5487. suph
Lexical Summary
suph: fulfilled, put an end

Original Word: סוּף
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: cuwph
Pronunciation: soof
Phonetic Spelling: (soof)
KJV: consume, fulfill
NASB: fulfilled, put an end
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H5486 (סוּף - come to an end)]

1. to come to an end

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
consume, fulfill

(Aramaic) corresponding to cuwph; to come to an end -- consume, fulfill.

see HEBREW cuwph

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to suph
Definition
to be fulfilled
NASB Translation
fulfilled (1), put an end (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[סוּף] verb be fulfilled (properly ended) (ᵑ7 Syriac (often); see Biblical Hebrew); —

Pe`al Perfect3feminine singular מִלְּתָא סָ֫פַת Daniel 4:30 (compare Biblical Hebrew I. כָּלָה Qal 1 c). Haph`el put an end to: Imperfect3feminine singular תָּסֵף Daniel 2:44 (accusative of thing).

Topical Lexicon
Canonical Distribution

סוּף appears twice in the Hebrew canon, both in the Aramaic sections of Daniel (Daniel 2:44; Daniel 4:33). In each occurrence the term conveys the concept of a definitive conclusion or cessation—whether of earthly kingdoms or of royal dignity.

Semantic Range and Theological Emphasis

While the root notion is “to come to an end,” theologically the word underscores God’s sovereign prerogative to terminate human dominion and pride. In Daniel 2:44 it describes the decisive overthrow of all temporal powers by the everlasting kingdom of God. In Daniel 4:33 it marks the abrupt termination of Nebuchadnezzar’s royal status, demonstrating divine authority over individual rulers. Thus סוּף functions as a textual signpost that history’s endpoints are determined by the Lord, not by human agency.

Exegetical Insights

Daniel 2:44

“In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.”

Here סוּף is attached to the sweeping vision of successive empires. The verb “bring to an end” affirms that human political structures, however formidable, are provisional. The stone cut without hands does not merely outlast other kingdoms; it decisively terminates them. The term therefore carries eschatological weight: the finality of God’s rule is not gradual absorption but categorical cessation of all rivals.

Daniel 4:33

“Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle; his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.”

Though the English rendering focuses on fulfillment, the underlying idea of סוּף highlights how swiftly and completely the king’s proud state ended. The abrupt fall from majesty to madness makes the point that God ends prideful autonomy as surely as He ends godless empires.

Historical Context

Both passages emerge from the Babylonian exile. Israel’s national hopes seemed extinguished, yet Daniel’s visions reveal that the true “end” belongs to God. Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome all rose after Judah fell, but each would meet its divinely appointed limit. The exile therefore becomes the stage on which the theology of סוּף is dramatized: Israel’s apparent end is not final, whereas the end decreed for ungodly powers is irrevocable.

Intertextual Connections

1. Psalm 46:9 speaks of God who “makes wars cease to the ends of the earth”; the cessation motif parallels the Daniel usage.
2. Revelation 11:15 echoes Daniel 2:44 when proclaiming, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ,” confirming that the prophetic “end” points forward to the consummation in Christ.
3. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 announces that the lawless one will be overthrown “by the breath of the Lord,” another instance of divine termination aligned with Daniel’s vision.

Ministerial and Practical Applications

• Assurance: Believers faced with hostile powers can rest in the certainty that every ungodly structure has an appointed end.
• Humility: Nebuchadnezzar’s downfall warns against pride in personal achievement or authority.
• Hope: The same God who ends earthly dominion establishes an unshakable kingdom, granting confidence in mission and perseverance.
• Evangelism: Preaching the gospel includes heralding the ultimate reign of God that will “bring to an end” all rebellion, urging reconciliation before that final point arrives.

Summary

סוּף serves in Daniel as a concise theological declaration: God alone sets the terminus of human power and pride. Whether addressing global empires or individual kings, Scripture uses this verb to anchor eschatological hope and ethical exhortation in the certainty that history’s end is already decreed by the Lord of hosts.

Forms and Transliterations
וְתָסֵיף֙ ותסיף סָ֣פַת ספת sā·p̄aṯ Safat sāp̄aṯ vetaSeif wə·ṯā·sêp̄ wəṯāsêp̄
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 2:44
HEB: תִשְׁתְּבִ֑ק תַּדִּ֤ק וְתָסֵיף֙ כָּל־ אִלֵּ֣ין
NAS: it will crush and put an end to all
KJV: [but] it shall break in pieces and consume all
INT: will not be left will crush and put to all these

Daniel 4:33
HEB: שַׁעֲתָ֗א מִלְּתָא֮ סָ֣פַת עַל־ נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר֒
NAS: Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away
KJV: was the thing fulfilled upon
INT: Immediately the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5487
2 Occurrences


sā·p̄aṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·ṯā·sêp̄ — 1 Occ.

5486
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