3714. kaphis
Lexical Summary
kaphis: Beam, rafter

Original Word: כָּפִיס
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kaphiyc
Pronunciation: kah-FEES
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-fece')
KJV: beam
NASB: rafter
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to connect]

1. a girder

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beam

From an unused root meaning to connect; a girder -- beam.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a rafter, girder
NASB Translation
rafter (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
כָּפִיס noun masculine apparently (si vera lectio) technical term for some beam in a house, perhaps rafter, or girder (Late Hebrew id., Levy, Jastrow, but according to HoffmZAW ii. 1881, 71 it is changed from oblong block of wood (O.T.) to a building-stone, or brick in Mishna); — only Habakkuk 2:11 for a stone out of the wall crieth out, מֵעֵץ יַעֲנֶנָּה ׳וְכ and a rafter out of the timber-work answereth it.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Linguistic Setting

Kapis denotes a length of timber—commonly understood as a beam, rafter, or cross-piece—integral to the roof or upper framework of an ancient Near Eastern house. Though attested only once in the Hebrew canon, its placement in prophetic poetry fixes it firmly within the vocabulary of everyday building materials familiar to eighth-through-sixth-century Judah.

Historical and Architectural Background

Domestic construction in the biblical world employed mudbrick walls that were capped and tied together by wooden beams. These timbers supported flat roofs and were often sourced from the highlands of Lebanon or Bashan (1 Kings 5:6; Isaiah 2:13). Because beams bound the masonry, they symbolized the hidden structural strength of a dwelling. Conversely, when the Lord threatened judgment, the destruction of these very supports became a vivid image of collapse (Amos 3:15).

Context in Habakkuk 2:11

Habakkuk pronounces five “woes” upon Babylon, condemning its bloodshed and exploitation. In the third woe, the prophet personifies the building materials of the conqueror’s palaces:

“Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.” (Habakkuk 2:11)

Here the kapis—translated “rafters” or “beams”—is pictured as answering the protest of the stones. Both inanimate objects testify against the oppressor who built with forced labor and plundered wealth (Habakkuk 2:6-10). The verse portrays unavoidable witness: even what seems mute will speak when divine justice is at stake (compare Luke 19:40).

Theological Significance

1. Immanent Testimony. Kapis functions as a metaphor for conscience embedded in creation. While walls and beams normally provide shelter, they now expose guilt. This echoes the principle that “nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight” (Hebrews 4:13).
2. Reversal of Security. Babylon believed its lavish architecture guaranteed permanence; the prophetic image turns its own supports into accusers, showing that any security apart from righteousness is illusory (Proverbs 10:25).
3. Covenant Ethics. The outcry of kapis reinforces the law’s concern for just labor and fair wages (Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Jeremiah 22:13). Structures erected through oppression invite covenant curses rather than blessing.

Intertextual Echoes

• Stones or structures bearing witness appear elsewhere: Joshua 24:27; Job 31:38-40; Genesis 4:10.
• The collapsing house motif recurs in Isaiah 22:25 and Ezekiel 13:10-15, emphasizing judgment on pride and false security.
• In the New Testament, Jesus’ parable of the two foundations (Matthew 7:24-27) builds on the same idea: the integrity of a dwelling mirrors the moral integrity of its builder.

Practical Ministry Application

• Social Justice Preaching. Kapis encourages pastors and teachers to confront systemic injustice, reminding hearers that God hears the cries of wronged laborers even when human courts do not.
• Personal Integrity. For believers, the beam’s testimony underscores Psalm 139:23-24: hidden sins eventually surface; therefore, cultivate transparency before God and neighbor.
• Corporate Accountability. Congregations erecting or renovating facilities should treat workers and resources ethically, lest the very structures intended for worship speak against them.

Christological Reflection

Just as kapis in Habakkuk voices condemnation, the cross-beam upon which Christ was nailed becomes the ultimate witness—both to human sin and to God’s redemptive justice (Colossians 2:14). The beam that bore judgment for Babylon foreshadows the beam that bore judgment for the world, offering reconciliation to all who repent and believe.

Summary

Though Kapis appears only in Habakkuk 2:11, its single usage carries rich layers of meaning. As a physical beam it represents strength; as a prophetic symbol it becomes a courtroom voice, declaring that every act of oppression is recorded in God’s ledger. The image touches history, architecture, ethics, and eschatology—reminding readers that the righteous live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4) while unjust gains rot the house from within.

Forms and Transliterations
וְכָפִ֖יס וכפיס vechaFis wə·ḵā·p̄îs wəḵāp̄îs
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Englishman's Concordance
Habakkuk 2:11
HEB: מִקִּ֣יר תִּזְעָ֑ק וְכָפִ֖יס מֵעֵ֥ץ יַעֲנֶֽנָּה׃
NAS: out from the wall, And the rafter will answer
KJV: of the wall, and the beam out of the timber
INT: the wall will cry and the rafter the framework will answer

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3714
1 Occurrence


wə·ḵā·p̄îs — 1 Occ.

3713b
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