Lexical Summary
saphad: To mourn, to lament
Original Word:סָפַד
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:caphad
Pronunciation:sah-fad'
Phonetic Spelling:(saw-fad')
KJV: lament, mourn(-er), wail
NASB:lament, mourn, mourned, lamented, beat, mourners, mourns
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief)
2. (generally) to lament
3. (by implication), to wail
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
lament, mourner, wail
A primitive root; properly, to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief); generally to lament; by implication, to wail -- lament, mourn(-er), wail.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto wail, lament
NASB Translationbeat (1), lament (9), lamented (5), mourn (8), mourned (6), mourners (1), mourns (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Late Hebrew
id.; , ChrPalAramaic
id., Schw
Idioticon 64; Assyrian [
sapâdu]],
sipdu, sipittu, mourning, Dl
HWB 507; compare Amharic
dirge Prä
ZMG xxxv (1881), 762); —
Perfect3feminine singular consecutiveZechariah 12:12, 3plural consecutive1 Kings 14:13;Zechariah 12:10;Imperfect3feminine singular2 Samuel 11:26, 2masculine singularEzekiel 24:16, 1singular cohortativeMicah 1:8, 3masculine pluralJeremiah 6:16 +, etc.;Imperative masculine plural2 Samuel 3:31 2t.; feminine pluralJeremiah 49:3;Infinitive absoluteZechariah 7:5; constructEcclesiastes 3:4,Genesis 23:2;1 Kings 13:29,Jeremiah 16:5;Participle active pluralIsaiah 32:12,Ecclesiastes 12:5; —wail, lament (with loud cries, etc., seeMicah 1:8, and compare DrAmos 5:16), especially for dead, with ,1 Samuel 25:1;1 Samuel 28:3;1 Kings 14:13,18;Genesis 23:2 (P)Jeremiah 16:6;Jeremiah 22:18 (twice in verse);Jeremiah 34:5, compareJeremiah 16:5; withover2 Samuel 1:12;2 Samuel 11:26;1 Kings 13:30, compareZechariah 12:10 (seeZechariah 12:12 below); with i.e. marchingbefore (bier)2 Samuel 3:31 (see Dr); with accusative of congnate meaning with verbGenesis 50:10 (J); absolute1 Kings 13:29;Ezekiel 24:16 compareEzekiel 24:23;Ecclesiastes 3:4 (opposed to ; comparePsalm 30:12), and participle as substantiveEcclesiastes 12:5wailers; also, with idea of guilt on part of those wailing,Zechariah 12:12 (compareZechariah 12:10 above); over calamity, judgment, withMicah 1:8, absoluteJeremiah 4:8 (both + ),Jeremiah 49:3 and (with fasting)Zechariah 7:5;Joel 1:13. —Isaiah 32:12 is dubious; Thes Ew De Che and othersupon the breasts smiting (?)for the fields, etc., but read probably (, ) GesComm. (q. v.) BuhlLex 13 Skinner and others:over the fields wailing, over the delightful fields, etc.
Imperfect3masculine pluralJeremiah 16:4they shall not be bewailed, soJeremiah 25:33.
Jeremiah 49:3 Masora, < modern editions see .
(√ of following; compare Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Assyrianšaptu,lip, edge; so Syriac
; Arabic
lip,
edge).
Topical Lexicon
Overview of Biblical Usageסָפַד appears about thirty-two times, always denoting the act of mourning or lamentation. It is employed of individuals grieving a personal loss, of communities lamenting national tragedy, and of prophets summoning the people to repent in sorrow before the Lord.
Personal and Familial Mourning
1.Genesis 23:2 records Abraham’s response to Sarah’s death: “Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.” Here סָפַד introduces the formal, vocal lament that followed the initial shock of bereavement.
2.Genesis 50:10 describes Joseph and the household of Pharaoh: “They lamented there with a very great and solemn lamentation.” The verb underscores that even Egyptians understood structured mourning, showing the universality of the practice.
3. David models godly grief in2 Samuel 1:12 over Saul and Jonathan: “They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening.” His lament demonstrates that true sorrow can coexist with faith and respect for God’s anointed.
Public, State, and Royal Mourning
When a national leader died, formal ceremonies expressed communal loss:
•1 Samuel 25:1 – All Israel assembled and mourned for Samuel.
•2 Chronicles 35:25 – “All the singing men and women spoke in lamentations for Josiah to this day.” The verse highlights organized, enduring remembrance, with Jeremiah composing a dirge that became part of Israel’s worship tradition.
Such passages reveal the place of lament within covenant life: grief was not privatized but woven into national identity before God.
Professional Mourners and Cultural Custom
Ecclesiastes 12:5 pictures mourners circulating the streets at funerals, indicating a recognized vocation.Amos 5:16 speaks of “farmers to mourning and those skilled in wailing to lamentation,” showing that Israel, like surrounding cultures, employed trained lamenters. Scripture neither commends nor condemns the occupation; it simply acknowledges it as a societal norm harnessed for expressing collective sorrow.
Prophetic Calls to Repentant Mourning
Prophets use סָפַד to urge heartfelt contrition, not mere ritual display.
•Jeremiah 6:26: “Dress in sackcloth, roll in ashes; mourn as for an only son, most bitter lamentation.” The intensity demanded parallels parental grief, emphasizing the seriousness of Judah’s sin.
•Micah 1:8: “Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked.” Prophetic self-identification with grief models how leaders should intercede for the people.
•Zechariah 12:10 forecasts national repentance: “They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child.” The future lament centers on recognition of the One “they have pierced,” providing a Messianic horizon where mourning ushers in cleansing.
Liturgical and Eschatological Dimensions
Joel 1:13-15 links priestly lament with fasting, calling the temple servants to lead corporate repentance so that the “day of the Lord” might be tempered by mercy. Revelation echoes this motif when “all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him” (Revelation 1:7), showing the ultimate fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy. Thus סָפַד bridges Old Testament ritual sorrow and New Testament anticipation of Christ’s return.
Spiritual Theology of Mourning
1. Mourning validates the reality of death and evil in a fallen world while directing sorrow toward God, the only true Comforter.
2. It serves as a pedagogical tool, reminding the living of mortality and the need for covenant faithfulness (Ecclesiastes 7:2).
3. Prophetic laments show that repentance involves emotional engagement; outward expressions mirror an inward turning to God.
Practical Ministry Applications
• Pastoral care should not rush the bereaved past lament. Scripture permits and even encourages voiced grief.
• Corporate worship may appropriately include lament songs, especially in times of communal crisis, following the model of national fasts (Joel 2:12-17).
• Teaching on passages containing סָפַד can help believers see mourning as a redemptive experience that drives them to hope in the resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).
Key References for Further Study
Genesis 23:2;Genesis 50:10-11;Numbers 20:29;1 Samuel 25:1;2 Samuel 1:12;2 Samuel 3:31-32;2 Samuel 13:31;2 Samuel 14:2;1 Kings 13:30;1 Kings 14:13;1 Kings 14:18;1 Kings 16:6;2 Chronicles 35:25;Esther 4:3;Ecclesiastes 12:5;Isaiah 16:7;Isaiah 32:12;Jeremiah 4:8;Jeremiah 6:26;Jeremiah 31:15;Micah 1:8;Amos 5:16;Zechariah 12:10.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶסְפְּדָ֣ה אספדה הַסֹּפְדִֽים׃ הספדים׃ וְסִפְד֖וּ וְסִפְד֜וּ וְסָֽפְדוּ־ וְסָפ֜וֹד וְסָפְד֣וּ וְסָפְדָ֣ה וַֽיִּסְפְּדוּ֙ וַיִּ֨סְפְּדוּ־ וַיִּסְפְּד֥וּ וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־ וַתִּסְפֹּ֖ד ויספדו ויספדו־ וספדה וספדו וספדו־ וספוד ותספד יִסְפְּד֣וּ יִסְפְּדוּ־ יִסָּֽפְדוּ֙ יִסָּפְד֗וּ יספדו יספדו־ כְּמִסְפֵּד֙ כמספד לִסְפֹּ֖ד לִסְפֹּ֥ד לִסְפּ֔וֹד לספד לספוד מִסְפַּד֙ מספד סְפ֖וֹד סְפֹ֕דְנָה סִפְד֣וּ סֹֽפְדִ֑ים ספדו ספדים ספדנה ספוד תִסְפְּד֖וּ תִסְפֹּד֙ תספד תספדו ’es·pə·ḏāh ’espəḏāh espeDah has·sō·p̄ə·ḏîm hassofeDim hassōp̄əḏîm kə·mis·pêḏ kemisPed kəmispêḏ lis·pō·wḏ lis·pōḏ lisPod lispōḏ lispōwḏ mis·paḏ misPad mispaḏ sə·p̄ō·ḏə·nāh sə·p̄ō·wḏ seFod seFodenah səp̄ōḏənāh səp̄ōwḏ sifDu sip̄·ḏū sip̄ḏū sō·p̄ə·ḏîm sofeDim sōp̄əḏîm ṯis·pə·ḏū ṯis·pōḏ tispeDu ṯispəḏū tisPod ṯispōḏ vaiYispedu vattisPod vesafeDah vesafedu vesaFod vesifDu wat·tis·pōḏ wattispōḏ way·yis·pə·ḏū way·yis·pə·ḏū- wayyispəḏū wayyispəḏū- wə·sā·p̄ə·ḏāh wə·sā·p̄ə·ḏū wə·sā·p̄ə·ḏū- wə·sā·p̄ō·wḏ wə·sip̄·ḏū wəsāp̄əḏāh wəsāp̄əḏū wəsāp̄əḏū- wəsāp̄ōwḏ wəsip̄ḏū yis·pə·ḏū yis·pə·ḏū- yis·sā·p̄ə·ḏū yispeDu yispəḏū yispəḏū- yissafeDu yissāp̄əḏū
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