--- title: חָפַר — dig · The Tanakh dictionary description: חָפַר (2658), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 22 times: dig. BDB 1906: vb. dig, search for. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2658.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495-5.md)‎ / חָפַר‎ # חָפַר «חָפַר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **dig** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 22 times · **Key:** 2658 · **BDB:** חָפַר ### Glosses they.dug (3); I.dug (2); he.dug (2) ### Meaning (OSHB) dig [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2658/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. dig, search for [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2658/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. dig, search for (Arabic حَفَرَ id.; Aramaic חֲפַר, ܚܦܰܪ, id.; NH חֵפֶר act of digging)— Pf. ח׳ Jb 39:29; וְחָפַרְתָּ֫ Jb 11:18; וְחָפַרְתָּ֫ה Dt 23:14; חָפַרְתִּי Gn 21:30; חָֽפְרוּ Gn 26:18 + 2 times; חָפָ֑רוּ Gn 26:32; חֲפָרוּהָ Nu 21:18; Impf. וַיַּחְפֹּר Gn 26:18, 22; וַיַּחְפִּרֵהוּ ψ 7:16; וָאֶחְפֹּר Je 13:7; יַחְפְּדוּ Jb 39:21 (but read יַחְפֹּר so 𝔊 𝔙 𝔖 Di) Dt 1:22; וַיַּחְפְּרוּ Gn 26:19 + 2 times; וַיַּחְפְּרֻהוּ Jb 3:21; Inf. cstr. לַחְפֹּר Jos 2:2, 3 + Is 2:20 (cf. infr.); Pt. חֹפֵר Ec 10:8;— dig: a well, c. acc. בְּאֵר Gn 21:30 (E), 26:15, 18(×2), 19, 21, 22, 32 (J), Nu 21:18 (E); cf. Ex 7:24 (E); dig (a hole, implied as obj.) Dt 23:14; a pit, with hostile purpose, as snare or trap, fig. of malicious plan, c. acc. בּוֹר ψ 7:16 (‖ כָּרָה); so c. acc. גומץ Ec 10:8, cf. ח׳ לְנַפְשִׁי \[שַׁחַת\] ψ 35:7; of horse, dig, i.e. paw the ground, יַחְפֹּר בָּעֵמֶק Jb 39:21 (so read, v. supr.) he paweth in the valley (cf. Arabic حَافِرٌ hoof). dig for something hidden, c. acc. Jb 3:21 (fig. of longing for death), Je 13:7 (no obj. expr.) search, search out, explore, c. acc. הָאָרֶץ Jos 2:2, 3 (JE), Dt 1:22; of eagle, search for food, c. acc. ח׳ אֹכֶל Jb 39:29, with especially reference to keen vision (‖ מֵרָחוֹק עֵינָיו יַבִּיטוּ); so = search or look carefully about before going to rest Jb 11:18 (no obj.).—לַחְפֹּר Is 2:20 v. חֲפַרְפָּרָה infr. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 21 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (6 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «חָפַר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2658/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Job 11:18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.11.18/) וּֽ֭בָטַחְתָּ כִּי־יֵ֣שׁ תִּקְוָ֑ה וְ֝חָפַרְתָּ֗ לָבֶ֥טַח תִּשְׁכָּֽב׃ *Word for word:* and you.will.be.secure (dm) there.\[is\] hope and you.will.be.well.protected to security you.will.lie.down *JPS 1917:* And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt look about thee, and shalt take thy rest in safety. [Job 39:29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.39.29/) מִשָּׁ֥ם חָֽפַר־אֹ֑כֶל לְ֝מֵרָח֗וֹק עֵינָ֥יו יַבִּֽיטוּ׃ *Word for word:* from there it.spies.out food (to) from afar eyes its they.look *JPS 1917:* From thence she spieth out the prey; her eyes behold it afar off. - ← previous: [חָפַץ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5d7_5b8_5e4_5b7_5e5.md) - next →: [חָפֵר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2659.md) - ↑ back to [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495-5.md)