---
title: חֹפֶן — hollow of hand · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חֹפֶן (2651), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 6 times: hollow of hand. BDB 1906: hollow of hand. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# חֹפֶן

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«חֹפֶן» in the Tanakh dictionary: **hollow of hand** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 6 times · **Key:** 2651 · **BDB:** חֹ֫פֶן

### Glosses

of.\[the\].hollow.of.hands (1); of.your.hands (1); the.hollow (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

hollow of hand [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2651/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

hollow of hand [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2651/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.\[m.\] hollow of hand (NH חוֹפֶן, Aramaic חָפְנִי, חוּפְנָא, ܚܽܘܦܢܳܐ; Ethiopic ሕፍን: —also Arabic حُفْنَةٌ hollow in the ground; and, according to Zehnpfund BAS i, 635, Assyrian ḫupunnu, bowl, but ḫ = ح ?)—only du. חָפְנַיִם Ec 4:6; cstr. חָפְנֵי Ez 10:7 (del. Co intern. grounds); sf. חָפְנֶיךָ Ez 10:2; חָפְנָיו Lv 16:12 Pr 30:4; חָפְנֵיכֶם Ex 9:8; מַלֵּא ח׳ Ez 10:2 + v 7 (del. Co cf. supr.);—מְלֹא ח׳ = handful Ex 9:8 Lv 16:12 (both P), Ec 4:6, material follows in implic. acc.; מי־אסף רוח בח׳ Pr 30:4.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 6 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חֹפֶן» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2651/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Ecclesiastes 4:6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.4.6/)

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ט֕וֹב מְלֹ֥א כַ֖ף נָ֑חַת מִמְּלֹ֥א חָפְנַ֛יִם עָמָ֖ל וּרְע֥וּת רֽוּחַ׃

*Word for word:* \[is\].good \[the\].fullness of.a.palm of.quietness more than.\[the\].fullness of.\[the\].hollow.of.hands toil and striving of.wind

*JPS 1917:* Better is a handful of quietness, than both the hands full of labour and striving after wind.

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[Exodus 9:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.9.8/)

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וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָה֮ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹן֒ קְח֤וּ לָכֶם֙ מְלֹ֣א חָפְנֵיכֶ֔ם פִּ֖יחַ כִּבְשָׁ֑ן וּזְרָק֥וֹ מֹשֶׁ֛ה הַשָּׁמַ֖יְמָה לְעֵינֵ֥י פַרְעֹֽה׃

*Word for word:* and he.said Yahweh to Moses and to Aaron take (for yourselves the.fullness the.hollow.of.your.hands your soot of.a.kiln and he will.sprinkle.it Moses towards the heavens to the.eyes of.Pharaoh

*JPS 1917:* And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron: 'Take to you handfuls of soot of the furnace, and let Moses throw it heavenward in the sight of Pharaoh.

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