Lexical Summary suph: fulfilled, put an end Original Word: סוּף 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 “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. “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. Ministerial and Practical Applications • Assurance: Believers faced with hostile powers can rest in the certainty that every ungodly structure has an appointed end. 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 wəṯāsêp̄Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman'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 2 Occurrences |
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