Lexical Summary haphekah: Overthrow, Overturning, Destruction Original Word: הֲפֵכָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance overthrow Feminine of hephek; destruction -- overthrow. see HEBREW hephek NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfem. of hephek Definition an overthrow NASB Translation overthrow (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs הֲפֵכָה noun feminine overthrow (compare especially Assyrian abiktu DlW), of the cities (of the plain) Genesis 19:29; compare [מַהְמֵּכָה] and הָפַךְ 1b. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Concept The term depicts a total, sudden, and divinely wrought reversal. It describes not merely damage but an annihilating overturn that leaves no possibility of recovery. The single Old Testament occurrence applies this idea to the fate of Sodom and its sister cities. Biblical Context: The Overthrow of the Cities of the Plain Genesis 19 records a two-stage mercy: first, angelic warning; second, physical deliverance. Verse 29 states, “So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that destroyed the cities where Lot had lived.” Divine Judgment and Covenant Faithfulness 1. Moral accountability: The overthrow validates that unchecked evil meets decisive judgment (compare Romans 1:26–27). Old Testament Echoes of Sodom’s Overthrow Though the specific noun appears only once, prophets repeatedly invoke the event to warn later generations: These texts treat the overthrow as a historical benchmark for comprehensive ruin, underscoring that God’s standards do not shift with time. New Testament Reflections • Luke 17:28–30 sets Sodom’s day of judgment alongside Noah’s flood as a pattern for Christ’s return. Theological Themes Judgment: The word portrays the finality of divine wrath. Grace: The same passage that records ruin also records rescue, revealing mercy operating within justice. Memory: “He remembered Abraham” links personal relationship to historical events, demonstrating that God’s promises govern His acts in time. Typology: The cities’ doom foreshadows the ultimate overthrow of the present world order (2 Peter 3:7–12) and heightens the urgency of repentance. Ministry Implications • Preaching: Present the overthrow as a solemn reminder that sin invites real, irreversible judgment. Forms and Transliterations הַהֲפֵכָ֔ה ההפכה ha·hă·p̄ê·ḵāh hahafeChah hahăp̄êḵāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 19:29 HEB: לוֹט֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַהֲפֵכָ֔ה בַּהֲפֹךְ֙ אֶת־ NAS: out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew KJV: out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew INT: Lot of the midst of the overthrow overthrew the cities 1 Occurrence |
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