Lexical Summary keph: Rock, Stone Original Word: כֵּף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance rock From kaphaph; a hollow rock -- rock. see HEBREW kaphaph NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originperhaps of foreign origin Definition a rock NASB Translation rocks (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs [כֵּף] noun [masculine] rock (Assyrian kâpu DlHWB 346; Aramaic כֵּיפָא,  perhaps Aramaic loan-word in Hebrew; √ dubious); — only plural כֵּפִים Jeremiah 4:29 as place of refuge; Job 30:6 as dwelling-place. Topical Lexicon Root Imagery and Conceptual Overview The term portrays a natural hollow hewn by God’s hand—an enclosure within rock or earth that may function either as refuge or as symbol of humiliation and judgment. In both canonical occurrences the word stands at the intersection of vulnerability and survival, reminding readers that what shelters can also expose the dire plight of fallen humanity. Occurrences and Context 1. Job 30:6 – The once-honored Job recounts how social outcasts “were forced to live in the dry streambeds, among the rocks and in holes in the ground.” Thematic Significance in Job Job contrasts his former dignity with the degraded existence of men driven to inhabit earth’s cavities. The cave becomes a literary canvas illustrating the distance between blessing and curse, civilization and desolation. It underscores that human honor is contingent, while divine sovereignty remains fixed. Prophetic Resonance in Jeremiah Jeremiah employs the same image to depict covenant-breaking Judah scrambling into rugged recesses as the Babylonian threat looms. The geographical detail amplifies the spiritual one: when people abandon the Lord their cities empty, forcing them into makeshift shelters that cannot resist divine chastening. Biblical Theology of Caves and Holes Scripture often situates caves at pivotal moments: Together these passages reveal the dual character of the cave—as sanctuary prepared by God for His faithful and as grim dwelling of those under judgment. Historical and Cultural Background Ancient Near Eastern topography offered countless limestone hollows along wadis and escarpments. Such spaces were used for tombs, cisterns, bandit lairs, and emergency hideouts. Their limited light and confined air made long-term habitation undesirable, reinforcing the biblical association with deprivation. Ministry Implications Pastoral application draws a straight line from outward refuges to Christ the ultimate Rock. Earthly caves provide temporary shelter yet cannot shield from sin’s penalty; believers are summoned to find lasting security “in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:9). At the same time, the image cautions against complacency: a people that forsakes God may discover that even the most secure stronghold becomes a prison of fear. Christological and Redemptive Trajectory The Gospels culminate the motif when the crucified Messiah is laid in a rock-hewn tomb, only to emerge victorious (Matthew 28:6). Thus the darkest cavity of death is transformed into the birthplace of resurrection hope, reversing the sorrowful overtones seen in Job and Jeremiah. Practical Application • When hardship drives believers into figurative “holes,” they may remember that God met Elijah there and spoke peace. In summary, Strong’s 3710 gathers the Bible’s cave imagery into a concise symbol: a physical recess that mirrors the spiritual condition of all who flee either toward or away from God. Forms and Transliterations וְכֵפִֽים׃ וּבַכֵּפִ֖ים ובכפים וכפים׃ ū·ḇak·kê·p̄îm ūḇakkêp̄îm uvakkeFim vecheFim wə·ḵê·p̄îm wəḵêp̄îmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 30:6 HEB: חֹרֵ֖י עָפָ֣ר וְכֵפִֽים׃ NAS: of the earth and of the rocks. KJV: of the earth, and [in] the rocks. INT: holes of the earth the rocks Jeremiah 4:29 2 Occurrences |
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