--- title: שָׂפָה — lip · The Tanakh dictionary description: שָׂפָה (8193), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 176 times: lip. BDB 1906: n.f. lip, speech, edge. 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/8193.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/) / [ש](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1513-7.md)‎ / שָׂפָה‎ # שָׂפָה «שָׂפָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **lip** — 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:** 176 times · **Key:** 8193 · **BDB:** שָׂפָה ### Glosses lips (61); of.lips (14); the.edge (13) ### Meaning (OSHB) lip [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/8193/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) n.f. lip, speech, edge [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/8193/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** n.f. \[m. Ex 28:32, edge, cf. AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 76\], lip, speech, edge;—abs. שׂ׳ Gn 11:1 +, cstr. שְׂפַת v 7 +; sf. שְׂפָתוֹ 1 K 7:23 +, etc.; oftener du. שְׂפָתַיִם Is 6:5 +, cstr. שִׂפְתֵי ψ 12:4 +; sf. שְׂפָתַי Je 17:16 +, sf. 3 mpl. שְׂפָתֵימוֹ ψ 59:13; 140:4, 10, etc.; pl. (poet. and late) cstr. שִׂפְתוֹת Ec 10:12, sf. שִׂפְתוֹתֶיךָ etc. ψ 45:3; 59:8 Is 59:3 Ct 4:3, 11; 5:13;— lip: usually (c. 108 times) human organ of speech (often ‖ פֶּה לָשׁוֹן, rarely \[only late poetry\] חֵךְ: 10 times Jb; 25 times ψψ; 45 times Pr): (1) Is 29:13 Lv 5:4 (P), Jb 13:6 Mal 2:6 ψ 12:5 Pr 5:3 +; דַּל שׂ׳ ψ 141:3 (v. דָּל); אִישׁ שׂ׳ Jb 11:2 = a talker, אֱוִיל שׂ׳ Pr 10:8 = one talking folly, so v 10 (MT; but v. Toy); טְמֵא שְׂפָתַיִם Is 6:5(×2) cf. v 7 Dn 10:16; עֲרַל שׂ׳ Ex 6:12, 30 (P; unskilled in speech); עִקֵּשׁ שׂ׳ Pr 19:1; פֹּתֶה שׂ׳ 20:19 v. \[פָּתָה\]; מוֹצָא שׂ׳ i.e. utterance, Dt 23:24 Je 17:16 Nu 30:13 (P), ψ 89:35, רוּחַ שׂ׳ Is 11:4 (of Mess. kg.), דְּבַר שׂ׳ ψ 59:13 Pr 14:23 +, = mere, empty, word 2 K 18:20 = Is 36:5; תְּבוּאַת שׂ׳ Pr 18:20, נוב שׂ׳ Is 57:19 (thanksgiving), cf. Ho 14:3 𝔊𝔖 and most פְּרִי for פָּרִים); of flattery, חֵלֶק שׂ׳ Pr 7:21, שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת ψ 12:3, 4; cf. שִׂפְתֵי מִרְמָה ψ 17:1, שׂ׳ שֶׁקֶר 31:9 + 4 times, שְׂפַת אָוֶן Pr 17:4; poison beneath (cf. לָשׁוֹן) ψ 140:4 (fig.); פֶּשַׁע שׂ׳ Pr 12:13; לְזוּת שׂ׳ 4:24; שׂ׳ אֱמֶת 12:19, שׂ׳ יָ֑תֶר 17:7, שׂ׳ צֶדֶק 16:13, שׂ׳ דַּעַת 14:7; 20:15; חֵן שׂ׳ 22:11; שָׂפָה בְרוּרָה Zp 3:9; שׂ׳ רְנָנוֹת ψ 63:5 i.e. lips that shout for joy; c. vbs.: פָּתַח שׂ׳ (to speak) Jb 11:5; 30:20 (Gi v 21), cf. ψ 51:17, מִפְתַּח שׂ׳ Pr 8:6; פֹּשֵׂק שׂ׳ 13:3 i.e. prate; שׂ׳ מָֽלְאוּ זַעַם Is 30:27; שׂ׳ subj. of דִּבֶּר Is 59:3 Pr 24:2; נָשָׂא עַל־שׂ׳ ψ 16:4; קָרַץ שׂ׳ Pr 16:30 = backbite; אָטַם שׂ׳ 17:28 = keep silence, so חָשַׂךְ שׂ׳ 10:19, שׂ׳ כָּלָא ψ 40:10. †(2) lips moving in speech, c. נוּעַ 1 S 1:13, נִיד Jb 16:5. †(3) transition to meaning speech, עָלָה עַל־שְׂפַת לָשׁוֹן Ez 36:3; = ability to speak Jb 12:20. organ of laughter Jb 8:21. of insulting grimace הִפְטִיר בְּשׂ׳ ψ 22:8. quivering in terror Hb 3:16. feature of beauty Ct 4:3 (scarlet). place of bridle 2 K 19:28 = Is 37:29 (v. מֶתֶג) receiving kiss Pr 24:26 cf. Ct 4:11 and (in fig.) 7:10. of divine speech, מִצְוִת שׂ׳ Jb 23:12, דְּבַר שׂ׳ ψ 17:4. language (v. לָשׁוֹן), Gn 11:1, 6, 7(×2), 9 ψ 81:6; עַם עִמְגֵי שׂ׳ Ez 3:5, 6 Is 33:19, לַעֲגֵי שׂ׳ 28:11; שְׂפַת כְּנַעַן 19:18 (i.e. Hebrew). edge: shore of sea Gn 22:17 (J) + 7 times; bank of river Gn 41:3, 17 (E) + 5 times, of wady (נַחַל) Dt 2:36 + 7 times; lip (bank) of אָבֵל מְחוֹלָה Ju 7:22 cf. GASmG. 400; brim of vessel 1 K 7:23(×2) + 7 times; edge of altar Ez 43:13; of curtains (in pairs) Ex 26:4(×2) (P) + 6 times; of חֹשֶׁן, toward ephod 28:26 = 39:19 (P); of round opening in robe לְפִיו (יִהְיֶה) שׂ׳ 28:32 = 39:23 (P). Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 98 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (4 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «שָׂפָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/8193/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Proverbs 24:26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.24.26/) שְׂפָתַ֥יִם יִשָּׁ֑ק מֵ֝שִׁ֗יב דְּבָרִ֥ים נְכֹחִֽים׃ *Word for word:* lips he.kisses \[one.who\].brings.back words straightforward *JPS 1917:* He kisseth the lips that giveth a right answer. [Job 12:20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.12.20/) מֵסִ֣יר שָׂ֭פָה לְנֶאֱמָנִ֑ים וְטַ֖עַם זְקֵנִ֣ים יִקָּֽח׃ *Word for word:* \[he.is\].removing a.lip of trusted.\[ones\] and.\[the\] discernment of.elders he.takes.away *JPS 1917:* He removeth the speech of men of trust, and taketh away the sense of the elders. - ← previous: [שָׁפָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/8192.md) - next →: [שְׁפוֹ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/8195.md) - ↑ back to [ש](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1513-7.md)