Lexical Summary
sha'aph: To pant, to gasp, to long for
Original Word:שָׁאַף
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:sha'aph
Pronunciation:shah-AHF
Phonetic Spelling:(shaw-af')
KJV: desire (earnestly), devour, haste, pant, snuff up, swallow up
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to inhale eagerly
2. (figuratively) to cover
3. (by implication) to be angry
4. (also) to hasten
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
desire earnestly, devour, haste, pant, snuff up, swallow up
A primitive root; to inhale eagerly; figuratively, to cover; by implication, to be angry; also to hasten -- desire (earnestly), devour, haste, pant, snuff up, swallow up.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (so
Job 7:2); —
Perfect3masculine singular consecutiveJob 5:5, 3feminine singularJeremiah 2:24, 3pluralJeremiah 14:6;Imperfect3masculine singularJob 7:2, etc.;Participle activeEcclesiastes 1:5; —
gasp, as a woman in travail, figurative of ,Isaiah 42:14 ("" );pant after, snuff up the wind (accusative), of wild assJeremiah 2:24;Jeremiah 14:6; construction praegn.Ecclesiastes 1:5unto his place he panteth (comes panting), of sun under figure of racer.
gasp orpant with desirePsalm 119:131 ("" );pant after, be eager for, with accusativeJob 5:5 (compare p. 855:b),Job 7:2 ("" ),Job 36:20 (but obscure in context).
II. [] ("" form of (q. v.), if pointing right, compare Köi. 439; We Now read , etc., from , compare Ges§ 72p; perhaps originallypulverize by rubbing, but also apparently by pounding, stamping, treading, LevyChWB , JastrDict., ; — most make = I. , but Vrss render as above); —
Perfect3masculine singular suffixPsalm 56:2, 3pluralPsalm 56:3; ,Infinitive absoluteEzekiel 36:3;Participle suffixPsalm 57:4; pluralAmos 2:7;Amos 8:4; —trample upon, crush (the poor, etc.), figurative, with accusative of personAmos 8:4; strangelyAmos 2:7 (We Now Marti strike out , which TorreyJBL xv (1896), 152 explained as old doublet, compare ; AV RVpant after the dust, etc., hyperb. for extreme avarice, compare Hi Dr; but Dr thinks possibly original:crush the heads of the poor upon the dust [compareIsaiah 3:15], in any case strike out aftercrush);Ezekiel 36:3;Psalm 56:2;Psalm 57:4 and (accusative omitted)Psalm 56:3.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and ImageryThe term depicts intense inhalation—gasping, panting, or snorting—and, by extension, any vigorous pursuit, whether driven by appetite, desire, or hostility. The same verb can describe the wheezing of an exhausted animal, the eager breath of one who craves, and the trampling fury of an oppressor. The imagery is earthy, visceral, and unmistakably vivid, inviting readers to feel the hot breath of pursuit or the desperate gasp for relief.
Occurrences in Wisdom Literature
Job and Ecclesiastes employ the verb to portray human restlessness.
•Job 5:5 paints the destitute “thirsty” who “pant for his wealth,” exposing how calamity redirects another man’s riches into the lungs of the famished.
•Job 7:2 compares the sufferer to “a slave [who] longs for shade,” intensifying the impatience for deliverance.
•Job 36:20 warns, “Do not long for the night,” when judgment overtakes the wicked, reminding the afflicted not to covet escape by death.
•Ecclesiastes 1:5 pictures the ceaseless circuit of the sun that “hurries back” (lit. pants) to its rising point, underscoring the world’s weary repetition.
In these texts, the verb exposes frailty—whether social (poverty), existential (mortality), or cosmic (the groaning creation).
Psalms: Personal Lament and Devotion
David adopts the term for both threat and thirst.
•Psalm 56:1-2; 57:3: “men trample me” and God “rebukes those who trample me.” The same breath that chokes the victim stirs divine intervention, showing that oppression never escapes the Lord’s notice.
•Psalm 119:131 shifts from danger to devotion: “I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commandments.” Here the gasping is holy desire, transforming a word of violence into an emblem of spiritual hunger—an anticipation ultimately met in the living Word (John 6:35).
Prophetic Accents: Judgment and Mercy
The prophets broaden the word’s reach from individual experience to national drama.
•Isaiah 42:14 records the Lord Himself “gasp and pant” like a woman in labor, signaling the birthing of redemptive acts after long restraint. Divine panting mirrors human travail while assuring that salvation history moves forward with unstoppable force.
•Jeremiah 2:24; 14:6 employ the verb for wild donkeys “sniffing the wind” and “panting for air,” exposing Israel’s unbridled lust and the drought that follows apostasy.
•Ezekiel 36:3 describes Israel’s mountains “crushed” from every side. Sha’af becomes the sound of invading boots, yet the same chapter promises restoration, proving that the Judge is also the Redeemer.
•Amos 2:7; 8:4 twice condemns those who “trample” the poor. Social injustice is depicted as an animalistic exhaling upon the helpless; the prophetic verdict announces that such breath will return as the hot wind of divine wrath.
Thematic Threads
1. Oppression versus Protection – The panting oppressor is answered by a panting God who rises to defend (Psalms 56–57).
2. Longing versus Idolatry – Pure yearning (“panting for Your commandments,”Psalm 119:131) stands in stark contrast to carnal craving (Jeremiah 2:24).
3. Creational Groaning – From the racing sun (Ecclesiastes 1:5) to drought-stricken beasts (Jeremiah 14:6), the verb hints at “the whole creation groaning” that Paul later articulates (Romans 8:22).
4. Eschatological Birth –Isaiah 42:14 connects divine panting with new creation, foreshadowing both the Incarnation (Luke 2:7) and the final renewal (Revelation 21:5).
Ministry Implications
• Pastoral Care: Recognize the raw breath of grief; sufferers may feel hunted (Psalm 56) or desperate for shade (Job 7). Offer Scripture-saturated hope that God hears every gasp.
• Social Justice: Sha’af unmasks systemic sin—trampling the poor is never merely economic but spiritual rebellion (Amos 2:7). Faithful ministry must protect the vulnerable and call oppressors to repentance.
• Spiritual Formation: Encourage believers to cultivate holy “panting” for God’s Word (Psalm 119:131). Foster practices—prayer, meditation, memorization—that turn restless desire toward divine satisfaction.
• Preaching Christ: In Jesus Christ the panting of the oppressed meets the breath of the Advocate who “will not break a bruised reed” (Isaiah 42:3). His final exhalation on the cross answers every gasp for mercy.
Summary
Shā’aph traces a line from desperate longing and ruthless trampling to divine intervention and satisfied hunger. Whether on the lips of sufferers, in the nostrils of beasts, or in the breath of God Himself, the verb testifies that every urgent breath is known to the Lord who both judges oppression and fills the panting soul with life.
Forms and Transliterations
הַשֹּׁאֲפִ֖ים הַשֹּׁאֲפִ֤ים השאפים וְאֶשְׁאַ֖ף וְשָׁאַ֖ף וְשָׁאֹ֨ף וָאֶשְׁאָ֑פָה ואשאף ואשאפה ושאף יִשְׁאַף־ ישאף־ שְׁאָפַ֣נִי שָׁאֲפ֣וּ שָׁאֲפ֥וּ שָׁאֲפָ֣ה שֹׁאֲפִ֣י שׁוֹאֵ֛ף שאפה שאפו שאפי שאפני שואף תִּשְׁאַ֥ף תשאף haš·šō·’ă·p̄îm hashshoaFim haššō’ăp̄îm šā’ăp̄āh šā’ăp̄ū šā·’ă·p̄āh šā·’ă·p̄ū šə’āp̄anî šə·’ā·p̄a·nî shaaFah shaaFu sheaFani shoaFi shoEf šō’ăp̄î šō·’ă·p̄î šō·w·’êp̄ šōw’êp̄ tiš’ap̄ tiš·’ap̄ tishAf vaeshAfah veeshAf veshaAf veshaOf wā’eš’āp̄āh wā·’eš·’ā·p̄āh wə’eš’ap̄ wə·’eš·’ap̄ wə·šā·’ap̄ wə·šā·’ōp̄ wəšā’ap̄ wəšā’ōp̄ yiš’ap̄- yiš·’ap̄- yishaf
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