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UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew

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ספר

Strong’s: H5608a

Associated OET lemmas: סָפַר · סֹפֵר

Notes: Passage: OET JOB 38:37
DCH proposes two additional possible senses: (1) disperse and (2) beautify

Authors: Steve Berneking

Form 1

Part of speech: vb

Related lemmas: מִסְפָּר · סֹופֵר · סְפָר · סֵפֶר · סְפֹרָה · סִפְרָה

Sense 1: to number, to count

Semantic domains: Measure (002004002009)

Definition: = action with which one determines or estimates the number of a collection of persons or objects

Forms: vbqal-; vbnif-; vbpiel

Show passage in OET: GEN 15:5

OET-RV GEN 15:5

5 Then Yahweh took Avram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and see if you can count the stars.” Then he said to him, “Your descendants will be like that.”

OET-LV GEN 15:5

5 And_he _brought _out DOM_him/it to_the_outside and_he/it _said look please to_the_heavens and_count the_stars if you _are _able to_count DOM_them and_he/it _said to_him/it thus it _will _be offspring _of_your.

Show passage in OET: GEN 16:10

OET-RV GEN 16:10

10 then added, “I’ll give you so many descendants that they won’t even be able to be counted because there’ll be so many.”

OET-LV GEN 16:10

10 And_he/it _said to/for_her/it the _messenger _of YHWH greatly _(increase) I _will _increase DOM offspring _of_your and_not it _will _be _counted from_multitude.

Jump to OET GEN 15:5 section.

Jump to OET GEN 16:10 section.

All 21 recorded passages for this sense

GEN: OET GEN 15:5 · OET GEN 16:10 · OET GEN 32:12 · OET GEN 41:49

SA2: OET SA2 24:10

KI1: OET KI1 3:8 · OET KI1 8:5

CH1: OET CH1 21:2 · OET CH1 23:3

CH2: OET CH2 2:17 · OET CH2 5:6

EZR: OET EZR 1:8

JOB: OET JOB 38:37 · OET JOB 39:2

PSA: OET PSA 22:17 · OET PSA 48:12 · OET PSA 139:18

ISA: OET ISA 22:10 · OET ISA 33:18

JER: OET JER 33:22

HOS: OET HOS 1:10

Sense 2: to take a census

Semantic domains: Measure (002004002009)

Definition: literally: to count a census; hence: = action by which humans in authority organize an official count or a numbering of persons

Forms: vbqal-

Collocations: ספר סְפָר

Show passage in OET: CH2 2:16

OET-RV CH2 2:17

17 Shelomoh (Solomon) had all the foreign men living in Yisrael (Israel) counted (similar to what his father David had done), and it came to 153,600.

OET-LV CH2 2:16

16  And_ Shəlomoh/(Solomon) _he _counted all _of the_people the_sojourners who in_land of _Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) after the_census which he_had _counted _them Dāvid his/its_father and_ one _hundred and_fifty thousand and_three _of thousand(s) and_six hundred(s) _they _were _found.

Jump to OET CH2 2:17 section.

Sense 3: to note well

Semantic domains: Know (002004002007)

Definition: literally: to count; hence: = action by which a deity is well aware of a certain event

Forms: vbqal-

Show passage in OET: PSA 56:9

OET-RV PSA 56:8

8 You keep track of my wanderings
⇔ and put my tears into your bottle.
⇔ Aren’t they recorded in your book?

OET-LV PSA 56:9

9  Wandering _of_my you _have _taken _account _of you put tear[s]_of_my in_skin-bottle _of_your not is_it_of_in _your _scroll.

Jump to OET PSA 56:8 section.

Sense 4: to count off

Semantic domains: Non-Engage (002003003011)

Definition: literally: to count; hence: = action by which humans defer action until a certain time has passed

Forms: vbqal-

Show passage in OET: LEV 15:13

OET-RV LEV 15:13

13 When the man’s discharge ceases, he must mark off seven days for his purification, and then he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and after that, he’ll be ‘clean’.

OET-LV LEV 15:13

13 And_because/when the_one_discharging from_discharge _of_his he _will _be _pure and_he _will _count to_him/it seven _of days for_purification _of_his and_he _will _wash garments _of_his and_he _will _wash body _of_his with_water living and_he _will _be _pure.

Show passage in OET: LEV 15:28

OET-RV LEV 15:28

28 Once the flow stops, then the woman must count off seven days, and then she’ll be ‘clean’ after that.

OET-LV LEV 15:28

28 And_if she _has _become _pure from_discharge _of_her and_she _will _count for_herself seven _of days and_after she _will _be _pure.

Jump to OET LEV 15:13 section.

Jump to OET LEV 15:28 section.

All 7 recorded passages for this sense

LEV: OET LEV 15:13 · OET LEV 15:28 · OET LEV 23:15–16 · OET LEV 25:8

DEU: OET DEU 16:9

EZE: OET EZE 44:26

Sense 5: to assign

Semantic domains: Role (002002002008)

Definition: literally: to count out; hence: = causative action by which humans assign a certain task to a specific number of people

Forms: vbqal-

Show passage in OET: CH2 2:1

OET-RV CH2 2:2

2 so he conscripted seventy thousand men as porters, eighty thousand as stone-cutters in the hillside quarries, and 3,600 supervisors.

OET-LV CH2 2:1

2  And_ Shəlomoh/(Solomon) _he _counted seventy thousand man burden-bearer[s] and_eighty thousand man stonemason[s] in_country and_overseers over_them three _of thousand(s) and_six hundred(s).

Jump to OET CH2 2:2 section.

Sense 6: to keep a close watch

Semantic domains: See (002004001005)

Definition: literally: to count (someone's) steps; hence: = action by which deities keep track of everything someone does

Forms: vbqal-

Collocations: ספר צְעָדִים

Show passage in OET: JOB 14:16

OET-RV JOB 14:16

16 Now you’ll count my steps.
⇔ You won’t keep watch on my sins.

OET-LV JOB 14:16

16 If/because now steps _of_my you _will _count not you _will _watch over sin _of_my.

Show passage in OET: JOB 31:4

OET-RV JOB 31:4

4 Doesn’t God see my ways,
⇔ ≈ and count all my steps?

OET-LV JOB 31:4

4 Not he does _he _see ways _of_my and_all steps _of_my does _he _count.

Jump to OET JOB 14:16 section.

Jump to OET JOB 31:4 section.

Sense 7: to tell, to recount, to proclaim, to declare

Semantic domains: Speak (002004001009008)

Definition: = action by which humans communicate verbally to others about an event or situation, with focus on the contents rather than on the speech act

Forms: vbpiel

Show passage in OET: GEN 24:66

OET-RV GEN 24:66

66 Then the slave reported everything that he’d done to Yitshak.

OET-LV GEN 24:66

66 And_ the_servant _he _recounted to_Yiʦḩāq DOM all _of the_things which he _had _done.

Show passage in OET: GEN 29:13

OET-RV GEN 29:13

13 and when Lavan heard the news about his sister’s son Ya’akov, he ran out to meet him. Then he embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Then Ya’akov told Lavan everything that had happened up until then,

OET-LV GEN 29:13

13 And_he/it _was just_ Lāⱱān _as _heard DOM the _report _of Yaˊₐqoⱱ the _son _of his _sister _of_his and_he _ran to_meet_him and_he _embraced to_him/it and_he _kissed to_him/it and_he_brought _him to house _of_his and_he _recounted to_Lāⱱān DOM all _of the_things the_these.

Jump to OET GEN 24:66 section.

Jump to OET GEN 29:13 section.

All 70 recorded passages for this sense

GEN: OET GEN 24:66 · OET GEN 29:13 · OET GEN 37:9–10 · OET GEN 40:8–9 · OET GEN 41:8 · OET GEN 41:12

EXO: OET EXO 9:16 · OET EXO 10:2 · OET EXO 18:8 · OET EXO 24:3

NUM: OET NUM 13:27

JOS: OET JOS 2:23

JDG: OET JDG 6:13 · OET JDG 7:13

SA1: OET SA1 11:5

KI1: OET KI1 13:11

KI2: OET KI2 8:4–6

CH1: OET CH1 16:24

EST: OET EST 5:11 · OET EST 6:13

JOB: OET JOB 12:8 · OET JOB 15:17 · OET JOB 28:27 · OET JOB 37:20

PSA: OET PSA 2:7 · OET PSA 9:1 · OET PSA 9:14 · OET PSA 19:1 · OET PSA 22:22 · OET PSA 22:30 · OET PSA 26:7 · OET PSA 40:5 · OET PSA 44:1 · OET PSA 48:13 · OET PSA 50:16 · OET PSA 59:12 · OET PSA 64:5 · OET PSA 66:16 · OET PSA 69:26 · OET PSA 71:15 · OET PSA 73:15 · OET PSA 73:28 · OET PSA 75:1 · OET PSA 78:3–4 · OET PSA 78:6 · OET PSA 79:13 · OET PSA 87:6 · OET PSA 88:11 · OET PSA 96:3 · OET PSA 102:21 · OET PSA 107:22 · OET PSA 118:17 · OET PSA 119:13 · OET PSA 119:26 · OET PSA 145:6

ISA: OET ISA 43:21 · OET ISA 43:26 · OET ISA 52:15

JER: OET JER 23:27–28 · OET JER 23:32 · OET JER 51:10

EZE: OET EZE 12:16

JOL: OET JOL 1:3

HAB: OET HAB 1:5

Sense 8: scribe

Definition: see סֹופֵר

Show passage in OET: EZR 7:11

OET-RV EZR 7:11

11 King Artahshashta (Artaxerxes) had given a letter for Ezra the priest and scribe and expert in Yahweh’s commands and instructions to take with him, saying:

OET-LV EZR 7:11

11 And_this is_(the)_copy _of the _letter which the_king ʼArtaḩshashtāʼ he _gave to_ˊEzrāʼ the_priest/officer the_scribe the _scribe _of the _matters _of the _commands _of YHWH and_regulations _of_his on Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel).

Jump to OET EZR 7:11 section.