שָׁפָה
𐤔𐤐𐤄
shâphâh
H8192 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To scrape or smooth by stripping a surface, to make bare or exposed through abrasion. In contexts of land, to lay bare by removing covering, such as vegetation or soil. Occasionally, to project or stand out (by contrast to what is levelled or exposed). The sense involves the action of stripping to expose something formerly covered, whether land, skin, or another surface.
Semantic Range
to scrape (a surface), to strip bare, to smooth (by removing covering), to shave, to make (land or surface) exposed, to cause to project or stick out (as a result of exposure)
Root / Etymology
Root: שׁפה. The verbal root denotes scraping, smoothing, or stripping a surface so that it is exposed, deriving the meaning 'to make bare' from the action of removing what covers. Derived forms (e.g., nouns) develop semantically from the concept of exposure and prominence resulting from stripping away a covering.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, שָׁפָה occurs relatively rarely, found predominantly in descriptions of destructive actions by humans or God (Isaiah 7:20; 2 Kings 3:19,25). It denotes the exposure of land or physical objects by removal of their natural or artificial covering, often as a result of judgment, warfare, or environmental disaster. Its nuance overlaps with verbs like חָרַב ('to dry up, be laid waste') but is more physical in focus, emphasizing the act of stripping as opposed to resulting desolation. In Isaiah 7:20, the language is metaphorical—comparing divine action to shaving. By the post-exilic period, the verb is largely fossilized or replaced by other verbs of destruction or ruin. Standard translations like 'to make bare,' 'to shave,' or 'to strip' usually capture the primary sense, but can obscure the nuance of abrasion or exposure by scraping. The alternate sense 'to stick out, be prominent' arises secondarily, describing what is left projecting or prominent after stripping, but is not the dominant sense in biblical usage. Distinct from שָׁפָה (shaphah, 'lip, edge'), although orthographically similar.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to abrade, i.e. bare; high, stick out.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׁפה (sh-p-h) — to scrape, to strip, to make bare
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3472 | יִשְׁפָּה | and Yishpah |
| H4942 | מִשְׁפָּת | the twin livestock-enclosures |
| H8195 | שְׁפוֹ | Bare-One |
| H8221 | שְׁפָם | from Shepham |
| H830 | אַשְׁפֹּת | the refuse-heap |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8192-02 |
וְ/שֻׁפּ֥וּ | veshupu | HC/VPq3cp |
stick out | and they were stripped bare | 1 |
H8192-01 |
נִשְׁפֶּה֙ | nishepeh | HVNrmsa |
bare | the stripped-bare one | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8192-01 |
Isaiah 13:2 | נִשְׁפֶּה֙ | nishepeh | HVNrmsa |
bare | the stripped-bare one |
H8192-02 |
Job 33:21 | וְ/שֻׁפּ֥וּ | veshupu | HC/VPq3cp |
stick out | and they were stripped bare |