Quick Definition
lips
Strong's Definition
the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.)
Derivation: or (in dual and plural) שֶׂפֶת; probably from H5595 (סָפָה) or H8192 (שָׁפָה) through the idea of termination (compare H5490 (סוֹף));
KJV Usage: band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, (sea-)shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.
TWOT Reference: 2278a
Outline of Biblical Usage
Septuagint (LXX) Greek Equivalents
This Hebrew word is translated by the following Greek words in the Septuagint:
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Hebrew Lexicon
שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lips. : lips/mouth 1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding 1a) lip (as body part) 1b) language 1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)
שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: words. : words/language 1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding 1a) lip (as body part) 1b) language 1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)
שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: edge. : edge/border/opening 1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding 1a) lip (as body part) 1b) language 1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)
שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: shore. : shore/bank(of_sea/river) 1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding 1a) lip (as body part) 1b) language 1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)
שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: language. : language 1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding 1a) lip (as body part) 1b) language 1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)
UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew
noun f · שָׂפָם
People
lip = either of the two fleshy ridges forming the opening of the mouth, ► playing an important role in the speech and communication processes; ≈ sometimes used metonymically to denote the entire mouth or the activities performed with the lips, such as speech and language
1SA 1:13 · PRO 24:26 · SNG 4:3 · SNG 4:11 · SNG 5:13 · SNG 7:10 · ISA 6:7 · ISA 11:4 · DAN 10:16 · HAB 3:16
mouth literally: lips, used metonymically to denote the entire mouth; hence: = the opening in the lower part of the face of animals where one places the bit in order to control them
Stance | verb hif
Collocation: פטר בְּשָׁפָה
to curl (one's) lips (to mock) exact meaning unknown; literally: to open with the lip; hence: = action by which humans are curling their lips ► as a mocking gesture
Stance | verb qal
Collocation: קרץ שָׂפָה
to purse one's lips = causative action by which humans press their lips together, ≈ which is associated with evil intent
Speak
speech, words, talk, utterance lips, as a metonym for the speech that the lips help to form; hence: = words that people speak
EXO 6:12 · EXO 6:30 · LEV 5:4 · NUM 30:7 · NUM 30:9 · NUM 30:13 · DEU 23:24 · 2KI 18:20 · JOB 2:10 · JOB 8:21 · JOB 11:2 · JOB 11:5 · JOB 12:20 · JOB 13:6 · JOB 15:6 · JOB 16:5 · JOB 23:12 · JOB 27:4 · JOB 32:20 · JOB 33:3 · PSA 12:3 · PSA 12:4 · PSA 12:5 · PSA 16:4 · PSA 17:1 · PSA 17:4 · PSA 21:3 · PSA 31:19 · PSA 34:14 · PSA 40:10 · PSA 45:3 · PSA 51:17 · PSA 59:8 · PSA 59:13 · PSA 63:4 · PSA 63:6 · PSA 66:14 · PSA 71:23 · PSA 81:6 · PSA 89:35 · PSA 106:33 · PSA 119:13 · PSA 119:171 · PSA 120:2 · PSA 140:4 · PSA 140:10 · PSA 141:3 · PRO 4:24 · PRO 5:2 · PRO 5:3 · PRO 7:21 · PRO 8:6 · PRO 8:7 · PRO 10:8 · PRO 10:10 · PRO 10:13 · PRO 10:18 · PRO 10:19 · PRO 10:21 · PRO 10:32 · PRO 12:13 · PRO 12:19 · PRO 12:22 · PRO 13:3 · PRO 14:3 · PRO 14:7 · PRO 14:23 · PRO 15:7 · PRO 16:10 · PRO 16:13 · PRO 16:21 · PRO 16:23 · PRO 16:27 · PRO 17:4 · PRO 17:7 · PRO 17:7 · PRO 17:28 · PRO 18:6 · PRO 18:7 · PRO 18:20 · PRO 19:1 · PRO 20:15 · PRO 20:19 · PRO 22:11 · PRO 22:18 · PRO 23:16 · PRO 24:2 · PRO 24:28 · PRO 26:23 · PRO 26:24 · PRO 27:2 · ECC 10:12 · ISA 6:5 · ISA 6:5 · ISA 29:13 · ISA 30:27 · ISA 36:5 · ISA 57:19 · ISA 59:3 · JER 17:16 · LAM 3:62 · EZK 36:3 · HOS 14:3 · ZEP 3:9 · MAL 2:6 · MAL 2:7
Speak | ≈ דָּבָר · לָשֹׁון
language literally: lip; hence: = a system of verbal (an sometimes written) communication used by a community, ethnic group, or nation
GEN 11:1 · GEN 11:6 · GEN 11:7 · GEN 11:7 · GEN 11:9 · PSA 81:6 · ISA 19:18 · ISA 28:11 · ISA 33:19 · EZK 3:5 · EZK 3:6
edge, shore, rim, bank, outskirts literally: lip; hence: = the upper of outer edge of an object or area
GEN 22:17 · GEN 41:3 · GEN 41:17 · EXO 2:3 · EXO 7:15 · EXO 14:30 · EXO 26:4 · EXO 26:4 · EXO 26:10 · EXO 26:10 · EXO 28:26 · EXO 28:32 · EXO 36:11 · EXO 36:11 · EXO 36:17 · EXO 36:17 · EXO 39:19 · EXO 39:23 · DEU 2:36 · DEU 4:48 · JOS 11:4 · JOS 12:2 · JOS 13:9 · JOS 13:16 · JDG 7:12 · JDG 7:22 · 1SA 13:5 · 1KI 5:9 · 1KI 7:23 · 1KI 7:23 · 1KI 7:24 · 1KI 7:26 · 1KI 7:26 · 1KI 9:26 · 2KI 2:13 · 2CH 4:2 · 2CH 4:2 · 2CH 4:5 · 2CH 4:5 · 2CH 8:17 · EZK 43:13 · EZK 47:6 · EZK 47:7 · EZK 47:12 · DAN 12:5 · DAN 12:5
1 PSA 81:6 RSV NJB NRSV REB GNT "voice" = [1e] | NIV NJPS ESV "language" = [1f] 2 PRO 26:24 MT-K שׂפתו | MT-Q שְׂפָתָיו
UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon
שָׂפָה 176 n.f. lip, speech, edge lip
language
edge: shore of sea; bank of river
base