounds of birds at dawn) but may reflect a shared conceptual base of early-day activity. צָפַר is a denominative verb formed from this root and used in the qal stem to indicate the action of moving about early or departing at dawn.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The verb צָפַר is rare in Biblical Hebrew, appearing only in poetic or archaic contexts (e.g., Psalm 139:9). In the Israelite period, it described the action of rising or departing before sunrise, often evocative of swift movement. Over time, the word did not develop substantial additional meanings and remains somewhat limited in distribution. English translations such as 'depart early' capture the basic sense but may miss the nuance of eagerness or energetic movement. The root also gives rise to the noun צִפֹּר (tsippôr, 'bird'), likely from the same semantic association with morning activity, though the lexeme itself is not often directly connected to birdlife.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to skip about, i.e. return; depart early.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

צפר (ts-p-r) — to go early, to depart at dawn, to move about briskly

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6691 צוֹפַר Tsophar
H6833 צִפּוֹר the chirping bird
H6834 צִפּוֹר Tsippôr
H6841 צְפִיר and he-goats of
H6842 צָפִיר prancing male goat

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6852-01 וְ/יִצְפֹּ֖ר veyitsepor HC/Vqi3ms and depart and he will depart at dawn 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6852-01 Judges 7:3 וְ/יִצְפֹּ֖ר veyitsepor HC/Vqi3ms and depart and he will depart at dawn
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