Lexical Summary yaphach: To breathe, blow, puff Original Word: יָפַח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bewail self A primitive root; properly, to breathe hard, i.e. (by implication) to sigh -- bewail self. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to breathe, puff NASB Translation gasping for breath (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [יָפַח] verb breathe, puff (by-form of מּוּחַ, q. v.; see BaNB 189; compare Talmud יפח breath) — only Hithpa`el Imperfect3feminine singular תִּתְיַמֵּחַ Jeremiah 4:31 she gaspeth for breath. Topical Lexicon Entry Title: יָפַח (Strong’s Hebrew 3306) Canonical Occurrence Literary Scene The single appearance of יָפַח belongs to Jeremiah’s lament over impending judgment on Judah. The prophet hears “the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath” (Jeremiah 4:31). The verb paints a picture of frantic, labored breathing that accompanies both mortal fear and desperate longing. In the poetry of Jeremiah, such imagery heightens the emotional intensity: the nation stands on the threshold of disaster, and every remaining breath is a witness to its anguish. Historical Setting Jeremiah’s oracle targets the last decades of the Southern Kingdom, when Babylonian pressure mounted and covenant infidelity reached its zenith. The panting city resembles a woman in first labor—exhausted, vulnerable, and unable to halt what is coming. Contemporary hearers would have recognized the pathos: siege warfare regularly starved cities of food, water, and air, leaving survivors literally gasping in the rubble. Intertextual Echoes Although יָפַח is unique to Jeremiah 4:31, the motif of gasping, panting, or crying out recurs elsewhere: Together these passages frame panting as the physical overflow of inner turmoil—whether judgment, longing, or divine zeal. Theological Significance 1. Judgment Revealed: The gasp of Daughter Zion signals the righteousness of God’s covenant discipline. What Judah experiences bodily affirms the prophetic word—sin suffocates. Ministry Application • Preaching and Teaching: Jeremiah 4:31 offers a vivid image for conveying the cost of rebellion and the urgency of repentance. Prophetic and Messianic Foreshadowing The desperate gasp of Zion anticipates the groans of creation awaiting redemption (Romans 8:22-23). By bearing sin’s suffocating weight on the cross—“I thirst” (John 19:28)—Jesus enters humanity’s breathless plight and secures the promised outpouring of the Spirit, the very “breath” of new life. Conclusion While יָפַח appears only once, its lone occurrence captures a critical biblical truth: every breath testifies either to judgment endured or mercy received. Jeremiah’s panting city urges all generations to exhale confession and inhale grace, lest the final gasp be one of unrelieved despair. Forms and Transliterations תִּתְיַפֵּ֖חַ תתיפח tiṯ·yap·pê·aḥ tityapPeach tiṯyappêaḥLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 4:31 HEB: בַּת־ צִיּ֛וֹן תִּתְיַפֵּ֖חַ תְּפָרֵ֣שׂ כַּפֶּ֑יהָ NAS: of Zion gasping for breath, Stretching KJV: of Zion, [that] bewaileth herself, [that] spreadeth INT: of the daughter of Zion gasping Stretching her hands 1 Occurrence |
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