Lexical Summary hephek: Change, transformation, overturning Original Word: הֶפֶךְ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance contrary : or hephek {hay'-fek}; from haphak; a turn, i.e. The reverse -- contrary. see HEBREW haphak NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom haphak Definition the contrary, contrariness, perversity NASB Translation different (2), turn things around (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs הֶ֫פֶךְ noun masculine the contrary, contrariness, perversity; — absolute ׳ה Ezekiel 16:34; הֶ֑פֶךְ Ezekiel 16:34; suffix הַפְכְּכֶם Isaiah 29:16 (see Baer); — 1 the contrary, opposite thing וַיְהִיבָֿךְ הֶפֶךְ מִןהַֿנָּשִׁים Ezekiel 16:34 & there hath occurred in thee the contrary from other women; Ezekiel 16:34 וַתְּהִי לְהֶ֑פֶךְ so thou hast become the contrary. 2 הַפְכְּכֶם Isaiah 29:16 Oh, your perversity ! Topical Lexicon Overview הֶפֶךְ (héphekh) conveys the idea of reversal, inversion, or doing the very opposite of what is expected. While the cognate verbs and nouns describing “overthrow” or “turning” occur frequently, this particular noun appears only in Ezekiel 16:34 (twice in the verse), sharpening the prophetic indictment against Jerusalem by highlighting her behavior as the complete reversal of covenant faithfulness. Canonical Setting and Usage Ezekiel 16 employs marriage imagery to portray the Lord’s covenant with Jerusalem. In verse 34 the prophet declares: “So your prostitution is the opposite of that of other women; no one solicited you to prostitute yourself, and you paid instead of being paid. Therefore you are the opposite.” (Ezekiel 16:34) Here הֶפֶךְ frames Jerusalem’s sin as a radical inversion of moral order: rather than receiving payment like a conventional prostitute, she pays others to join in her spiritual adultery. The repetition of the word within the same verse intensifies the accusation—it is inversion squared, the “opposite” of the “opposite.” Literary and Historical Background 1. Eighth- to sixth-century prophetic literature often casts Israel’s idolatry in marital terms (Hosea 2; Jeremiah 3). Ezekiel 16 expands the motif: Jerusalem’s alliances with surrounding nations, her adoption of their gods, and her trust in their military strength are metaphorically depicted as gross immorality. Theological Significance • Reversal of Created Order: Scripture consistently presents sin as a distortion of what God pronounced “very good.” By labeling Judah’s apostasy הֶפֶךְ, Ezekiel shows that sin is not a minor deviation but an inversion of divine design. Connections with Related Biblical Themes • “Turning” and Repentance: The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv, “turn/return”) dominates calls to repentance (Isaiah 55:7). הֶפֶךְ highlights how badly the people need to “turn back,” because they have “turned over” everything. Implications for Preaching and Teaching • Expose Inversion: When believers accommodate cultural idols, they may end up financing their own spiritual decline. Ezekiel 16:34 warns that paying out instead of being paid back is a sign of disastrous inversion. Conclusion Though it surfaces only once (twice in the same line), הֶפֶךְ serves as a powerful prophetic spotlight, exposing the shocking nature of covenant treachery and pointing forward to God’s redemptive reversal. By grasping its force, readers discern both the gravity of sin and the magnitude of the grace that restores what sin has overturned. Forms and Transliterations הֵ֤פֶךְ הפך לְהֶֽפֶךְ׃ להפך׃ hê·p̄eḵ Hefech hêp̄eḵ lə·he·p̄eḵ leHefech ləhep̄eḵLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 16:34 HEB: וַיְהִי־ בָ֨ךְ הֵ֤פֶךְ מִן־ הַנָּשִׁים֙ NAS: Thus you are different from those women KJV: And the contrary is in thee from [other] women INT: art are different those women Ezekiel 16:34 2 Occurrences |
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