---
title: נָפַח — breathe · The Tanakh dictionary
description: נָפַח (5301), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 12 times: breathe. BDB 1906: vb. breathe, blow Hiph. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# נָפַח

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«נָפַח» in the Tanakh dictionary: **breathe** — 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:** 12 times · **Key:** 5301 · **BDB:** נָפַח

### Glosses

blow (2); blown.upon (2); I.blew (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

breathe [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5301/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. breathe, blow Hiph. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5301/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. breathe, blow (כור נפוח Ecclus 43:4 a furnace blown upon (heated hot); NH נָפַח, id., 𝔗 נְפַח, Syriac ܢܦܰܚ; Assyrian napâḫu, inflame, nappaḫu, smith DlHWB 474; Arabic (نَفَحَ and) نَفَخَ blow; Ethiopic ነፍኀ: or ነፍሐ: Di712);— Pf. 3 fs. נָֽפְחָה Je 15:9; וְנָפַ֫חְתִּי Hg 1:9; וְנָפַחְתִּ֫י Ez 22:21; Impf. וַיִּפַּח Gn 2:7; Imv. fs. פְּחִי Ez 37:9; Inf. (לָ)פַ֫חַת Ez 22:20; Pt. act. נֹפֵחַ Is 54:16; pass. נָפוּחַ Je 1:13 Jb 41:12;—breathe, blow, וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפּוֹ נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים Gn 2:7 (J); sq. ב also Ez 37:9; Is 54:16 and Hg 1:9 blow into it (to scatter it); sq. עַל־: לָפַחַת עָלָיו אֵשׁ Ez 22:20 to blow fire upon it (ore, for melting), so fig. Ez 22:21 and I will blow upon you with (ב) the fire of my wrath; נ׳ נַפְשָׁהּ Je 15:9 she hath breathed out her life (of a mother, cf. Hiph.); abs. סִיר נָפוּחַ Je 1:13 a blown (i.e. well-heated, boiling) pot, cf. דּוּד נ׳ Jb 41:12 (sim.). Pf. אֵשׁ לֹא נֻפָּ֑ח Jb 20:26 a fire not blown (by any human breath). So perhaps also Nu 21:30 (reading עַד־נֻפַּח אֵשׁ וגו׳ until fire was blown \[hot\] as far as Medeba), cf. Di. Pf. 1 s. נֶפֶשׁ בְּעָלֶיהָ חִפָּ֑חְתִּי Jb 31:39 (or if) the life of its (the land’s) owners I have caused them to breathe out; וְהִפַּחְתֶּם אוֹתוֹ Mal 1:13 and ye have sniffed at it (in contempt).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 12 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «נָפַח» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5301/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 41:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.41.12/)

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מִ֭נְּחִירָיו יֵצֵ֣א עָשָׁ֑ן כְּד֖וּד נָפ֣וּחַ וְאַגְמֹֽן׃

*Word for word:* from nostrils its it.goes.forth smoke like a.cooking.pot blown.upon and bulrush\[es\]

*JPS 1917:* Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot and burning rushes.

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[Job 31:39](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.31.39/)

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אִם־כֹּ֭חָהּאָכַ֣לְתִּי בְלִי־כָ֑סֶף וְנֶ֖פֶשׁ בְּעָלֶ֣יהָ הִפָּֽחְתִּי׃

*Word for word:* if produce its I.have.eaten not money and the.life its.owners her I.have.caused.to.breathe.out

*JPS 1917:* If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the tillers thereof to be disappointed —

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