Lexical Definition

‎שָׂפָה‎ sâphâh (saw-faw') lips ^H:N-F
or (in dual and plural) שֶׂפֶת sepheth (sef-eth'); probably from ‎סָפָה‎ or ‎שָׁפָה‎ through the idea of termination (compare ‎סוֹף‎)

band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, (sea-)shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.

• the lip (as a natural boundary)
• by implication, language
• by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.)

1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding
1a) lip (as body part)
1b) language
1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)

See Greek: γλῶσσα · λόγος · μέρος · στόμα · φωνή · χεῖλος

Extended Information

meaning of: שָׂפָה

• : words/language

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎שָׂפָה‎₁₇₆ noun feminine [masculine Exod 28:32, edge, compare Albr^{ZAW xvi (1896), 76}], lip, speech, edge; — absolute ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Gen 11:1 +, construct ‎שְׂפַת‎ vGen 11:7 +; suffix ‎שְׂפָתוֺ‎ 1Kgs 7:23 +, etc.; oftener dual ‎שְׂפָתַיִם‎ Isa 6:5 +, construct ‎שִׂפְתֵי‎ Ps 12:4* +; suffix ‎שְׂפָתַי‎ Jer 17:16 +, suffix 3 masculine plural ‎שְׂפָתֵימוֺ‎ Ps 59:13*; Ps 140:4*; Ps 140:10*, etc.; plural (in poetry and late) construct ‎שִׂפְתוֺת‎ Eccl 10:12, suffix ‎שִׂפְתוֺתֶיךָ‎ etc. Ps 45:3*; Ps 59:8*; Isa 59:3; Song 4:3; Song 4:11; Song 5:13 —

1. lip:
a. usually (c. 108 t.) human organ of speech (often || ‎פֶּה‎, ‎לָשׁוֺן‎ rarely [only late poetry] ‎חֵךְ‎: 10 t. Job; 25 t. Psalms; 45 t. Proverbs): (1) Isa 29:13; Lev 5:4 (P), Job 13:6; Mal 2:6; Ps 12:5*; Prov 5:3 +; ‎׳‎‎דַּל שׂ‎ Ps 141:3 (see ‎דָּל‎); ‎׳‎‎אִישׁ שׂ‎ Job 11:2 = a talker, ‎׳‎‎אֱוִיל שׂ‎ Prov 10:8 = one talking folly, so vProv 10:10 (ᵑ0; but see Toy); ‎טְמֵא שְׂפָתַיִם‎ Isa 6:5 (twice in verse) compare vIsa 6:7; Dan 10:16 ‎׳‎‎עֲרַל שׂ‎ Exod 6:12; Exod 6:30 (P; unskilled in speech); ‎׳‎‎עִקֵּשׁ שׂ‎ Exod 19:1 ‎׳‎‎פֹּתֶה שׂ‎ Exod 20:19 see [ ‎פָּתָה‎] p. 834; ‎׳‎‎מוֺצָא שׂ‎ i.e. utterance, Deut 23:24*; Jer 17:16; Num 30:13* (P), Ps 89:35*, ‎׳‎‎רוּחַ שׂ‎ Isa 11:4 (of Messianic king), ‎׳‎‎דְּבַר שׂ‎ Ps 59:13*; Prov 14:23 +, = mere, empty, word 2Kgs 18:20 = Isa 36:5 ‎׳‎‎תְּבוּאַת שׂ‎ Prov 18:20, ‎׳‎‎נוב שׂ‎ Isa 57:19 (thanksgiving), compare Hos 14:3* (ᵐ5 ᵑ6 and most ‎פְּדִי‎ for ‎פָּרִים‎); of flattery, ‎׳‎‎חֵלֶק שׂ‎ Prov 7:21, ‎שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֺת‎ Ps 12:3*; Ps 12:4* compare ‎שִׂפְתֵי מִרְמָה‎ Ps 17:1, ‎שֶׁקֶר‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Ps 31:9* + 4 t., ‎שְׂפַת אָוֶן‎ Prov 17:4 poison beneath (compare ‎לָשׁוֺן‎) Ps 140:4* (figurative); ‎׳‎‎פֶּשַׁע שׂ‎ Prov 12:13 ‎׳‎‎לְזוּת שׂ‎ Prov 4:24 ‎אֱמֶת‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Prov 12:19, ‎יָ֑תֶר‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Prov 17:7, ‎צֶדֶק‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Prov 16:13, ‎דַּעַת‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Prov 14:7; Prov 20:15 ‎׳‎‎חֵן שׂ‎ Prov 22:11 ‎שָׂפָה בְרוּרָה‎ Zeph 3:9 ‎רְנָנוֺת‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Ps 63:5* i.e. lips that shout for joy; with verbs: ‎׳‎‎פָּתַח שׂ‎ (to speak) Job 11:5; Job 30:20 (Gi vJob 30:21), compare Ps 51:17*, ‎׳‎‎מִפְתַּח שׂ‎ Prov 8:6 ‎׳‎‎פָּשַׁק שׂ‎ Prov 13:3 i.e. prate; ‎מָֽלְאוּ זַעַם‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Isa 30:27 ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ subject of ‎דִּבֶּר‎ Isa 59:3; Prov 24:2 ‎׳‎‎נָשָׂא עַלשֿׂ‎ Ps 16:14 ‎׳‎‎קָרַץ שׂ‎ Prov 16:30 = backbite; ‎׳‎‎אָטַם שׂ‎ Prov 17:28 = keep silence, so ‎׳‎‎חָשַׂךְ שׂ‎ Prov 10:19, ‎כָּלָא‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Ps 40:10*. (2) lips moving in speech, with ‎נוּעַ‎ 1Sam 1:13, ‎נִיד‎ Job 16:5. (3) transition to meaning speech, ‎עָלָה עַלשְֿׂפַת לָשׁוֺן‎ Ezek 36:3 = ability to speak Job 12:20.
b. organ of laughter Job 8:21.
c. of insulting grimace ‎׳‎‎הִפְטִיר בְּשׂ‎ Ps 22:8*.
d. quivering in terror Hab 3:16.
e. feature of beauty Song 4:3 (scarlet). feminine place of bridle 2Kgs 19:28 = Isa 37:29 (see ‎מֶתֶג‎).
g. receiving kiss Prov 24:26 compare Song 4:11 and (in figurative) Song 7:10*.
h. of divine speech, ‎׳‎‎מִצְוַת שׂ‎ Job 23:12, ‎׳‎‎דְּבַר שׂ‎ Ps 17:4.

2. language (see ‎לָשׁוֺן‎), Gen 11:1; Gen 11:6; Gen 11:7 (twice in verse); Gen 11:9; Ps 81:6* ‎׳‎‎עַם עִמְקֵי שׂ‎ Ezek 3:5; Ezek 3:6; Isa 33:19, ‎׳‎‎לַעֲגֵי שׂ‎ Isa 28:11 ‎שְׂפַת כְּנַעַן‎ Isa 19:18 (i.e. Hebrew).

3. edge: shore of sea Gen 22:17 (J) + 7 t.; bank of river Gen 41:3; Gen 41:17 (E) + 5 t., of wady (‎נַחַל‎) Deut 2:36 + 7 t.; lip (bank) of ‎אָבֵל מְחוֺלָה‎ Judg 7:22 compare GASm^{G 400}; brim of vessel 1Kgs 7:23 (twice in verse) + 7 t.; edge of altar Ezek 43:13 of curtains (in pairs) Exod 26:4 (twice in verse) (P) + 6 t.; of ‎חשֶׁן‎, toward ephod Exod 28:26 = Exod 39:19 (P); of round opening in robe ‎(יִהְיֶה) לְפִיו‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ Exod 28:32 = Exod 39:23 (P).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References