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Hosea 9:11 — Word Study

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WLCאֶפְרַ֕יִם כָּע֖וֹף יִתְעוֹפֵ֣ף כְּבוֹדָ֑ם מִלֵּדָ֥ה וּמִבֶּ֖טֶן וּמֵהֵרָיֽוֹן׃

BSAEphraim’sʼEphrayim [doubly fruitful, prominent tribe] glorykâbôwd [great honor, splendor] will fly awayʻûwph [disappear, vanish] like a birdʻôwph [fowl, winged creature] with no birthyâlad [no begetting, no offspring] no pregnancybeṭen [no conception, no womb] and no conceptionhêrôwn [no childbearing, no fruitfulness]

Word
Listen & take awayHosea 9
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 11 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (u.me.he.ra.Yon) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Hosea 9:11quick helps
In a sentenceEphraim's glory will vanish like a bird, with no offspring or fruitfulness.
Who is speakingThe prophet Hosea, addressing the people of Israel.
Where we areIn a warning about the impending loss of Ephraim's status and vitality.
The hard wordיִתְעוֹפֵ֣ף
Take awayEphraim's glory will disappear, signaling a loss of identity and legacy.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbעוּף The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Hosea 9:11

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Judgment Against Israelgenerated

10I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the firstfruits of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves to Shame; so they became as detestable as the thing they loved.
11Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird, with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.
12Even if they raise their children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe be to them when I turn away from them!
13I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a meadow. But Ephraim will bring out his children for slaughter.

Hosea 9:11 presents a dire prophecy concerning Ephraim, the prominent tribe of Israel, indicating that its glory will vanish like a bird. This verse follows a description of Israel's unfaithfulness and serves as a warning of the consequences of their actions. The surrounding verses highlight Israel's past blessings contrasted with their current state of rebellion, emphasizing the gravity of their situation.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Genesis 41:52And the second son he named Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
2Genesis 48:16–20the angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”
3Genesis 49:22Joseph is a fruitful vine— a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.
4Deuteronomy 33:17His majesty is like a firstborn bull, and his horns are like those of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even to the ends of the earth. Such are the myriads of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
5Job 18:5–18Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word אֶפְרַיִם, 'ef.Ra.yimgenerated

The word אֶפְרַיִם ('efrayim) refers to Ephraim, a son of Joseph and the tribe that descended from him. It signifies 'doubly fruitful' and represents not only a lineage but also a significant part of Israel's history and identity.

Ephraim is often used to symbolize the northern kingdom of Israel, highlighting its importance and the tragedy of its impending loss. The parsing as a proper noun indicates its role as a specific tribe, underscoring its prominence in the narrative of Israel.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb יִתְעוֹפֵ֣ף governs the sentence, indicating the action of Ephraim's glory disappearing. The structure includes a main clause describing the subject's action and several prepositional phrases detailing the conditions surrounding that action.

The Hebrew word order places emphasis on Ephraim's glory, followed by the simile of a bird, which serves to illustrate the suddenness and fragility of this loss.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates אֶפְרַיִם as εφραιμ, maintaining the identity of the tribe while using ὄρνεον for כָּע֖וֹף, which emphasizes the concept of flying creatures, similar to the Hebrew meaning.

This choice indicates an understanding of Ephraim's fate as not just a loss of status but a complete disappearance, akin to the fleeting nature of a bird.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Hosea 9:11 warns that Ephraim's glory will vanish like a bird, with no offspring or fruitfulness. This reflects the consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness and the loss of their identity as a significant tribe.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that Ephraim's glory will fly away?

It signifies the loss of status, identity, and vitality for the tribe of Ephraim due to their unfaithfulness.

How does Ephraim's fate relate to Israel's history?

Ephraim represents the northern kingdom of Israel, and its impending loss symbolizes the broader consequences of Israel's rebellion against God.

Why is the imagery of a bird significant?

The imagery of a bird emphasizes the suddenness and fragility of Ephraim's glory, highlighting how quickly it can disappear.

What can we learn from Ephraim's judgment?

Ephraim's judgment serves as a warning about the consequences of unfaithfulness and the importance of remaining true to one's identity and calling.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways can I recognize the fleeting nature of glory in my own life?
  2. How can I ensure that I remain faithful to my identity and calling?
  3. What lessons can I learn from Ephraim's fate about the importance of community and faithfulness?
  4. How does understanding the historical context of Ephraim enhance my reading of this verse?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Hosea 9:11 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

[As for] Ephraim, their glory shall flee away like a bird,.... That is, suddenly, swiftly, and irrecoverably, and never return more; which some understand of God their glory, and of his departure

Read John Gill on Hosea 9 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception. As for Ephraim, thee glory shall fly away.

Read Robert Jamieson on Hosea 9 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Their glory; their children or posterity, which was as much the glory of Israel, as their multiplying was above the common rate of other nations’ multiplying; it was to them a singular blessing, and performing of promise, and they did greatly rejoice and glory in this blessing, Psalms 128 Proverbs 17:6. Shall fly away like a bird: it is proverbial, and speaks a sudden and unexpected loss of children. which vanish and are gone as a bird: see , where sudden loss of riches is expressed in the same proverb. From the birth; shall die as soon as born. From the womb; prove abortive, their mothers shall not bring the fruit of the womb to perfection, or alive into the world. From the conception…

Read Matthew Poole on Hosea 9 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Hosea 9:11 [As for] Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.Ver. 11. As for Ephraim, their glory shall flee away as a bird] Heb. Ephraim, by a nominative absolute. Or, O Ephraim, as with a sigh, or a shriek, for grief and horror of their ensuing calamity, exilium, excidium, et exitium. "The Lord afflicts not willingly, nor grieves the children of men," Lamentations 3:33. It goes as much against the heart with him as against the hair with us; witness this pathetic expression. See also Hosea 11:8. Their glory, that is, their God, as in the next verse. Or, their children, as in the next words. They worshipped Baalpeor for…

Read John Trapp on Hosea 9 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) From the birth . . .—Or rather, so that there shall be no childbirth, nor pregnancy, nor conception—an ascending climax. Progeny was the glory of ancient Israel (Genesis 22:17; Deuteronomy 7:13-14; Psalms 127:5; Proverbs 17:6).

Read Charles John Ellicott on Hosea 9 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 11. Their glory shall fly away] It shall suddenly spring away from them, and return no more. From the birth] "So that there shall be no birth, no carrying in the womb, no conception."-Newcome. They shall cease to glory in their numbers; for no children shall be born, no woman shall be pregnant, for none shall conceive. Here judgment blasts the very germs of population.

Read AdamClarke on Hosea 9 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

11. The prophet leaves us to supply the idea that Ephraim’s present transgressions are as heinous as those of old, and passes on to the punishment. their glory … like a bird] Rather, like birds. All their earthly prosperity shall take to itself wings, because, as we have already heard, ‘they have exchanged their (true) glory for infamy’ (Hosea 4:7). Kimchi narrows the meaning too much, when he says, ‘He calls children “glory”, for they are the glory of fathers (Proverbs 17:6).’ But of course populousness formed a part of the Israelite’s conception of national prosperity. from the birth, &c.] Rather, that there shall be no birth, nor being with child, nor conception. Such is the retribution…

Read Cambridge on Hosea 9 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away, like a bird - Ephraim had parted with God, his true Glory. In turn, God would quickly take from him all created glory, all which he counted glory, or in which he gloried.

Read Albert Barnes on Hosea 9 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird, with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird. There will be no birth, no one with child, and no conception.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird, with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Ephraim will be like a bird; what they value will fly away. They will not bear children – they will not enjoy pregnancy – they will not even conceive!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird: there shall be no birth, and none with child, and no conception.

RVARevised Version, American1894

As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird: there shall be no birth, and none with child, and no conception.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Ephraim their glorie shall flee away like a birde: from the birth and from the wombe, and from the conception.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away as a bird, — no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Ephraim [is] as a fowl, Fly away doth their honour, without birth, And without womb, and without conception.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Ephraim [is] as a bird, their glory flies away, without birth, and without womb, and without conception.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird: there is no more birth, and no pregnancy, and no conception.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird. There will be no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

As for Ephraim, their glory hath flown away like a bird from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Ephraim! Like a bird that flies away so shall your glory be—no births, no pregnancies, no conceptions.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

As for Ephraim, their glory will go in flight like a bird: there will be no birth and no one with child and no giving of life.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseclauseאֶפְרַ֕יִםEphraimclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalכָּlikenoun phrase(the)ע֖וֹףbirdverbיִתְעוֹפֵ֣ףit.will.fly.awaynoun phrase · subjectכְּבוֹדָ֑gloryםtheirclauseprepositional phrase · predicateprepositional phraseמִfromלֵּדָ֥הgiving.birthוּandprepositional phraseמִfromבֶּ֖טֶןwombוּandprepositional phraseמֵfromהֵרָיֽוֹןconception

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in their wording, with the Septuagint preserving six out of the seven Hebrew words. The Dead Sea Scrolls show partial restoration, with some words supplied by an editor, indicating the text's preservation despite damage.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

אֶפְרַ֕יִם כָּע֖וֹף יִתְעוֹפֵ֣ף כְּבוֹדָ֑ם מִלֵּדָ֥ה וּמִבֶּ֖טֶן וּמֵהֵרָיֽוֹן׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
אֶפְרַ֕יִםεφραιμכָּע֖וֹףὄρνεονיִתְעוֹפֵ֣ףἐχεπετάσθηמִלֵּדָ֥הτόκωνוּמִבֶּ֖טֶןὠδίνωνוּמֵהֵרָיֽוֹן׃συλλήμψεων

6 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q82a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

אפרים [כעוף] יתעופף [כבוד׳ם] [מלד׳ה] [ומבטן] [ומהריון]

nothing on the leather here — 2 partly restored, 5 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Hosea 9:11אֶפְרַ֫יִםEphraimEphraimאֶפְרַ֫יִםעוֹףlike birdlike birdעוֹףעוּףit will flyit will fly awaעוּףכָּבוֹדglory theirglory theirכָּבוֹדיָלַדfrom child from child bearיָלַדבֶּ֫טֶןand from woand from wombבֶּ֫טֶןהֵרָיוֹןand from coand from concepהֵרָיוֹןעוּףto flyto flyעוּףעוֹףbirdbirdעוֹףכָּבֵדto honor: to honor: honouכָּבֵדאֶפְרָ֫תָהEphrathEphrathאֶפְרָ֫תָההָרָהto conceivto conceiveהָרָהמְנַשֶּׁהMosesMosesמְנַשֶּׁההַרmountain: mountain: mountהַרבְּהֵמָהanimalanimalבְּהֵמָהשָׁמַיheavenheavenשָׁמַימְגִלָּהscrollscrollמְגִלָּהנֶשֶׁרeagleeagleנֶשֶׁרעֹ֫שֶׁרrichesrichesעֹ֫שֶׁרהָדָרglorygloryהָדָרשֶׁ֫לַחShelahShelahשֶׁ֫לַחפְּרִיfruitfruitפְּרִימֵעֶהbellybellyמֵעֶהרָבָהto multiplto multiplyרָבָהיָלַדto begetto begetיָלַד
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Hosea 9:11

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

Ephraim like bird it will fly away glory their from child bearing and from womb and from conception
אֶפְרַ֕יִם'ef.Ra.yim Ephraim H669 Noun proper masculine
180× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Ephraim means doubly fruitful, referring to Joseph's son and the tribe that descended from him. The tribe of Ephraim was a significant part of Israel's history. Ephraim is also the name of a region in the Bible.
Amplified meaning
doubly fruitful, prominent tribe
Tyndale gloss
Ephraim
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶפְרַ֫יִם (Ephrayim) refers to Ephraim, a son of Joseph and Asenath, and the tribe descended from him. The term signifies 'double fruit' and encompasses various meanings, including a geographical region, a chief gate of Jerusalem, and a reference to the northern kingdom. Notably, it appears in Genesis 41:52.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶפְרַ֫יִם n.pr.m. Ephraim

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H669 אֶפְרַ֫יִם Ephraim

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

669 'Ephrayim ef-rah'-yim

dual of masculine form of 672; double fruit; Ephrajim, a son

of Joseph; also the tribe descended from him, and its

territory:--Ephraim, Ephraimites.

see HEBREW for 0672

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶפְרַ֫יִם (eph.ra.yim) — Ephraim.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.41.52;

son of: Joseph (H3130) and Asenath (H0621);

brother of: Manasseh (H4519);

father of: Shuthelah (H7803), Becher (H1071H), Tahan (H8465), Ezer (H5827), Elead (H0496) and Beriah (H1283H); also called Ephrathite (NIV: Ephraimite) at 1Sa.1.1; Ephron (Qere, KJV: Ephrain) at 2Ch.13.19;

§ Ephraim = "double ash-heap: I shall be doubly fruitful"

1) second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh

2) the tribe, Ephraim

3) the mountain country of Ephraim

4) sometimes used name for the northern kingdom (Hosea or Isaiah)

5) a city near Baal-hazor

6) a chief gate of Jerusalem

אֶפְרַ֫יִם (eph.ra.yim) — Ephraim (Gate).

§ Ephraim = "double ash-heap: I shall be doubly fruitful"

a chief gate of Jerusalem

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Ephraim

Double fruitfulness (“for God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction”). The second son of Joseph, born in Egypt (Gen. 41:52; 46:20). The first incident recorded regarding him is his being placed, along with his brother Manasseh, before their grandfather, Jacob, that he might bless them (48:10; comp. 27:1). The intention of Joseph was that the right hand of the aged patriarch should be placed on the head of the elder of the two; but Jacob set Ephraim the younger before his brother, “guiding his hands wittingly.” Before Joseph’s death, Ephraim’s family had reached the third generation (Gen. 50:23).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

a city "in the district near the wilderness" to which our Lord retired with his disciples when threatened with violence by the priests. (John 11:54)

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The second son of Joseph, born in Egypt, Ge 41:52. Although the youngest, he yet had the chief blessing of his grandfather Jacob, and the tribe was always more distinguished than that of Manasseh, Ge 48:8-20 Nu 2:18-21. The portion of Ephraim was large and central, and embraced some of the most fertile land in all Canaan. It extended from the Mediterranean across to the Jordan, north of the portions of Dan and Benjamin and included Shiloh, Shechem, etc. A range of mountainous country, which runs through it, is called "the mountains of Ephraim," or "mount Ephraim." This extends also farther south into the portion of Judah, and is there called "the mountains of Judah." Samaria, the capital of the ten tribes, being in Ephraim…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

fruitful; increasing

Ephraim like bird it will fly away glory their from child bearing and from womb and from conception
כָּע֖וֹףka.'of like bird H5775 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
71× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word simply means a bird, like the ones that fly in the sky. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Psalms, often symbolizing freedom.
Amplified meaning
fowl, winged creature
Tyndale gloss
bird
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עוֹף (owph) refers to flying creatures, including birds and insects. It is derived from the root meaning to cover with wings, emphasizing the aspect of flight. The term encompasses various types of fowl and winged insects, and it is noted in the Aramaic as well. There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding its meaning.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עוֹף 70 n.m. coll. flying creatures, fowls, insects

fowl, birds

winged insects

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5775 עוֹף flying creatures, fowls, insects . fowl, birds

. winged insects

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5775 `owph ofe

from 5774; a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as

covering with wings), often collectively:--bird, that flieth,

flying, fowl.

see HEBREW for 05774

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עוֹף (oph) — bird.

1) flying creatures, fowl, insects, birds

1a) fowl, birds

1b) winged insects

Aramaic equivalent: oph (עוֹף "bird" H5776)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HRd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Bird

Birds are divided in the Mosaic law into two classes, (1) the clean (Lev. 1:14-17; 5:7-10; 14:4-7), which were offered in sacrifice; and (2) the unclean (Lev. 11:13-20). When offered in sacrifice, they were not divided as other victims were (Gen. 15:10). They are mentioned also as an article of food (Deut. 14:11). The art of snaring wild birds is referred to (Ps. 124:7; Prov. 1:17; 7:23; Jer. 5:27). Singing birds are mentioned in Ps. 104:12;

Ephraim like bird it will fly away glory their from child bearing and from womb and from conception
יִתְעוֹפֵ֣ףyit.'o.Fef it will fly away H5774 Verb · Hithpael · imperfect third person masculine singular
26× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word can mean flying or fainting, often due to darkness or gloom. It appears in books like Isaiah and Jeremiah, describing dramatic scenes.
Amplified meaning
disappear, vanish
Tyndale gloss
to fly
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עוּף (uwph) is a Hebrew verb primarily meaning 'to fly,' with various nuances including hovering and fleeing. It can also imply covering or dimness, as seen in the related noun תְּעֻפָה (teʾuphah), which refers to gloom. The word appears in different forms, such as Qal and Hiphil, indicating various actions related to flight.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עוּף vb. fly

Qal

fly, of birds

hover (protectingly)

fly away

Hiph. dost thou cause thine eyes to fly

Pō‛l.

fly about, to and fro

cause to fly to and fro, brandish

Hithpō‛l. like a bird their glory shall fly away

base

תְּעֻפָה n.f. id. [מוּעָף];—Jb 11:17

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5774a עוּף fly H5774b תְּעֻפָה n. f. id. [מוּעָף]

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5774 `uwph oof

a primitive root; to cover (with wings or obscurity); hence

(as denominative from 5775) 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 HEBREW for 05775

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עוּף (uph) — to fly.

v

1) to fly, fly about, fly away

1a)(Qal)

1a1) to fly, hover

1a2) to fly away

1b) (Hiphil) to cause to fly, light upon

1c) (Polel)

1c1) to fly about or to and fro

1c2) to cause to fly to and fro, brandish

1d) (Hithpolel) to fly away

2) (Qal) to cover, be dark

תְּעֻפָה (te.u.phah) — gloom.

gloom

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-r-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Hithpael · imperfect third person masculine singular
HVti3ms
Ephraim like bird it will fly away glory their from child bearing and from womb and from conception
כְּבוֹדָ֑םke.vo.Dam glory their H3519 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
200× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Glory refers to great honor or splendor, often used to describe God's majesty, as in Psalm 138:5 where David praises God's glorious name. It can also refer to wealth or abundance, like in Genesis 31:1 where Jacob's wealth is described.
Amplified meaning
great honor, splendor
Tyndale gloss
glory
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כָּבוֹד (kabowd) refers to concepts of abundance, honour, and glory. It encompasses external splendor, dignity of position, and reputation, as well as the inner nobility of a person. The term can denote both the weightiness of glory and the reverence due to someone. The entries consistently emphasize its positive connotations.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כָּבוֹד n.m. and f. abundance, honour, glory

abundance, riches

honour, splendor, glory, of external condition and circumstances

honour, dignity of position

honour, reputation, of character

my honour, poet. of the seat of honour in the inner man, the noblest part of man

honour, reverence, glory, as due to one or ascribed to one

glory as the object, of honour, reverence and glorifying

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3519 כָּבוֹד abundance, honour, glory . abundance, riches

. honour, splendor, glory, of external condition and circumstances

. honour, dignity of position

. honour, reputation, of character

. my honour, poet. of the seat of honour in the inner man, the noblest part of man

. honour, reverence, glory, as due to one or ascribed to one

. glory as the object, of honour, reverence and glorifying

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3519 kabowd kaw-bode'

rarely kabod {kaw-bode'}; from 3513; properly, weight, but

only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or

copiousness:--glorious(-ly), glory, honour(-able).

see HEBREW for 03513

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כָּבוֹד (ka.vod) — glory.

1) glory, honour, glorious, abundance

1a) abundance, riches

1b) honour, splendour, glory

1c) honour, dignity

1d) honour, reputation

1e) honour, reverence, glory

1f) glory

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-cs | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp3mp
Ephraim like bird it will fly away glory their from child bearing and from womb and from conception
מִלֵּדָ֥הmi.le.Dah from child bearing H3205 Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
496× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to give birth or beget a child, like when Eve gave birth to Cain in Genesis 4:1. It can also mean to help someone give birth, like a midwife. This word is used in many KJV translations, including Genesis and Isaiah.
Amplified meaning
no begetting, no offspring
Tyndale gloss
to beget
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word יָלַד (*yalad*) means to bear, bring forth, or beget, and it encompasses various forms of childbirth and lineage declaration. It can refer to both the act of giving birth and the role of a midwife. The entries also note its use in contexts of distress and wicked behavior, as well as in reference to birthdays.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָלַד 497 vb. bear, bring forth, beget

Qal

bear, bring forth

less often beget

of both parents

Niph. be born

Pi. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife

Pu. be born

Hiph.

beget (a father a child)

bear

Hoph. day of one's being born = birthday

Hithp. declared their pedigree

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3205 יָלַד bear, bring forth, beget .. bear, bring forth

. less often beget

. of both parents

. be born

. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife

. be born

. . beget (a father a child)

. bear

. day of one's being born = birthday

. declared their pedigree

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3205 yalad yaw-lad'

a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget;

medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show

lineage:--bear, beget, birth((-day)), born, (make to) bring

forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be

delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch,

labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be

the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָלַד (ya.lad) — to beget.

1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to bear, bring forth

1a1a) of child birth

1a1b) of distress (simile)

1a1c) of wicked (behaviour)

1a2) to beget

1b) (Niphal) to be born

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to cause or help to bring forth

1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife

1c3) midwife (participle)

1d) (Pual) to be born

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to beget (a child)

1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity)

1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive)

1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
HR/Ncfsa
Ephraim like bird it will fly away glory their from child bearing and from womb and from conception
וּמִבֶּ֖טֶןu.mi.Be.ten and from womb H990 Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
72× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word refers to the belly or womb, and is used to describe the seat of hunger, emotions, and even the depths of the afterlife. It is used in the Bible to describe the body and its functions. The KJV translates it as belly, body, or womb.
Amplified meaning
no conception, no womb
Tyndale gloss
belly: abdomen
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word בֶּ֫טֶן (*beten*) primarily means 'belly,' 'body,' or 'womb.' It is derived from a root suggesting hollowness and encompasses various uses, including the physical abdomen and metaphorical meanings, such as the seat of hunger or mental faculties. The lexicons consistently highlight these aspects without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בֶּ֫טֶן n.f. belly, body, womb

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H990 בֶּ֫טֶן belly, body, womb

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

990 beten beh'-ten

from an unused root probably meaning to be hollow; the belly,

especially the womb; also the bosom or body of anything:--

belly, body, + as they be born, + within, womb.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בֶּ֫טֶן (be.ten) — belly: abdomen.

: abdomen

1) belly, womb, body

1a) belly, abdomen

1a1) as seat of hunger

1a2) as seat of mental faculties

1a3) of depth of Sheol (fig.)

1b) womb

בֶּ֫טֶן (be.ten) — belly: womb.

: womb/pregnancy

1) belly, womb, body

1a) belly, abdomen

1a1) as seat of hunger

1a2) as seat of mental faculties

1a3) of depth of Sheol (fig.)

1b) womb

בֶּ֫טֶן (be.ten) — belly: hump.

: hump

1) belly, womb, body

1a) belly, abdomen

1a1) as seat of hunger

1a2) as seat of mental faculties

1a3) of depth of Sheol (fig.)

1b) womb

בֶּ֫טֶן (be.ten) — belly: body.

: body

1) belly, womb, body

1a) belly, abdomen

1a1) as seat of hunger

1a2) as seat of mental faculties

1a3) of depth of Sheol (fig.)

1b) womb

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Prep | N-fs — Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
HC/R/Ncfsa
Ephraim like bird it will fly away glory their from child bearing and from womb and from conception
וּמֵהֵרָיֽוֹן׃u.me.he.ra.Yon and from conception H2032 Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
3× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means conception or pregnancy, describing the physical process of a woman carrying a child. It appears in Psalm 139, where David praises God for creating him in his mother's womb. The KJV translates it as 'conception'.
Amplified meaning
no childbearing, no fruitfulness
Tyndale gloss
conception
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הֵרָיוֹן (herayon) refers to conception or pregnancy. It is derived from the root word for 'to conceive' and is consistently defined across entries as relating to the state of being pregnant or the act of conception.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הֵרָיוֹן n.[m.] conception, pregnancy

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2032 הֵרָיוֹן conception, pregnancy

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2032 herown hay-rone'

or herayown {hay-raw-yone'}; from 2029;

pregnancy:--conception.

see HEBREW for 02029

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הֵרָיוֹן (he.ron) — conception.

physical conception, pregnancy, conception

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Prep | N-ms — Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HC/R/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Nave's Topical Bible

→ MIRACULOUS

By Sarah Ge 21:1,2

Rebekah Ge 25:21

Rachel Ge 30:22

Manoah's wife Jud 13:3-24

Hannah 1Sa 1:19,20

Elisabeth Lu 1:24,25,36,37,58

Mary Mt 1:18,20; Lu 1:31-35

Thompson Chain Reference topics

of children

Ge 21:2; 25:21; 30:23; Jud 13:5; 1Sa 1:20; Mt 1:18; Lu 1:24

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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