---
title: אֶפֶס — ceasing · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אֶפֶס (657), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 43 times: ceasing. BDB 1906: n.m. ceasing end, extremity non-existence. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אֶפֶס

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«אֶפֶס» in the Tanakh dictionary: **ceasing** — 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:** 43 times · **Key:** 657 · **BDB:** אֶ֫פֶס

### Glosses

\[the\].ends (12); there.not (6); nevertheless (5)

### Meaning (OSHB)

ceasing [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/657/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. ceasing end, extremity non-existence [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/657/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. proposes ceasing, hence end, extremity, only in the poet. phrase אַפְסֵי אֶרֶץ (ψ 59:14 א׳ הארץ) ends, extreme limits, of the earth, used especially hyperbolically: Dt 33:17 1 S 2:10 Mi 5:3 Je 16:19 ψ 2:8; 59:14; 72:8 (= Zc 9:10); + כָּל־ Is 45:22; 52:10b (= ψ 98:3b) ψ 22:28; 67:8 Pr 30:4. Expressing non-existence: as subst. (mostly a rare poet. syn. of אַיִן): Is 34:12 and all his princes יִהְיוּ אָ֑פֶס shall become nought, 41:29; 41:12 יִהְיוּ כְאַיִן וּכְאֶפֶס; 40:17 מֵאֶפֶס וָתֹהוּ (‖ כְּאַיִן) as made of nought and worthlessness are they accounted by him, 41:24 (read פָּעָלְכָם מֵאָ֑פֶס, ‖ מֵאַיִן, v. אֶפַע); 52:4 and Asshur oppressed him בְּאֶפֶס for nought. as part. of negation, proposes cessation of …! (cf. אֵין … nought of …), very rare in prose (2 S 9:3), chiefly a poet. syn. of אֵין: Is 5:8 עַד אֶפֶס מָקוֹם till there is an end of place = till there is no place (cf. עַד אֵין ψ 40:13), Am 6:10 (cf. אָֽיִן Ju 4:20), Dt 32:36 (hence, in prose, 2 K 14:26), Is 45:6 (cf. אין 43:11) v 14; 46:9; 54:15; אֲנִי וְאַפְסִי עוֹד Zp 2:15 Is 47:8, 10 is prob. to be rendered, ‘I am, and there is none besides’ (so Ges Ew Di etc.), the י being ‘paragogic’ as in זוּלָתִי etc. (Ges§ 90, 3a Ew§ 211b), cf. וְאֵין עוֹד Is 45:5, 6, 18, 21; but according to De the י is sf. of 1 s. ‘I am, and I am nought besides’ (i.e. and I am nought besides my all-sufficient self).—בְּאֶפֶס (like בְּאֵין, q.v.) without: Pr 14:28; 26:20 Jb 7:6 Dn 8:25. as adv. of limitation: (a) only: †Nu 22:35 (cf. אַךְ v 20) 23:13. (b) אֶפֶס כִּי save that, howbeit (qualifying a preceding statement): †Nu 13:28 Dt 15:4 Ju 4:9 Am 9:8 (+ 1 S 1:5 𝔊 We Sta Dr). So אֶפֶס alone †2 S 12:14 (the foll. כִּי signifying because).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 41 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אֶפֶס» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/657/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 7:6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.7.6/)

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יָמַ֣י קַ֭לּוּ מִנִּי־אָ֑רֶג וַ֝יִּכְל֗וּ בְּאֶ֣פֶס תִּקְוָֽה׃

*Word for word:* days my they.have.been.swift more.than a.weaver's.shuttle and they.have.come.to.an.end with not hope

*JPS 1917:* My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

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[Psalms 67:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.67.8/)

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יְבָרְכֵ֥נוּ אֱלֹהִ֑ים וְיִֽירְא֥וּ אֹ֝ת֗וֹ כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃

*Word for word:* he will.bless.us God and they.will.fear him all \[the\].ends of.\[the\].earth

*JPS 1917:* May God bless us; and let all the ends of the earth fear Him.

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