Lexical Summary
yapheh: Beautiful, fair, handsome
Original Word:יָפֶה
Part of Speech:Adjective
Transliteration:yapheh
Pronunciation:yah-feh
Phonetic Spelling:(yaw-feh')
KJV: + beautiful, beauty, comely, fair(-est, one), + goodly, pleasant, well
NASB:beautiful, handsome, sleek, beautiful one, appropriate, fair, fitting
Word Origin:[fromH3302 (יָפָה - beautiful)]
1. beautiful (literally or figuratively)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beautiful, beauty, comely, fairest, one, goodly, pleasant, well
Fromyaphah; beautiful (literally or figuratively) -- + beautiful, beauty, comely, fair(-est, one), + goodly, pleasant, well.
see HEBREWyaphah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
yaphahDefinitionfair, beautiful
NASB Translationappropriate (1), beautiful (28), beautiful one (2), fair (1), fitting (1), handsome (4), sleek (3).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — masculine absolute
2 Samuel 14:25 4t.; construct
Genesis 39:6 (twice in verse) + 6 t.; feminine
Genesis 12:14 14t.; construct ;
Genesis 2:11+ 6 t.; suffix
Songs 2:10,13; plural
Job 42:15;
Amos 8:13; construct
Genesis 41:2;
Genesis 41:4;
Genesis 41:18; —
fair, beautiful, as attribute of woman
2 Samuel 13:1;
1 Kings 1:3;
Amos 8:13;
Proverbs 11:22; compare
Job 42:15;
Songs 6:10 ( ); predicate
Genesis 12:14;
1 Kings 1:4;
Songs 1:15 (twice in verse);
Songs 4:1 (twice in verse); Cant 4:17; 6:4; = substantive
fair oneSongs 1:8;
Songs 2:10,13;
Songs 5:9;
Songs 6:1; often construct
Genesis 12:11;
Genesis 29:17;
2 Samuel 14:27;
Genesis 29:17;
1 Samuel 25:3;
Deuteronomy 21:11;
Esther 2:7: of kine
Genesis 41:2, compare
Genesis 41:4;
Genesis 41:18; less often of boy, young man
2 Samuel 14:25; predicate
Songs 1:16;
Genesis 39:6;
Genesis 39:6 (of Joseph); of Jerusalem
Psalm 48:3; of a singer
Ezekiel 33:32; of trees: olive
Jeremiah 11:16; cedar (figurative of Egypt)
Ezekiel 31:3, compare
Ezekiel 31:9; of everything in its time
Ecclesiastes 3:11; of various
Acts 5:17. — In
1 Samuel 16:12,
1 Samuel 17:42, either = substantive abstract
with beauty of eyes, or is textual error (Gr Krenkel
ZAW, 1882, 309 Bu
youth), see Dr.
Topical Lexicon
Scope and Function of יָפֶהThe adjective appears roughly forty-three times and ranges from literal descriptions of physical attractiveness to figurative portrayals of moral excellence, national splendor, agricultural health, and divine glory. By its placement across narrative, poetry, wisdom, and prophecy, Scripture presents beauty as an integrated concept that embraces creation, character, covenant, and Christ.
Beauty as a Gift in Creation
From the outset, physical beauty is acknowledged as part of God’s good ordering. When Abram approaches Egypt he remarks, “I know that you are a beautiful woman” (Genesis 12:11). Similar notice is taken of Rebekah (Genesis 24:16) and Rachel (Genesis 29:17), showing that outward loveliness is neither denied nor disparaged. Ecclesiastes later broadens the theme: “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11), affirming that beauty is woven into the very fabric of the created order.
Physical Appearance of God’s People
The word often highlights individuals whom the Lord will use significantly. Joseph is “well-built and handsome” (Genesis 39:6); David is introduced as having “beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance” (1 Samuel 16:12); Esther is “lovely in form and beautiful” (Esther 2:7). The text never presents beauty as meritorious in itself, yet God is shown to work through people who possess it, reminding readers that external gifts are to be stewarded for righteous purposes rather than idolized.
Moral and Spiritual Beauty
While יָפֶה can describe outward form, it also points to inward qualities. Absalom’s flawless appearance (2 Samuel 14:25) contrasts sharply with his flawed heart, warning that exterior grace does not guarantee interior virtue. Conversely, the bridegroom in Song of Solomon says, “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you” (Song of Solomon 4:7), anticipating a union in which inner and outer beauty converge. Psalms elevates the thought: “From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth” (Psalm 50:2), redirecting attention from human appearance to the moral splendor radiating from God’s presence.
National and Prophetic Imagery
Prophets employ יָפֶה to portray the destiny of peoples and places. Jeremiah likens Israel to “a thriving olive tree, beautiful in form and fruit” (Jeremiah 11:16), emphasizing covenant potential. By contrast, Egypt is “a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly from the north is coming” (Jeremiah 46:20), showing that beauty without holiness invites judgment. Ezekiel’s lament over Tyre (Ezekiel 27:3) and praise of Zion (Psalm 48:2) likewise use the term to depict the rise or ruin of nations depending on their relationship to the Lord.
Messianic Dimensions
AlthoughIsaiah 53 portrays the Suffering Servant as lacking stately form that humans would desire, other passages anticipate the ultimate union of beauty and righteousness in Messiah.Psalm 45, which extols the king whose “splendor and majesty” surpass all others, finds resonance in Revelation’s vision of Christ resplendent in glory. The imperfect beauties of Genesis-Kings therefore foreshadow the perfect beauty of the incarnate Son, whose loveliness is chiefly moral yet will also be manifested physically in the resurrection (Philippians 3:21).
Literary and Poetic Richness
In Pharaoh’s dream, “seven cows, sleek and beautiful,” symbolize prosperity (Genesis 41:2). Proverbs declares, “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion” (Proverbs 11:22), pairing outward appeal with moral incongruity for didactic force. Such usage demonstrates Hebrew poetry’s capacity to employ beauty imagery for irony, exhortation, and comfort.
Ministry Application
1. Valuing Creation: Recognize and give thanks for artistic, natural, and personal beauty as gifts from God (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
2. Guarding the Heart: Teach that external attractiveness, though acknowledged in Scripture, is fleeting without inward holiness (Proverbs 31:30).
3. Gospel Illustration: UseJeremiah 11:16 to show how redeemed lives, rooted in Christ, become “beautiful in form and fruit.”
4. Worship and Hope: Encourage believers withPsalm 48:2 that Zion’s beauty prefigures the New Jerusalem, where God’s glory and redeemed humanity will forever unite outer and inner perfection.
Thus יָפֶה invites God’s people to behold, celebrate, and pursue a beauty that originates in the Creator, reflects in His creation, matures in godly character, and culminates in the unveiled splendor of the Lamb.
Forms and Transliterations
הַיָּפ֛וֹת הַיָּפָ֖ה היפה היפות וִ֣יפַת וִיפֵ֥ה וִיפַ֥ת וִיפֹ֣ת ויפה ויפת יְפ֥וֹת יְפֵ֣ה יְפֵ֥ה יְפֵה־ יְפַ֥ת יְפַת־ יְפֹ֥ת יָ֝פָ֗ה יָּפ֧וּ יָפ֛וֹת יָפֶ֛ה יָפֶ֣ה יָפֶ֤ה יָפָ֔ה יָפָ֖ה יָפָ֣ה יָפָ֤ה יָפָ֥ה יָפָ֨ה יָפָה֙ יָפָתִ֖י יפה יפה־ יפו יפות יפת יפת־ יפתי haiyaFah haiyaFot hay·yā·p̄āh hay·yā·p̄ō·wṯ hayyāp̄āh hayyāp̄ōwṯ viFat viFot viPeh wî·p̄aṯ wî·p̄êh wî·p̄ōṯ wîp̄aṯ wîp̄êh wîp̄ōṯ yā·p̄ā·ṯî yā·p̄āh yā·p̄eh yā·p̄ō·wṯ yā·p̄ū yaFah yafaTi yaFot yaFu yāp̄āh yāp̄āṯî yaPeh yāp̄eh yāp̄ōwṯ yāp̄ū yə·p̄aṯ yə·p̄aṯ- yə·p̄êh yə·p̄êh- yə·p̄ō·wṯ yə·p̄ōṯ yefat yefeh yeFot yəp̄aṯ yəp̄aṯ- yePeh yəp̄êh yəp̄êh- yəp̄ōṯ yəp̄ōwṯ
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