Lexical Summary uwph: To fly, to soar Original Word: עוּף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance brandish, be wax faint, flee away, fly away, set, shine forth, weary A primitive root; to cover (with wings or obscurity); hence (as denominative from owph) to fly; also (by implication of dimness) to faint (from the darkness of swooning) -- brandish, be (wax) faint, flee away, fly (away), X set, shine forth, weary. see HEBREW owph Brown-Driver-Briggs I. עוּף verb fly (Late Hebrew id., (rare) flicker, flutter, עוֺף fowl; Aramaic עוֺפָא,  id.; Ethiopic  id.; Arabic  augury, from birds (compare WeHeid. 2, 202), fortune,  ,  practice augury,  augur; also  ,  fly about, of birds); — Qal Perfect3masculine plural וְעָפוּ consecutive Isaiah 11:14; Imperfect3masculine singular יָעוּף Job 20:8; Psalm 91:5 + Proverbs 23:5b Qr (> Kt ועוף [van d. H.], or ועיף [Ginsb]); וַיָּעֹ֑ף 2 Samuel 22:11 = Psalm 18:11; Nahum 3:16, וַיָּ֫עָף Isaiah 6:6; 3feminine singular (הֲ)תָעוּף Proverbs 23:5 a Kt (see below); 3 feminine plural תְּעוּפֶינָה Isaiah 60:8, etc.; Infinitive construct עוּף Job 5:7; Proverbs 26:2; Participle feminine singular עָפָה Zechariah 5:1,2; plural עָפוֺת Isaiah 31:5; — 1. a. fly, of birds Deuteronomy 4:17, specifically of swallow (in simile) Proverbs 26:2 ("" נוּד); of seraph Isaiah 6:6 (compare Po`1.); ׳י riding (רכב) on cherub 2 Samuel 22:11 = Psalm 18:11; roll (in vision) Zechariah 5:1,2; arrow Psalm 91:5; of swift army Isaiah 11:14 (under figure of bird, followed by בְּכָתֵף) Habakkuk 1:8 (simile of vulture); figurative of ships (like cloud, or doves) Isaiah 60:8; בְּנֵירֶֿשֶׁף יַגְבִּיהוּ עוּף Job 5:7 make high to fly, i.e. make their flight high, soar aloft (simile of irresistible tendency). b. hover (protectingly) Isaiah 31:5 (birds, simile of ׳י; on sense compare Deuteronomy 32:11). 2 fly away, to a distance, Psalm 55:7 (figurative; "" אַרְחִיק נְדֹד Psalm 55:8); = vanish, of locusts Nahum 1:16 (figurative); כְּנֶשֶׁר יָעוּף הַשָּׁמַיִם Proverbs 23:5b (Qr) simile of riches (see Toy); of wicked Job 20:8 (כַּחֲלוֺם); end of life, in General, וַנָּעֻ֑פָה Psalm 90:10. — הֲתָעוּף Proverbs 23:5 a Kt, do thine eyes fly (light) upon it ? (הֲתָעִיף Hiph`il Qr dost thou cause thine eyes to fly, etc. ?) is difficult, and line perhaps not original (see Toy). Po`l. 1. fly about, to and fro; Imperfect3masculine singular יְעוֺפֵף of birds Genesis 1:20 (P); seraphim Isaiah 6:2; Participle שָׂרָף מְעוֺפֵף flying fiery serpent Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 30:6. 2 cause to fly to and fro, brandish, Infinitive construct suffix בְּעוֺפְפִי חַרְבִּי Ezekiel 32:10 when I brandish my sword before them. Hithpo`el Imperfect3masculine singular כָּעוֺף יִתְעוֺפֵף כְּבוֺדָם Hosea 9:11 like a bird their glory shall fly away. Hiph`il Imperfect2masculine singular Qr, see Qal near the end II. [עוּף], I. [עִיף] verb be dark; — only Qal Imperfect2masculine singular תָּעֻ֫פָה Job 11:17 (though) it be dark, but read probably תְּעֻפָה, substantive, see below II. [עִיף] verb be faint (compare Syriac 3, PS2835; "" form of יעף q. v.; occurrences dubious); — Qal Perfect3feminine singular עָֽיְפָה נַפְשִׁי לְ Jeremiah 4:31 (? read עֲיֵפָה); Imperfect3masculine singular וַיָּ֫עַף Judges 4:21 (< וְיָעֵף GFM Bu), 1 Samuel 14:28 (strike out We Bu Kit Löhr, emendation HPS), 1 Samuel 14:31 (read וַיִּעַף [√ יעף] Buhl HPS), 2 Samuel 21:15 (corrupt, HPS; for Philistine name We Dr Bu Kit). עוֺף noun [masculine] fowl (see Biblical Hebrew, √ I. עוּף); — ׳ע absolute Daniel 7:6 wings of a fowl; construct Daniel 2:38 collective Topical Lexicon Scope of Usage The verb עוּף appears about thirty-one times across the Hebrew Scriptures. It is employed both literally—of birds, insects, and heavenly beings in motion—and figuratively, where the motion of flight becomes a vivid picture of swiftness, transience, protection, or terror. A handful of occurrences also shade into the idea of becoming faint or dim, emphasizing weakness that “flies away” from a person. Flight in the Created Order The first appearance is foundational. At creation the command is given, “Let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens” (Genesis 1:20). Here עוּף anchors the natural behavior of winged creatures within God’s orderly world. The same literal sense surfaces whenever Scripture describes migratory or hovering birds (Deuteronomy 4:17; Isaiah 31:5), reminding readers that the world still obeys the divine word spoken in Genesis. Angelic Flight and Heavenly Worship Isaiah’s temple vision intensifies the word’s scope: “Above Him stood seraphim… with two they were flying” (Isaiah 6:2). Their dynamic obedience highlights both the holiness of God and the readiness of His servants. When a seraph “flew to me with a glowing coal” (Isaiah 6:6), עוּף marks the swift mediation of cleansing. The same verb is used of the angelic creatures that guard and minister in Zechariah 5:9, reinforcing the idea that heavenly beings execute God’s purposes without delay. Divine Protection Pictured as Flight Yahweh Himself employs the imagery: “Like birds hovering overhead, so the LORD of Hosts will shield Jerusalem” (Isaiah 31:5). Here the protective circling of avian wings offers a tender metaphor for covenant faithfulness. Psalm 91 evokes a related theme when it speaks of the Most High covering His people “with His feathers,” though a different verb is used; the overlap of imagery shows that the Old Testament repeatedly associates winged motion with divine refuge. Swift Judgment and Invasion Flight can also be ominous. Moses warns of a foreign power that will come “like an eagle swooping down” (Deuteronomy 28:49), and Hosea echoes the threat: “The enemy will swoop down on the house of the LORD” (Hosea 8:1). In both passages עוּף conveys unrelenting speed—judgment arrives before any human defense can be mounted. Nahum 3:16 likens Nineveh’s merchants to locusts that “fly away” at the first hint of danger, exposing the fragility of earthly security. Human Longing for Escape David’s plea, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and find rest” (Psalm 55:6), captures the universal desire to elude trouble. Similarly, “If I rise on the wings of the dawn” (Psalm 139:9), the psalmist declares that even the farthest flight cannot outrun God’s presence. These usages take the physical act of flying and internalize it as a spiritual yearning—whether for relief from persecution or for intimate fellowship with the omnipresent Lord. Fleeting Wealth and Human Frailty Proverbs harnesses the verb in a warning against greed: “When you gaze upon riches, they are gone, for they surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle” (Proverbs 23:5). Wealth “flies”; it is inherently unstable. Job 20:8 adds that the wicked “will fly away like a dream,” stressing the brevity of godless success. In Ecclesiastes 10:20 the same image explains why secret curses are dangerous: “a bird of the air may carry your voice”—spoken words take wing and cannot be recalled. Faintness and Vanishing Strength A narrower nuance appears when עוּף describes failing vigor. In Isaiah 40:30 “Youths may faint and grow weary,” the verb rendered “faint” (עוּף) paints exhaustion as strength that has flown away. Likewise, 1 Samuel 14:28 recounts soldiers “faint” with hunger. These examples remind believers that human power, like earthly riches, is not self-sustaining; it must be renewed by the Creator who never tires (Isaiah 40:31). Pastoral and Homiletical Reflections 1. Creation, Providence, and Worship—The verb’s first use in Genesis lays a foundation for a biblical worldview in which nature is not autonomous but obedient to God’s voice. Sermons can legitimately move from the literal flight of birds to the expectation that redeemed humanity should likewise respond promptly to divine command. Intertextual Echoes with the New Testament While the Greek New Testament employs different vocabulary, the imagery persists. “They will mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31) finds resonance in Revelation 12:14 where the woman receives “the two wings of a great eagle” for deliverance. Jesus’ prophecy that vultures will gather where the corpse is (Matthew 24:28) draws on the same avian symbolism of judgment introduced in Deuteronomy and Hosea. Thus the canonical witness remains coherent: swift movement, whether of deliverance or doom, is ultimately under divine sovereignty. Conclusion Through its literal, figurative, and theological uses, עוּף weaves a tapestry that exalts the Creator, warns the wayward, and comforts the weary. From Genesis to the Prophets, the verb calls readers to recognize the fleeting nature of worldly strength and to trust the everlasting God whose word both sends birds into the sky and brings angels in an instant to minister to His people. Forms and Transliterations אָע֥וּפָה אעופה בְּעוֹפְפִ֥י בַּעֲד֖וֹ בעדו בעופפי הֲתָ֤עִיף התעיף וְעָפ֨וּ וַיָּ֖עַף וַיָּ֣עָף וַיָּ֥עַף וַיָּעֹ֑ף וַיָּעֹֽף׃ וַנָּעֻֽפָה׃ ויעף ויעף׃ ונעפה׃ ועפו יְעוֹפֵ֣ף יְעוֹפֵֽף׃ יִתְעוֹפֵ֣ף יָ֭עוּף יָע֥וּף יָעֻ֕פוּ יעוף יעופף יעופף׃ יעפו יתעופף לָע֑וּף לעוף מְעוֹפֵ֔ף מְעוֹפֵֽף׃ מעופף מעופף׃ עָפ֔וֹת עָפָ֔ה עָפָֽה׃ עֽוּף׃ עוף׃ עפה עפה׃ עפות תְּעוּפֶ֑ינָה תָּ֝עֻ֗פָה תָּע֖וּף תעוף תעופינה תעפה ‘ā·p̄āh ‘ā·p̄ō·wṯ ‘āp̄āh ‘āp̄ōwṯ ‘ūp̄ ’ā‘ūp̄āh ’ā·‘ū·p̄āh aFah aFot aUfah ba‘ăḏōw ba·‘ă·ḏōw baaDo bə‘ōwp̄p̄î bə·‘ō·wp̄·p̄î beofFi hă·ṯā·‘îp̄ hăṯā‘îp̄ haTaif lā‘ūp̄ lā·‘ūp̄ laUf mə‘ōwp̄êp̄ mə·‘ō·w·p̄êp̄ meoFef tā‘ūp̄ tā‘up̄āh tā·‘u·p̄āh tā·‘ūp̄ taUf taUfah tə‘ūp̄enāh tə·‘ū·p̄e·nāh teuFeinah Uf vaiYaaf vaiyaOf vannaUfah veaFu wan·nā·‘u·p̄āh wannā‘up̄āh way·yā·‘ap̄ way·yā·‘āp̄ way·yā·‘ōp̄ wayyā‘ap̄ wayyā‘āp̄ wayyā‘ōp̄ wə‘āp̄ū wə·‘ā·p̄ū yā‘ūp̄ yā‘up̄ū yā·‘u·p̄ū yā·‘ūp̄ Yauf yaUfu yə‘ōwp̄êp̄ yə·‘ō·w·p̄êp̄ yeoFef yiṯ‘ōwp̄êp̄ yiṯ·‘ō·w·p̄êp̄ yitoFefLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 1:20 HEB: חַיָּ֑ה וְעוֹף֙ יְעוֹפֵ֣ף עַל־ הָאָ֔רֶץ NAS: and let birds fly above KJV: and fowl [that] may fly above INT: of living birds fly above the earth Deuteronomy 4:17 Judges 3:23 Judges 4:21 1 Samuel 14:28 1 Samuel 14:31 2 Samuel 21:15 2 Samuel 22:11 Job 5:7 Job 11:17 Job 20:8 Psalm 18:10 Psalm 55:6 Psalm 90:10 Psalm 91:5 Proverbs 23:5 Proverbs 23:5 Proverbs 26:2 Isaiah 6:2 Isaiah 6:6 Isaiah 11:14 Isaiah 14:29 Isaiah 30:6 Isaiah 31:5 Isaiah 60:8 31 Occurrences |
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