Lexical Summary
uwph: To fly, to soar
Original Word:עוּף
Part of Speech:verb; noun masculine
Transliteration:`uwph
Pronunciation:oof
Phonetic Spelling:(oof)
KJV: fly, faint
Word Origin:[A primitive root]
1. To fly
1. To soar
3. To be faint
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
brandish, be wax faint, flee away, fly away, set, shine forth, weary
A primitive root; to cover (with wings or obscurity); hence (as denominative fromowph) to fly; also (by implication of dimness) to faint (from the darkness of swooning) -- brandish, be (wax) faint, flee away, fly (away), X set, shine forth, weary.
see HEBREWowph
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (Late Hebrew
id., (rare)
flicker, flutter,
fowl; Aramaic ,
id.; Ethiopic
id.; Arabic
augury, from birds (compare We
Heid. 2, 202),
fortune,
,
practice augury,
augur; also
,
fly about, of birds); —
Perfect3masculine plural consecutiveIsaiah 11:14;Imperfect3masculine singularJob 20:8;Psalm 91:5 +Proverbs 23:5b Qr (> Kt [van d. H.], or [Ginsb]);2 Samuel 22:11 =Psalm 18:11;Nahum 3:16,Isaiah 6:6; 3feminine singularProverbs 23:5 a Kt (see below); 3 feminine pluralIsaiah 60:8, etc.;Infinitive constructJob 5:7;Proverbs 26:2;Participle feminine singularZechariah 5:1,2; pluralIsaiah 31:5; —
fly, of birdsDeuteronomy 4:17, specifically of swallow (in simile)Proverbs 26:2 ("" ); of seraphIsaiah 6:6 (compare
); riding () on cherub2 Samuel 22:11 =Psalm 18:11; roll (in vision)Zechariah 5:1,2; arrowPsalm 91:5; of swift armyIsaiah 11:14 (under figure of bird, followed by )Habakkuk 1:8 (simile of vulture); figurative of ships (like cloud, or doves)Isaiah 60:8;Job 5:7make high to fly, i.e. make their flight high, soar aloft (simile of irresistible tendency).
hover (protectingly)Isaiah 31:5 (birds, simile of ; on sense compareDeuteronomy 32:11).
fly away, to a distance,Psalm 55:7 (figurative; ""Psalm 55:8); = vanish, of locustsNahum 1:16 (figurative);Proverbs 23:5b (Qr) simile of riches (see Toy); of wickedJob 20:8 (); end of life, in General,Psalm 90:10. —Proverbs 23:5 a Kt,do thine eyes fly (light) uponit ? (
Qrdost thou cause thine eyes to fly, etc. ?) is difficult, and line perhaps not original (see Toy).
fly about, to and fro; Imperfect3masculine singular of birdsGenesis 1:20 (P); seraphimIsaiah 6:2;Participleflying fiery serpentIsaiah 14:29;Isaiah 30:6.
cause to fly to and fro, brandish, Infinitive construct suffixEzekiel 32:10when I brandish my sword before them.
Imperfect3masculine singularHosea 9:11like a bird their glory shall fly away.
Imperfect2masculine singular Qr, see
near the end
II. [], I. [] ; — only
Imperfect2masculine singularJob 11:17 (though)it be dark, but read probably , substantive, see below
II. [] (compare Syriac
, PS2835; "" form of q. v.; occurrences dubious); —
Perfect3feminine singularJeremiah 4:31 (? read );Imperfect3masculine singularJudges 4:21 (< GFM Bu),1 Samuel 14:28 (strike out We Bu Kit Löhr, emendation HPS),1 Samuel 14:31 (read [√ ] Buhl HPS),2 Samuel 21:15 (corrupt, HPS; for Philistine name We Dr Bu Kit).
(see Biblical Hebrew, √ I. ); — absoluteDaniel 7:6 wings ofa fowl; constructDaniel 2:38 collective
Topical Lexicon
Scope of UsageThe verb עוּף appears about thirty-one times across the Hebrew Scriptures. It is employed both literally—of birds, insects, and heavenly beings in motion—and figuratively, where the motion of flight becomes a vivid picture of swiftness, transience, protection, or terror. A handful of occurrences also shade into the idea of becoming faint or dim, emphasizing weakness that “flies away” from a person.
Flight in the Created Order
The first appearance is foundational. At creation the command is given, “Let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens” (Genesis 1:20). Here עוּף anchors the natural behavior of winged creatures within God’s orderly world. The same literal sense surfaces whenever Scripture describes migratory or hovering birds (Deuteronomy 4:17;Isaiah 31:5), reminding readers that the world still obeys the divine word spoken in Genesis.
Angelic Flight and Heavenly Worship
Isaiah’s temple vision intensifies the word’s scope: “Above Him stood seraphim… with two they were flying” (Isaiah 6:2). Their dynamic obedience highlights both the holiness of God and the readiness of His servants. When a seraph “flew to me with a glowing coal” (Isaiah 6:6), עוּף marks the swift mediation of cleansing. The same verb is used of the angelic creatures that guard and minister inZechariah 5:9, reinforcing the idea that heavenly beings execute God’s purposes without delay.
Divine Protection Pictured as Flight
Yahweh Himself employs the imagery: “Like birds hovering overhead, so the LORD of Hosts will shield Jerusalem” (Isaiah 31:5). Here the protective circling of avian wings offers a tender metaphor for covenant faithfulness.Psalm 91 evokes a related theme when it speaks of the Most High covering His people “with His feathers,” though a different verb is used; the overlap of imagery shows that the Old Testament repeatedly associates winged motion with divine refuge.
Swift Judgment and Invasion
Flight can also be ominous. Moses warns of a foreign power that will come “like an eagle swooping down” (Deuteronomy 28:49), and Hosea echoes the threat: “The enemy will swoop down on the house of the LORD” (Hosea 8:1). In both passages עוּף conveys unrelenting speed—judgment arrives before any human defense can be mounted.Nahum 3:16 likens Nineveh’s merchants to locusts that “fly away” at the first hint of danger, exposing the fragility of earthly security.
Human Longing for Escape
David’s plea, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and find rest” (Psalm 55:6), captures the universal desire to elude trouble. Similarly, “If I rise on the wings of the dawn” (Psalm 139:9), the psalmist declares that even the farthest flight cannot outrun God’s presence. These usages take the physical act of flying and internalize it as a spiritual yearning—whether for relief from persecution or for intimate fellowship with the omnipresent Lord.
Fleeting Wealth and Human Frailty
Proverbs harnesses the verb in a warning against greed: “When you gaze upon riches, they are gone, for they surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle” (Proverbs 23:5). Wealth “flies”; it is inherently unstable.Job 20:8 adds that the wicked “will fly away like a dream,” stressing the brevity of godless success. InEcclesiastes 10:20 the same image explains why secret curses are dangerous: “a bird of the air may carry your voice”—spoken words take wing and cannot be recalled.
Faintness and Vanishing Strength
A narrower nuance appears when עוּף describes failing vigor. InIsaiah 40:30 “Youths may faint and grow weary,” the verb rendered “faint” (עוּף) paints exhaustion as strength that has flown away. Likewise,1 Samuel 14:28 recounts soldiers “faint” with hunger. These examples remind believers that human power, like earthly riches, is not self-sustaining; it must be renewed by the Creator who never tires (Isaiah 40:31).
Pastoral and Homiletical Reflections
1. Creation, Providence, and Worship—The verb’s first use in Genesis lays a foundation for a biblical worldview in which nature is not autonomous but obedient to God’s voice. Sermons can legitimately move from the literal flight of birds to the expectation that redeemed humanity should likewise respond promptly to divine command.
2. Assurance amid Attack—Passages portraying Yahweh as a hovering bird (Isaiah 31:5) enrich teaching on divine safeguarding, especially when paired with New Testament promises such asMatthew 23:37.
3. Warning against False Security—The swift, unstoppable nature of invading armies (Deuteronomy 28:49) cautions congregations against complacency, national or personal.
4. Hope of Escape and Rest—Psalm 55:6 speaks to the burdened soul; yetPsalm 139:9 reminds that true rest is found not by fleeing circumstances but by trusting the One who is present everywhere.
5. Stewardship and Generosity—Proverbs 23:5 can be applied to consumer culture, encouraging believers to invest in eternal treasures that will not “fly away.”
Intertextual Echoes with the New Testament
While the Greek New Testament employs different vocabulary, the imagery persists. “They will mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31) finds resonance inRevelation 12:14 where the woman receives “the two wings of a great eagle” for deliverance. Jesus’ prophecy that vultures will gather where the corpse is (Matthew 24:28) draws on the same avian symbolism of judgment introduced in Deuteronomy and Hosea. Thus the canonical witness remains coherent: swift movement, whether of deliverance or doom, is ultimately under divine sovereignty.
Conclusion
Through its literal, figurative, and theological uses, עוּף weaves a tapestry that exalts the Creator, warns the wayward, and comforts the weary. From Genesis to the Prophets, the verb calls readers to recognize the fleeting nature of worldly strength and to trust the everlasting God whose word both sends birds into the sky and brings angels in an instant to minister to His people.
Forms and Transliterations
אָע֥וּפָה אעופה בְּעוֹפְפִ֥י בַּעֲד֖וֹ בעדו בעופפי הֲתָ֤עִיף התעיף וְעָפ֨וּ וַיָּ֖עַף וַיָּ֣עָף וַיָּ֥עַף וַיָּעֹ֑ף וַיָּעֹֽף׃ וַנָּעֻֽפָה׃ ויעף ויעף׃ ונעפה׃ ועפו יְעוֹפֵ֣ף יְעוֹפֵֽף׃ יִתְעוֹפֵ֣ף יָ֭עוּף יָע֥וּף יָעֻ֕פוּ יעוף יעופף יעופף׃ יעפו יתעופף לָע֑וּף לעוף מְעוֹפֵ֔ף מְעוֹפֵֽף׃ מעופף מעופף׃ עָפ֔וֹת עָפָ֔ה עָפָֽה׃ עֽוּף׃ עוף׃ עפה עפה׃ עפות תְּעוּפֶ֑ינָה תָּ֝עֻ֗פָה תָּע֖וּף תעוף תעופינה תעפה ‘ā·p̄āh ‘ā·p̄ō·wṯ ‘āp̄āh ‘āp̄ōwṯ ‘ūp̄ ’ā‘ūp̄āh ’ā·‘ū·p̄āh aFah aFot aUfah ba‘ăḏōw ba·‘ă·ḏōw baaDo bə‘ōwp̄p̄î bə·‘ō·wp̄·p̄î beofFi hă·ṯā·‘îp̄ hăṯā‘îp̄ haTaif lā‘ūp̄ lā·‘ūp̄ laUf mə‘ōwp̄êp̄ mə·‘ō·w·p̄êp̄ meoFef tā‘ūp̄ tā‘up̄āh tā·‘u·p̄āh tā·‘ūp̄ taUf taUfah tə‘ūp̄enāh tə·‘ū·p̄e·nāh teuFeinah Uf vaiYaaf vaiyaOf vannaUfah veaFu wan·nā·‘u·p̄āh wannā‘up̄āh way·yā·‘ap̄ way·yā·‘āp̄ way·yā·‘ōp̄ wayyā‘ap̄ wayyā‘āp̄ wayyā‘ōp̄ wə‘āp̄ū wə·‘ā·p̄ū yā‘ūp̄ yā‘up̄ū yā·‘u·p̄ū yā·‘ūp̄ Yauf yaUfu yə‘ōwp̄êp̄ yə·‘ō·w·p̄êp̄ yeoFef yiṯ‘ōwp̄êp̄ yiṯ·‘ō·w·p̄êp̄ yitoFef
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