1614. gophrith
Lexical Summary
gophrith: Brimstone, Sulfur

Original Word: גָּפְרִית
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: gophriyth
Pronunciation: gof-reet'
Phonetic Spelling: (gof-reeth')
KJV: brimstone
NASB: brimstone
Word Origin: [probably feminine of H1613 (גּוֹפֶר - gopher)]

1. (properly) cypress- resin
2. by analogy, sulphur (as equally inflammable)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
brimstone

Probably feminine of gopher; properly, cypress- resin; by analogy, sulphur (as equally inflammable) -- brimstone.

see HEBREW gopher

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as gopher
Definition
brimstone
NASB Translation
brimstone (7).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
גָּפְרִית noun feminine brimstone (Aramaic גּוּפְרִיתָא, also כבריתא, כובריתא, , ; Arabic (certainly foreign word); derived from (כֹּפֶר), גֹּפֶר by Thes Rob-Ges, compare Di Genesis 6:14; i.e. pitch, and then other combustibles, especially sulphur; Lagl.c. thinks from Bactrian vohûkereti) — גָּפְרִית Genesis 19:24 6t. — brimstone, after הִמְטִיר Genesis 19:24 (J), figurative of judgment Psalm 11:6; Ezekiel 38:22 (in all "" אֵשׁ etc.), compare also Job 18:15; Isaiah 34:9, & Deuteronomy 29:22; ׳נַחַל ג simile for the destroying breath of ׳י Isaiah 30:33.

גֵּר see below I. גור.

גִּר see below גיר.

Topical Lexicon
Material and Cultural Background

Gophrith refers to naturally occurring sulfur, a yellow, pungent mineral common around the Dead Sea Rift and other volcanic regions of the Ancient Near East. Easily ignited and burning with a blue flame that releases choking fumes, sulfur was known in antiquity for fumigation, bleaching, and medicine, but Scripture consistently employs it as a metaphor and instrument of divine wrath.

Instrument of Judgment in Narrative History

Genesis 19:24 records the dramatic inaugural appearance: “Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.” The combination of sulfur’s combustibility and fire underscores a judgment that is both sudden and thorough. Archaeological surveys along the southeastern Dead Sea reveal asphalt, bitumen, and sulfur nodules, allowing modern readers to appreciate the literal plausibility of the event and reinforcing its historicity.

Covenant Warning and National Memory

Deuteronomy 29:23 places brimstone within the covenantal framework: the land of Israel, if unfaithful, could resemble “a burning waste of salt and sulfur, nothing planted, nothing sprouting.” The reference leverages the vivid memory of Sodom to reinforce the curses of the covenant, showing that the God who judges nations also preserves the moral order for His people.

Wisdom Literature and Personal Accountability

Job 18:15 links sulfur to the fate of the wicked individual: “Sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.” The verse personalizes divine retribution, reminding readers that covenant warnings apply at the individual level. Sulfur is not merely cosmic; it reaches private spaces, consuming the ungodly house.

Psalms: Present Assurance for the Righteous

In Psalm 11:6 David trusts that God “will rain down fiery coals and sulfur on the wicked; scorching wind will be their portion.” The psalm contrasts the security of those who take refuge in the LORD with the certain doom awaiting the wicked. Sulfur therefore becomes a pastoral comfort: justice will ultimately prevail.

Prophetic Foreshadowing of Final Judgment

Isaiah 30:33 depicts Topheth—traditionally the valley where idolatrous sacrifices occurred—prepared “with a fire made ready with plenty of wood; the breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.” Isaiah 34:9 then expands the image to national desolation: “Edom’s streams will be turned to pitch, her dust to sulfur.” The prophets treat sulfur as a preview of eschatological cleansing: present judgments anticipate the final day when all opposition to God will be consumed.

Ezekiel’s Eschatological Conflagration

Ezekiel 38:22 envisions a future assault on Israel in which the LORD intervenes with “torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur.” The inclusion of sulfur situates the victory within the same moral universe as Sodom, Deuteronomy’s curses, and Isaiah’s oracles. God’s covenant faithfulness requires Him to defend His people and judge their enemies.

Old Testament to New Testament Continuity

Although gophrith occurs only in the Hebrew canon, the motif continues in Revelation, where “the lake of fire and sulfur” becomes the ultimate destination for Satan, the beast, and the unrepentant (Revelation 20:10, 21:8). This seamless progression affirms the unity of Scripture: temporal judgments teach and foreshadow final realities.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Holiness: Sulfur’s purging flames symbolize God’s intolerance of sin.
2. Retributive Justice: Judgments featuring brimstone are never arbitrary; they answer persistent rebellion.
3. Covenant Fidelity: Blessing and curse are two sides of God’s loyalty to His own word.
4. Eschatological Certainty: Historical acts of brimstone assure believers that ultimate judgment and renewal are coming.

Ministry and Pastoral Application

• Proclamation: Preaching on sulfur texts calls for earnest warnings against sin and invitations to repentance through Christ, who bore the curse that sinners deserve.
• Counseling: For the oppressed, assurances of divine justice—illustrated by sulfur’s consuming fire—provide hope that evil will not prevail.
• Discipleship: Brimstone narratives nurture holy fear, prompting believers to pursue sanctification and to intercede for a perishing world.

Summary

Gophrith stands as a potent biblical symbol of God’s fiery judgment, from Sodom’s fall to the prophetic and apocalyptic horizon. Its seven Old Testament appearances weave a consistent message: the LORD is righteous, He judges wickedness decisively, and He safeguards His covenant purposes, inviting all to seek refuge in His mercy before the moment of consuming fire arrives.

Forms and Transliterations
גָּפְרִ֔ית גָּפְרִ֣ית גָפְרִֽית׃ גפרית גפרית׃ וְ֭גָפְרִית וְגָפְרִ֗ית וגפרית לְגָפְרִ֑ית לגפרית gā·p̄ə·rîṯ ḡā·p̄ə·rîṯ gafeRit gāp̄ərîṯ ḡāp̄ərîṯ lə·ḡā·p̄ə·rîṯ legafeRit ləḡāp̄ərîṯ Vegaferit wə·ḡā·p̄ə·rîṯ wəḡāp̄ərîṯ
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 19:24
HEB: וְעַל־ עֲמֹרָ֖ה גָּפְרִ֣ית וָאֵ֑שׁ מֵאֵ֥ת
NAS: and Gomorrah brimstone and fire
KJV: and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire
INT: and and Gomorrah brimstone and fire the LORD

Deuteronomy 29:23
HEB: גָּפְרִ֣ית וָמֶלַח֮ שְׂרֵפָ֣ה
NAS: its land is brimstone and salt,
KJV: [And that] the whole land thereof [is] brimstone, and salt,
INT: is brimstone and salt A burning

Job 18:15
HEB: עַל־ נָוֵ֣הוּ גָפְרִֽית׃
NAS: nothing of his; Brimstone is scattered
KJV: because [it is] none of his: brimstone shall be scattered
INT: on his habitation of his Brimstone

Psalm 11:6
HEB: פַּ֫חִ֥ים אֵ֣שׁ וְ֭גָפְרִית וְר֥וּחַ זִלְעָפ֗וֹת
NAS: Fire and brimstone and burning
KJV: fire and brimstone, and an horrible
INT: snares Fire and brimstone wind and burning

Isaiah 30:33
HEB: יְהוָה֙ כְּנַ֣חַל גָּפְרִ֔ית בֹּעֲרָ֖ה בָּֽהּ׃
NAS: like a torrent of brimstone, sets it afire.
KJV: like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle
INT: of the LORD A torrent of brimstone sets

Isaiah 34:9
HEB: לְזֶ֔פֶת וַעֲפָרָ֖הּ לְגָפְרִ֑ית וְהָיְתָ֣ה אַרְצָ֔הּ
NAS: And its loose earth into brimstone, And its land
KJV: and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land
INT: pitch loose brimstone will become land

Ezekiel 38:22
HEB: אֶלְגָּבִ֜ישׁ אֵ֣שׁ וְגָפְרִ֗ית אַמְטִ֤יר עָלָיו֙
NAS: with hailstones, fire and brimstone.
KJV: fire, and brimstone.
INT: great hail fire and brimstone will rain and

7 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1614
7 Occurrences


gā·p̄ə·rîṯ — 4 Occ.
lə·ḡā·p̄ə·rîṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·ḡā·p̄ə·rîṯ — 2 Occ.

1613
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