Lexical Summary
ephes: End, ceasing, nothing, only, nevertheless
Original Word:אֶפֶס
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:ephec
Pronunciation:EH-fes
Phonetic Spelling:(eh'-fes)
KJV: ankle, but (only), end, howbeit, less than nothing, nevertheless (where), no, none (beside), not (any, -withstanding), thing of nought, save(-ing), there, uttermost part, want, without (cause)
NASB:ends, no one, there is no one, however, nothing, only, without
Word Origin:[fromH656 (אָפֵס - come to an end)]
1. cessation
2. an end (especially of the earth)
3. (often, adverbially) no further
4. (also, like H6466) the ankle (in the dual), as being the extremity of the leg or foot
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ankle, but only, end, howbeit, less than nothing, nevertheless where, no, none beside,
From'aphec; cessation, i.e. An end (especially of the earth); often used adverb, no further; also (likepa'al) the ankle (in the dual), as being the extremity of the leg or foot -- ankle, but (only), end, howbeit, less than nothing, nevertheless (where), no, none (beside), not (any, -withstanding), thing of nought, save(-ing), there, uttermost part, want, without (cause).
see HEBREW'aphec
see HEBREWpa'al
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
aphesDefinitiona ceasing
NASB Translationdearth (1), ends (14), however (2), lack (1), less...nothing (1), neither (1), nevertheless* (3), no more (1), no one (6), no other (1), non-existent (1), nor (1), nothing (2), only (2), there (1), there is no one (3), there is none (1), without (2), without cause (1), worthless (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
properly , hence
, only in the poetic phrase (Psalm 59:14 )ends, extreme limits, of the earth, used especially hyperbolically:Deuteronomy 33:17;1 Samuel 2:10;Micah 5:3;Jeremiah 16:19;Psalm 2:8;Psalm 59:14;Psalm 72:8 (=Zechariah 9:10); +Isaiah 45:22;Isaiah 52:10b (=Psalm 98:3b)Psalm 22:28;Psalm 67:8;Proverbs 30:4.
Expressing :
as substantive. (mostly a rare poetic synonym of ):Isaiah 34:12 and all his princes shall becomenought, (Isaiah 41:29,12 ;Isaiah 40:17 ("" ) as made ofnought and worthlessness are they accounted by him,Isaiah 41:24 (read , "" see );Isaiah 52:4 and Asshur oppressed himfor nought.
as particle of negation, prop.cessation of. . ! (comparenought of...), very rare in prose (2Samuel 9:3), chiefly a poetic synonym ofIsaiah 5:8 till there isan end of place = till there isno place (comparePsalm 40:13),Amos 6:10 (compareJudges 4:20),Deuteronomy 32:36 (hence, in prose,2 Kings 14:26),Isaiah 45:6 (compareIsaiah 43:11)Isaiah 43:14;Isaiah 46:9;Isaiah 54:15;Zephaniah 2:15;Isaiah 47:8,10 is probably to be rendered, 'I am, andthere is none besides (so Ges Ew Di etc.), the being 'paragogic' as in etc. (Ges§ 90, 3 a Ew§ 211 b), compareIsaiah 45:5,6,18,21; but according to De the is suffix of 1 singular 'I am, andI am nought besides' (i.e. and I am nought besides my all-sufficient self). — (like , q. v.)without:Proverbs 14:28;Proverbs 26:20;Job 7:6;Daniel 8:25.
as adverb of limitation: (a)only:Numbers 22:35 (compareNumbers 22:20)Numbers 23:13. (b)save that, howbeit (qualifying a preceding statement):Numbers 13:28;Deuteronomy 1:5;Judges 4:9;Amos 9:8 (+1 Samuel 1:5 We Sta Dr). So alone2 Samuel 12:14 (the following signifyingbecause).
[ only in the
not ; see Baer), literally the two extremities, i.e. eitherthe soles of the feet (so AW Ges; compare Aramaic ,
, orthe ankles (so , & most): onlyEzekiel 47:2 water of (i.e. reaching to) thesoles (orankles); compareEzekiel 47:4 water reaching to the loins.
Topical Lexicon
Ephes (Strong’s Hebrew 657, אֶפֶס)Semantic Scope and Range of Meaning
Ephes functions either as an adverb (“only, except”) or as a noun expressing total absence (“nothing, end, non-existence”). It can declare utter depletion of human resources, or, conversely, the absolute uniqueness of the LORD when all rivals are reduced to nothing.
Statistical Overview
Approximately forty-four occurrences appear across the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom literature, and especially the Prophets (with a concentration inIsaiah 40–48). Usage clusters around two ideas: (1) human impotence or lack, and (2) divine exclusivity.
Human Need and Exhaustion
1. Material poverty during Joseph’s administration:
•Genesis 47:15 – “For there is no money left.”
•Genesis 47:18 – “There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.”
2. Agricultural desolation under Midianite oppression:
•Judges 6:4 – “They left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey.”
3. National helplessness during Jeroboam II’s rise:
•2 Kings 14:26 – “There was no one left, bond or free, and there was no one to help Israel.”
4. Personal weakness in the Song of Moses:
•Deuteronomy 32:36 – “The LORD… saw that their strength was gone.”
These scenes underscore that when every earthly resource reaches ephes, covenant deliverance depends solely on the LORD.
Divine Exclusivity and the Vanity of Idols
Isaiah employs ephes to strip every pretender of significance:
•Isaiah 44:6 – “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.”
•Isaiah 45:6 – “…that there is none but Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other.”
•Isaiah 45:21 – “There is no God but Me… there is none but Me.”
•Isaiah 41:24; 41:29 – idolatrous images are pronounced “nothing.”
The prophetic rhetoric moves from exposing idols as “nothing” to proclaiming the LORD as the “only” God. Ephes therefore becomes a theological blade cutting down both foreign deities and misplaced confidences.
Covenant Hope Amid National Crisis
The Chronicler recalls Jehoshaphat’s crisis in2 Chronicles 20, where vast armies approach “from beyond the sea… and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (20:2). Though ephes is not translated explicitly in English here, the sense of impending annihilation mirrors earlier uses: God’s people reach the brink of nothingness so that salvation might be attributed solely to Him.
Wisdom Perspective
Job and Proverbs echo the term to contrast human limitation with divine wisdom (compareJob 11:7;Proverbs 30:5-6 in Hebrew text traditions). When human knowledge finds its “end,” the fear of the LORD begins.
Key Theological Themes
1. Total Dependence: Ephes exposes the futility of self-reliance (Genesis 47;Judges 6).
2. Divine Uniqueness: Repetition in Isaiah cements monotheism at the heart of biblical faith.
3. Judgment and Grace:Deuteronomy 32:36 balances impending judgment with compassion when strength is gone.
4. Redemptive Pattern: God acts precisely where ephes appears, foreshadowing the gospel pattern of strength perfected in weakness (compare2 Corinthians 12:9).
Practical Ministry Applications
• Pastoral Care: Encourage believers facing depletion that God often intervenes at “nothing left.”
• Evangelism: Use Isaiah’s ephes texts to affirm the singularity of God and the insufficiency of idols—modern or ancient.
• Worship: Songs and prayers may echoIsaiah 44:6 to confess “there is no God but You.”
• Social Ethics:Deuteronomy 15:4 envisions a community in which systemic poverty becomes “no more,” challenging the church to tangible compassion.
Christological Reflection
Isaiah’s insistence that there is “none but Me” funnels into the New Testament revelation of Jesus Christ as the unique manifestation of the one God (John 1:18;John 14:6). Where idols are declared ephes, God incarnate is declared “the fullness of Deity” (Colossians 2:9).
Summary
Ephes is a small word with sweeping implications. It brands every human endeavor, idol, or enemy as “nothing” when measured against the living God, while simultaneously marking the precise moment when divine grace breaks in. In times of scarcity, exile, or spiritual contest, Scripture’s recurring ephes reminds the faithful that when all else is gone, the LORD alone remains—and that is more than enough.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶ֕פֶס אֶ֖פֶס אֶ֗פֶס אֶ֚פֶס אֶ֣פֶס אֶ֥פֶס אַפְסֵי־ אָ֑פֶס אָֽפֶס׃ אָפְסָֽיִם׃ אפס אפס׃ אפסי־ אפסים׃ בְּאֶ֣פֶס בְּאֶ֥פֶס באפס הַאֶ֨פֶס האפס וְאֶ֖פֶס וְאֶ֗פֶס וְאֶ֣פֶס וְאֶ֤פֶס וְאֶ֥פֶס וְאַפְסִ֣י וְאַפְסִ֥י וּבְאֶ֥פֶס וּכְאֶ֖פֶס ואפס ואפסי ובאפס וכאפס לְאַפְסֵ֖י לאפסי מֵֽאַפְסֵי־ מֵאֶ֥פֶס מאפס מאפסי־ ’ā·p̄ə·sā·yim ’ā·p̄es ’ap̄·sê- ’āp̄es ’āp̄əsāyim ’ap̄sê- ’e·p̄es ’ep̄es Afes afeSayim afsei bə’ep̄es bə·’e·p̄es beEfes Efes ha’ep̄es ha·’e·p̄es haEfes lə’ap̄sê lə·’ap̄·sê leafSei mê’ap̄sê- mê’ep̄es mê·’ap̄·sê- mê·’e·p̄es meafsei meEfes ū·ḇə·’e·p̄es ū·ḵə·’e·p̄es ūḇə’ep̄es ucheEfes ūḵə’ep̄es uveEfes veafSi veEfes wə’ap̄sî wə’ep̄es wə·’ap̄·sî wə·’e·p̄es
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
