2645. chaphah

Lexical Summary

chaphah: To cover, to overlay

Original Word: חָפָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chaphah
Pronunciation: khaw-faw'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-faw')
KJV: ceil, cover, overlay
NASB: covered, overlaid, cover
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to cover
2. (by implication) to veil, to encase, protect

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

ceil, cover, overlay

A primitive root (compare chapha', chophaph); to cover; by implication, to veil, to encase, protect -- ceil, cover, overlay.

see HEBREW chapha'

see HEBREW chophaph

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to cover
NASB Translation
cover (1), covered (6), overlaid (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[חָפָה] verb cover (Late Hebrew id., especially Pi`el; Aramaic חֲפָא, (especially Pa`el); Arabic be hidden, hide) —

Qal Perfect חָפוּ 2 Samuel 15:30 3t.; Participle חָפוּי 2 Samuel 15:30; construct חֲפוּי Esther 6:12; — cover the head (ראֹשׁ), in token of grief 2 Samuel 15:30; Jeremiah 14:3,4; participle agrees with ׳ר 2 Samuel 15:30; חֲפוּי ראֹשׁ "" (אָבֵלׅ Esther 6:12; in token of sentence of death Esther 7:8.

Niph`al Participle feminine נֶחְמָּה Psalm 68:13 (׳כנפי יונה נ), with בְּ of material.

Pi`el Perfect (late) חִמָּה2Che Psalm 3:8; Psalm 3:9; Imperfect וַיְחַף2Chronicles 3:7; suffix וַיְחַמֵּהוּ2Chronicles 3:5,8; overlay followed by 2 accusative (one of material) 2 Chronicles 3:5 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 3:7,8,9.

I. חֻמָּה II. חֻמָּה see below חפף. below

Topical Lexicon

Semantic Range and Symbolism

חָפָה paints a vivid picture of covering—whether with gold leaf, fabric, or hands of shame. Its twelve canonical appearances oscillate between two poles: glorious embellishment and sorrowful concealment. In every setting the action of covering points to an underlying spiritual reality: what is covered is either being honored or humbled.

Craftsmanship in the Solomonic Temple

2 Chronicles repeatedly deploys the verb to describe Solomon’s gilding of the temple interior (2 Chronicles 3:5, 3:7–9). Panels, beams, walls, doors, even nails are “overlaid with gold,” turning cedar and pine into a sanctuary where earthly materials disappear beneath a radiant veneer. This covering signals both protection of the wood and proclamation of holiness; everything in the house of God must reflect His glory. The cumulative force of five occurrences in one chapter underscores the theological weight: divine glory covers human workmanship, foreshadowing the believer’s ultimate covering in the righteousness of Christ.

Lamentation, Shame, and Repentance

A contrasting cluster shows men hiding their disgraced heads.

• David, fleeing Absalom, ascends the Mount of Olives “with his head covered and his feet bare” (2 Samuel 15:30). The action externalizes repentance and anticipates the greater Son of David who would tread the same mount in redemptive sorrow.

• In Jeremiah’s drought oracle, nobles and farmers alike “cover their heads” (Jeremiah 14:3–4), admitting helplessness before covenant judgment.

• Haman twice appears with a veiled face—once self–imposed in humiliation (Esther 6:12), once imposed by royal guards at his final disgrace (Esther 7:8). Each veil marks a step toward irrevocable judgment.

Here covering is not ornamental; it is a visual confession that sin strips dignity unless divine mercy intervenes.

Poetic Splendor and Divine Provision

Psalm 68:13 fuses both aspects—shame turned to splendor: “Even as you sleep among the sheepfolds, the wings of the dove are sheathed with silver, and her feathers with shimmering gold.” The same verb that veils the head in sorrow now adorns the dove’s wings, portraying Israel transformed from vulnerability in the wilderness to radiant triumph by God’s hand.

Judgment and National Distress

Jeremiah 14 binds חָפָה to covenant curses: cracked ground, empty cisterns, bowed heads. Covering here is a desperate attempt to hide from the public exposure of judgment. Yet the implied remedy is another kind of covering—atonement provided by the Lord Himself.

Theology of Divine Covering

1. Glory: Gold–overlay scenes teach that true worship demands more than structural beauty; it requires a God–given covering that elevates ordinary materials into holy vessels.
2. Humility: Mourning scenes exhort believers to bow their heads under God’s mighty hand, trusting Him to lift them up in due time.
3. Atonement: From the garments of Eden to the mercy seat, Scripture threads a consistent theme—humanity’s need to be covered by a provision not its own. חָפָה contributes to this trajectory, culminating at the cross where shame is exchanged for righteousness.

Ministry Reflections

• Worship leaders may draw from Solomon’s gilded temple to pursue excellence that magnifies, not distracts from, God’s glory.
• Pastoral care finds precedent in David and Jeremiah: encouraging penitence expressed outwardly can open hearts for inward renewal.
• Evangelism gains a vivid illustration: like Haman, every sinner faces exposure unless Christ’s saving work becomes the covering.
• Personal devotion is enriched by Psalm 68’s imagery—believers once lying among the sheepfolds are now gilded doves, testifying to grace.

Forms and Transliterations

וְחָפ֥וּ וַחֲפ֥וּי וַיְחַ֨ף וַיְחַפֵּ֖הוּ וַיְחַפֵּ֙הוּ֙ וחפו וחפוי ויחף ויחפהו חִפָּ֥ה חִפָּה֙ חָפ֔וּי חָפ֥וּ חָפֽוּ׃ חָפוּ֙ חפה חפו חפו׃ חפוי נֶחְפָּ֣ה נחפה chaFu chaFui chipPah ḥā·p̄ū ḥā·p̄ui ḥāp̄ū ḥāp̄ui ḥip·pāh ḥippāh nechPah neḥ·pāh neḥpāh vachaFui vayChaf vaychapPehu vechaFu wa·ḥă·p̄ui waḥăp̄ui way·ḥap̄ way·ḥap·pê·hū wayḥap̄ wayḥappêhū wə·ḥā·p̄ū wəḥāp̄ū

Englishman's Concordance

2 Samuel 15:30
HEB: וְרֹ֥אשׁ לוֹ֙ חָפ֔וּי וְה֖וּא הֹלֵ֣ךְ
NAS: and his head was covered and he walked
KJV: and had his head covered, and he went
INT: and wept and his head was covered and he walked

2 Samuel 15:30
HEB: אֲשֶׁר־ אִתּ֗וֹ חָפוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ רֹאשׁ֔וֹ
NAS: were with him each covered his head
KJV: and all the people that [was] with him covered every man
INT: who for covered each his head

2 Chronicles 3:5
HEB: הַבַּ֣יִת הַגָּד֗וֹל חִפָּה֙ עֵ֣ץ בְּרוֹשִׁ֔ים
NAS: He overlaid the main room
KJV: house he cieled with fir
INT: room the main overlaid wood cypress

2 Chronicles 3:5
HEB: עֵ֣ץ בְּרוֹשִׁ֔ים וַיְחַפֵּ֖הוּ זָהָ֣ב ט֑וֹב
NAS: wood and overlaid it with fine
KJV: tree, which he overlaid with fine
INT: wood cypress and overlaid gold fine

2 Chronicles 3:7
HEB: וַיְחַ֨ף אֶת־ הַבַּ֜יִת
NAS: He also overlaid the house with gold--
KJV: He overlaid also the house, the beams,
INT: overlaid the house the beams

2 Chronicles 3:8
HEB: אַמּ֣וֹת עֶשְׂרִ֑ים וַיְחַפֵּ֙הוּ֙ זָהָ֣ב ט֔וֹב
NAS: cubits; and he overlaid it with fine
KJV: cubits: and he overlaid it with fine
INT: cubits twenty overlaid gold fine

2 Chronicles 3:9
HEB: זָהָ֑ב וְהָעֲלִיּ֖וֹת חִפָּ֥ה זָהָֽב׃
NAS: of gold. He also overlaid the upper rooms
KJV: of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers
INT: of gold the upper overlaid gold

Esther 6:12
HEB: בֵּית֔וֹ אָבֵ֖ל וַחֲפ֥וּי רֹֽאשׁ׃
NAS: mourning, with [his] head covered.
KJV: mourning, and having his head covered.
INT: home mourning covered with head

Esther 7:8
HEB: וּפְנֵ֥י הָמָ֖ן חָפֽוּ׃ ס
NAS: mouth, they covered Haman's
KJV: mouth, they covered Haman's
INT: face Haman's covered

Psalm 68:13
HEB: כַּנְפֵ֣י י֭וֹנָה נֶחְפָּ֣ה בַכֶּ֑סֶף וְ֝אֶבְרוֹתֶ֗יהָ
NAS: of a dove covered with silver,
KJV: of a dove covered with silver,
INT: the wings of a dove covered silver glistening

Jeremiah 14:3
HEB: בֹּ֥שׁוּ וְהָכְלְמ֖וּ וְחָפ֥וּ רֹאשָֽׁם׃
NAS: and humiliated, And they cover their heads.
KJV: and confounded, and covered their heads.
INT: have been and humiliated cover their heads

Jeremiah 14:4
HEB: בֹּ֥שׁוּ אִכָּרִ֖ים חָפ֥וּ רֹאשָֽׁם׃
NAS: have been put to shame, They have covered their heads.
KJV: were ashamed, they covered their heads.
INT: have been the farmers have covered their heads

12 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2645
12 Occurrences

ḥā·p̄ū — 3 Occ.
ḥā·p̄ui — 1 Occ.
ḥip·pāh — 2 Occ.
neḥ·pāh — 1 Occ.
wa·ḥă·p̄ui — 1 Occ.
way·ḥap̄ — 1 Occ.
way·ḥap·pê·hū — 2 Occ.
wə·ḥā·p̄ū — 1 Occ.