Strong's Lexicon aphar: Dust, ashes, earth, ground, powder Original Word: עָפָר Word Origin: Derived from a root word meaning "to be gray" or "to pulverize." Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - G5522: χοῦς (chous) - dust, earth - G4700: σποδός (spodos) - ashes Usage: The Hebrew word "aphar" primarily refers to dust or fine particles of earth. It is used in the Bible to denote the material from which humans were created, symbolizing mortality and humility. "Aphar" can also represent ashes, often used in contexts of mourning or repentance. Additionally, it signifies the ground or earth, emphasizing the connection between humanity and the created world. Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Near Eastern cultures, dust and ashes were common symbols of humility, mortality, and repentance. People would sit in dust or cover themselves with ashes as a sign of mourning or penitence. The imagery of dust is deeply rooted in the biblical narrative, beginning with the creation of man from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7) and extending to the acknowledgment of human frailty and dependence on God. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition dry earth, dust NASB Translation ashes (2), debris (2), dirt (1), dry soil (1), dust (91), dusty (1), earth (5), ground (1), heap (2), loose earth (1), plaster (3), rubbish (1), rubble (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עָפָר noun masculineLeviticus 14:42 dry earth, dust; — absolute ׳ע Genesis 2:7 +, construct עֲפַר Genesis 13:16 +; suffix עֲפָרֵךְ Ezekiel 26:12, עֲפָרוֺ Deuteronomy 9:21, etc.; plural construct עַפְרֹת Job 28:6; Proverbs 8:26; — 1 literally: a. dry, loose earth, thrown (in malice) 2 Samuel 16:13 ("" אֲבָנִים); עַלרֿאֹשׁ ׳וַיַעֲלוּ ע Joshua 7:6 (J E; sign of grief), so Ezekiel 27:30; Lamentations 2:10, and (with זָרַק) Job 2:12; loose earth (on surface of ground) 1 Kings 18:38; Amos 2:7; Micah 1:10; Isaiah 34:7,9; Leviticus 17:13 (H) Ezekiel 24:7 (in figurative), Numbers 5:17; Job 14:19; Job 38:38; Job 39:14; Genesis 26:15 (R), made into siege works Habakkuk 1:10; of sand-storm Deuteronomy 28:24 (+ אָבָק); as serpent's food, token of punishment and humiliation, Genesis 3:14 (J) Isaiah 65:25 (compare Micah 7:17 2e below); ׳זֹחֲלֵי ע Deuteronomy 32:24 (poem; compare 2e). b. specifically as material of human body Genesis 2:7; Genesis 3:19 (J), Ecclesiastes 3:20, compare Job 4:19; Job 8:19; Psalm 103:14, to which it returns (שׁוּב אֶלֿ) Genesis 3:19; Job 10:9; Psalm 104:29; Ecclesiastes 3:20; so (with עַל) Job 34:15; Ecclesiastes 12:7. c. = surface of ground Exodus 8:12; Exodus 8:13 (twice in verse); (P; הָאָרַץ ׳ע), Job 19:25; Isaiah 25:12; Isaiah 26:5 (both "" אֶרֶץ), surface of (whole) earth Job 41:25, ׳מְחִלוֺת ע Isaiah 2:19 (for hiding), so ׳ע alone Isaiah 2:10, compare ׳חֹרֵי ע Job 30:6; = soil, Job 5:6; Job 14:8. d. powder of anything pulverized Deuteronomy 9:21 (twice in verse) (compare דָּ֑ק "" Exodus 32:20), 2 Kings 23:6 (twice in verse); 2 Kings 23:12,15, so in simile 2 Samuel 22:43 = Psalm 18:43, hence = ashes Psalm 18:4; Numbers 19:17. e. debris, of ruined city 1 Kings 20:10; Ezekiel 26:4,12; Nehemiah 3:34; Nehemiah 4:4; Psalm 102:15. The following are late: f. earth of the grave: אֶשְׁכַּב ׳לֶע Job 7:21, so (with עַל) Job 20:11; Job 21:26, compare Job 17:16; ׳יוֺרְדֵי ע Psalm 22:30, ׳שֹׁכְנֵי ע Isaiah 26:19, ׳יְשֵׁנֵי אַדְמַתעֿ Daniel 12:2; עֲפַרמָֿוֶת Psalm 22:16; ׳ע in figure Psalm 30:10. g. mortar (i.e. dried mud) for plastering houses Leviticus 14:41,42,45 (P). h. (iron-) ore Job 28:2; עַפְרֹת זָהָב Job 28:6 gold-dust (but see סַמִּיר). i. material of earth Isaiah 40:12, compare ראֹשׁ עַפְרֹת תֵּבֵל Proverbs 8:26 the first of the earth particles of the world. 2 figurative: a. of abundance Genesis 13:16 (twice in verse); Genesis 28:14 (all J) 2 Chronicles 1:9; Job 27:16; Psalm 78:27 ("" חוֺל יַמִּים), compare עֲפַר יַעֲקֹב Numbers 23:10 (JE); with added idea of commonness, worthlessness Zephaniah 1:7; Zechariah 9:3. b. of worthlessness (alone) Job 22:24. c. simile of the scattered, dispersed 2 Kings 13:7; ׳כֶּע Isaiah 41:2 (so van d. H. Ginsb; Baer ׳כֵּע; on meaning see Du Che, reading תְּשִׂימֵם for יִתֵּן). d. of self-abasement Genesis 18:27 (+ אֵפַר), ׳וְנִחַמְתִּי עַלעֿ וָאֵפֶר Job 42:6, מִּיהוּ ׳יִתֵּן בֶּע Lamentations 3:29. e. of humiliation (sitting or lying in dust) Isaiah 47:1; compare Isaiah 29:4 (twice in verse), Job 16:15; Job 40:13; Psalm 7:6; Psalm 44:26; Psalm 119:25, simile Job 30:19; licking dust Psalm 72:9; Isaiah 49:23; Micah 7:17, compare Tel Amarna tikalu ipra (of enemies, see WklAltor. Forsch. iii. 291; also of serpent 1a above); of ׳י raising from the dust 1 Samuel 2:8 = Psalm 113:7, 1 Kings 16:2; of lifting oneself Isaiah 52:2. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance ashes, dust, earth, ground, mortar, powder, rubbish From aphar; dust (as powdered or gray); hence, clay, earth, mud -- ashes, dust, earth, ground, morter, powder, rubbish. see HEBREW aphar Forms and Transliterations בֶּֽעָפָ֑ר בֶּֽעָפָר֙ בֶּעָפָ֣ר בֶּעָפָ֥ר בֶּעָפָֽר׃ בֶעָפָ֣ר בעפר בעפר׃ הֶ֣עָפָ֔ר הֶֽעָפָ֔ר הֶֽעָפָ֗ר הֶֽעָפָר֙ הֶעָפָ֑ר הֶעָפָ֖ר הֶעָפָ֛ר הֶעָפָֽר׃ העפר העפר׃ וְֽלַעֲפַר־ וְהֶעָפָ֖ר וְעַפְרֹ֖ת וְעָפָ֑ר וְעָפָ֥ר וַֽעֲפָרֵ֔ךְ וַעֲפַ֥ר וַעֲפָרָ֖הּ וַעֲפָרָ֖ם וּ֝בֶעָפָ֗ר וּ֝מֵעָפָ֗ר וּמֵֽעָפָ֖ר וּמֵעָפָ֖ר ובעפר והעפר ולעפר־ ומעפר ועפר ועפרה ועפרך ועפרם ועפרת כְּעָפָ֥ר כֶּֽעָפָ֔ר כֶּֽעָפָ֖ר כֶּֽעָפָר֙ כֶּעָפָ֣ר כֶּעָפָ֥ר כַּעֲפַ֣ר כַּעֲפַ֥ר כַּעֲפַר־ כעפר כעפר־ לְעָפָ֑ר לְעָפָ֖ר לֶעָפָ֖ר לֶעָפָ֣ר לעפר מֵעֲפַ֖ר מֵעָפָ֛ר מֵעָפָ֜ר מֵעָפָ֣ר מעפר עֲפַ֣ר עֲפַ֥ר עֲפַר־ עֲפָר֔וֹ עֲפָרָ֔הּ עֲפָרָ֖הּ עֲפָרָ֖ם עֲפָרָ֥הּ עֲפָרָ֥ם עָ֭פָר עָֽפָר֙ עָפְר֥וֹת עָפָ֑ר עָפָ֖ר עָפָ֗ר עָפָ֛ר עָפָ֣ר עָפָ֥ר עָפָֽר׃ עָפָר֙ עפר עפר־ עפר׃ עפרה עפרו עפרות עפרם ‘ă·p̄ā·rāh ‘ă·p̄ā·rām ‘ă·p̄ā·rōw ‘ă·p̄ar ‘ā·p̄ār ‘ă·p̄ar- ‘ā·p̄ə·rō·wṯ ‘ăp̄ar ‘āp̄ār ‘ăp̄ar- ‘ăp̄ārāh ‘ăp̄ārām ‘ăp̄ārōw ‘āp̄ərōwṯ aFar afaRah afaRam afaRo afeRot Afor be‘āp̄ār ḇe‘āp̄ār be·‘ā·p̄ār ḇe·‘ā·p̄ār beaFar he‘āp̄ār he·‘ā·p̄ār heaFar ka‘ăp̄ar ka‘ăp̄ar- ka·‘ă·p̄ar ka·‘ă·p̄ar- kaaFar ke‘āp̄ār kə‘āp̄ār ke·‘ā·p̄ār kə·‘ā·p̄ār keaFar le‘āp̄ār lə‘āp̄ār le·‘ā·p̄ār lə·‘ā·p̄ār leaFar mê‘ăp̄ar mê‘āp̄ār mê·‘ă·p̄ar mê·‘ā·p̄ār meaFar ū·ḇe·‘ā·p̄ār ū·mê·‘ā·p̄ār ūḇe‘āp̄ār ūmê‘āp̄ār umeaFar uveaFar vaaFar vaafaRah vaafaRam vaafaRech veaFar veafRot veheaFar velaafar wa‘ăp̄ar wa‘ăp̄ārāh wa‘ăp̄ārām wa‘ăp̄ārêḵ wa·‘ă·p̄ā·rāh wa·‘ă·p̄ā·rām wa·‘ă·p̄ā·rêḵ wa·‘ă·p̄ar wə‘āp̄ār wə‘ap̄rōṯ wə·‘ā·p̄ār wə·‘ap̄·rōṯ wə·he·‘ā·p̄ār wə·la·‘ă·p̄ar- wəhe‘āp̄ār wəla‘ăp̄ar-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 2:7 HEB: אֶת־ הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־ הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה NAS: man of dust from the ground, KJV: man [of] the dust of INT: God man of dust of the ground Genesis 3:14 Genesis 3:19 Genesis 3:19 Genesis 13:16 Genesis 13:16 Genesis 18:27 Genesis 26:15 Genesis 28:14 Exodus 8:16 Exodus 8:17 Exodus 8:17 Leviticus 14:41 Leviticus 14:42 Leviticus 14:45 Leviticus 17:13 Numbers 5:17 Numbers 19:17 Numbers 23:10 Deuteronomy 9:21 Deuteronomy 9:21 Deuteronomy 28:24 Deuteronomy 32:24 Joshua 7:6 1 Samuel 2:8 110 Occurrences |
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