Lexical Summary
chaphar: To dig, search, explore, or be ashamed
Original Word:חָפַּר
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:chaphar
Pronunciation:khaw-far'
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-far')
KJV: dig, paw, search out, seek
NASB:dug, search, dig, digs, hollowed, look around, paws
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to pry into
2. (by implication) to delve, to explore
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dig, paw, search out, seek
A primitive root; properly, to pry into; by implication, to delve, to explore -- dig, paw, search out, seek.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto dig, search for
NASB Translation76,500* (1), dig (2), digs (1), dug (11), hollowed (1), look around (1), paws (1), sank (1), search (3), spies (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (Arabic
id.; Aramaic ,
,
id.; Late Hebrew
act of digging) —
PerfectJob 39:29;Job 11:18;Deuteronomy 23:14;Genesis 21:30;Genesis 26:18 2t.;Genesis 26:32;Numbers 21:18;ImperfectGenesis 26:18,22;Psalm 7:16;Jeremiah 13:7; JobJob 39:21 (but read so Di)Deuteronomy 1:22;Genesis 26:19 2t.;Job 3:21;Infinitive constructJoshua 2:2,3+Isaiah 2:20 (compare below);ParticipleEcclesiastes 10:8; —
dig:
a well, with accusativeGenesis 21:30 (E),Genesis 26:15,18 (twice in verse);Genesis 26:19,21,22,32 (J),Numbers 21:18 (E); compareExodus 7:24 (E);dig (a hole, implied as object)Deuteronomy 23:14; a pit, with hostile purpose, as snare or trap, figurative of malicious plan, with accusativePsalm 7:16 ("" ); so with accusativeEcclesiastes 10:8, compare []Psalm 35:7; of horse,dig, i.e.paw the ground,Job 39:21 (so read, see above)he paweth in the valley (compare Arabic
hoof).
dig for something hidden, with accusativeJob 3:21 (figurative of longing for death),Jeremiah 13:7 (no object expressed)
search, search out, explore, with accusativeJoshua 2:3 (twice in verse) (JE),Deuteronomy 1:22; of eagle,search for food, with accusativeJob 39:29, with especially reference to keen vision ("" ); so =search orlook carefully about before going to restJob 11:18 (no object). —Isaiah 2:20 see below
Topical Lexicon
Overviewחָפַר (Strong’s H2658) describes the physical act of digging or burrowing and, by extension, the intensive work of searching out something hidden. Scripture links the verb to wells, pits, latrine holes, the exploration of land, and the eager pursuit of treasure or knowledge. The contexts range from Patriarchal narratives to Wisdom literature and prophetic sign-acts, creating a unified biblical picture of purposeful effort—constructive or destructive—carried out beneath the surface.
Digging Wells—Provision and Covenant
Genesis presents חָפַר at pivotal moments in the lives of Abraham’s household and Isaac. When Isaac “dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham” (Genesis 26:18), he was reclaiming covenantal inheritance, asserting peaceful possession of God-given land, and illustrating faithful stewardship amid Philistine hostility. Each well—Esek, Sitnah, Rehoboth—became a marker of Yahweh’s continued provision. Later, Isaac’s servants announce, “We have found water!” (Genesis 26:32), sealing divine favor with tangible refreshment. Digging here is a proactive response to divine promise, mingling patient labor with reliance on God’s faithfulness.
Pits and Snares—The Ethics of Hidden Destruction
Wisdom and Psalmic texts use חָפַר for digging pits, exposing sinister motives:
• “He dug a pit and hollowed it out; but he has fallen into the hole he made” (Psalm 7:15).
• “Without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my soul” (Psalm 35:7).
• “He who digs a pit may fall into it” (Ecclesiastes 10:8).
The verb counters the well-digging of Genesis with evil ingenuity that rebounds upon its perpetrator. God’s moral order ensures that treachery returns on the treacherous, teaching the righteous to trust divine justice rather than retaliate.
Searching Out the Land—Courageous Reconnaissance
InJoshua 2:2–3 חָפַר is rendered “search out,” narrating the Israelite spies in Jericho. Though subterranean imagery recedes, the underlying idea of penetrating beneath appearances remains: exploring what is hidden in preparation for God-appointed conquest. The same exploratory nuance appears inDeuteronomy 1:22 when the people ask Moses to send men “to search out the land for us.”
Practical Holiness—Sanitation in the Camp
Deuteronomy 23:13 commands each Israelite soldier to carry a tool “so that when you relieve yourself, you shall dig a hole and cover up your excrement.” Even mundane latrine digging displays reverence, preserving the camp’s purity “because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp” (23:14). Holiness touches every layer of life, from worship to waste disposal.
Judgment and Sign-Acts—Jeremiah’s Linen Belt
Jeremiah obeys the strange prophetic directive to bury and later to unearth a linen sash at the Euphrates (Jeremiah 13:7). His digging reveals the sash ruined, dramatizing Judah’s pride that had been hidden yet was decaying underground. חָפַר thus becomes a tool for unveiling judgment.
Longing and Desperation—Job’s Lament
Job 3:21 pictures sufferers “who dig for death as for hidden treasure,” conveying extreme despair. InJob 11:18, the same verb appears in a promised reversal: “You will look about [dig about] and lie down in safety,” portraying secure rest after diligent toil.Job 39:21 shows the warhorse “pawing” the valley, its hoofs digging eagerly into the soil, a vivid portrait of fearless readiness.
Ancient Near Eastern Background
Water scarcity in Canaan and Egypt made well-digging a strategic necessity. Surviving inscriptions and archaeological finds confirm that settlements clustered around hand-dug wells protected with stone linings much like those implied in Genesis. Pits for trapping enemies or animals were also common, sometimes disguised with brush—mirroring the deceitful pits in the Psalms. Biblical writers employ everyday practices familiar to their audience, investing them with spiritual lessons.
Theological Themes
1. Human agency and divine provision: Digging wells assumes effort, yet success depends on God who alone grants water (Genesis 26:22).
2. Concealed sin and eventual exposure: Whether pits of malice or buried linen, what is hidden by human hands will be uncovered by divine judgment.
3. The law of retribution: Those who dig harm for others often experience the very danger they engineered.
4. Sanctified diligence: From sanitation to military reconnaissance, careful preparation honors the presence of the Lord.
Ministry Applications
• Encourage believers to “dig wells” of spiritual discipline—consistent prayer, Scripture reading, and service—anticipating that God will fill them with living water.
• Warn against secret sins and schemes; the pit principle remains operative.
• Model thorough preparation in missions and leadership, paralleling the spies’ careful search of the land.
• Highlight everyday holiness: even the least glamorous tasks are sacred when God walks among His people.
Christological Resonance
Jesus announced, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst” (John 4:14). The physical wells of Genesis foreshadow Christ, the ultimate source of living water. Likewise, the destructive pit prepared by evil finds its antitype in the empty tomb: opponents schemed, but the stone-sealed grave could not hold the Righteous One. Believers now dig, not for death, but in confident hope of resurrection life.
Key References for Study
Genesis 21:30; 26:15–32
Exodus 7:24
Numbers 21:18
Deuteronomy 23:13
Joshua 2:2–3
Job 3:21; 11:18; 39:21
Psalm 7:15; 35:7
Ecclesiastes 10:8
Jeremiah 13:7
Forms and Transliterations
וְ֝חָפַרְתָּ֗ וְחָפַרְתָּ֣ה וְיַחְפְּרוּ־ וַֽ֝יַּחְפְּרֻ֗הוּ וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ וַֽיַּחְפְּרוּ֙ וַיַּחְפְּר֥וּ וַיַּחְפְּר֧וּ וַיַּחְפֹּ֣ר ׀ וַיַּחְפֹּר֙ וָאֶחְפֹּ֗ר ואחפר וחפרת וחפרתה ויחפר ויחפרהו ויחפרו ויחפרו־ חֲפָר֣וּהָ חָֽפְרוּ֙ חָֽפַר־ חָפְר֥וּ חָפַ֖רְתִּי חָפָ֑רוּ חֹפֵ֥ר חפר חפר־ חפרו חפרוה חפרתי יַחְפְּר֣וּ יחפרו לַחְפֹּ֥ר לחפר chafar chaFarti chaFaru chafaRuha chafeRu choFer ḥā·p̄ā·rū ḥă·p̄ā·rū·hā ḥā·p̄ar- ḥā·p̄ar·tî ḥā·p̄ə·rū ḥāp̄ar- ḥāp̄artî ḥāp̄ārū ḥăp̄ārūhā ḥāp̄ərū ḥō·p̄êr ḥōp̄êr lachPor laḥ·pōr laḥpōr vaechPor vaiyachpeRehu vaiyachpeRu vaiyachpeRuhu vaiyachPor vechafarta vechafarTah veyachperu wā’eḥpōr wā·’eḥ·pōr way·yaḥ·pə·rê·hū way·yaḥ·pə·rū way·yaḥ·pə·ru·hū way·yaḥ·pōr wayyaḥpərêhū wayyaḥpərū wayyaḥpəruhū wayyaḥpōr wə·ḥā·p̄ar·tā wə·ḥā·p̄ar·tāh wə·yaḥ·pə·rū- wəḥāp̄artā wəḥāp̄artāh wəyaḥpərū- yachpeRu yaḥ·pə·rū yaḥpərū
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