Lexical Summary tsuph: engulf, float, flowed Original Word: צוּף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance make to overflow, swim A primitive root; to overflow -- (make to over-)flow, swim. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to flow, overflow NASB Translation engulf (1), float (1), flowed (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [צוּף] verb flow, overflow, [float] (Late Hebrew id.; so Aramaic טוּף,  ; — Arabic  skin-raft is loan-word Frä220); — Qal Perfect3plural צָפוּמַֿיִם עַלרֿאֹשִׁי Lamentations 3:54 (figurative). Hiph`il 1. Perfect cause to flow over, הֵצִיף אֶתמֵֿי יַםסֿוּף עַלמְּֿנֵיהֶם Deuteronomy 11:4. 2 cause to float: Imperfect3masculine singular וַיָּצֶף הַבַּרְזֶל 2 Kings 6:6. Topical Lexicon Biblical Context and Narrative Setting Strong’s Hebrew 6687 (tsuph) appears only three times, yet each setting is weighty: national salvation at the Red Sea (Deuteronomy 11:4), covenant-preserving provision in the days of Elisha (2 Kings 6:6), and the personal anguish of Jerusalem’s fall (Lamentations 3:54). Together they trace a movement from corporate deliverance, to individual restoration, to the lament of apparent abandonment, allowing the word to serve as a lens on the varied ways water imagery communicates God’s dealings with His people. Overwhelming Judgment and Covenant Faithfulness (Deuteronomy 11:4) Moses reminds the second wilderness generation how the LORD “caused the waters of the Red Sea to overwhelm them as they pursued you” (Deuteronomy 11:4). The verb portrays the waters rushing back to crush Egypt’s military might. Theologically, the action is both punitive and protective: judgment on Pharaoh for covenant-breaking oppression (Genesis 15:13–14) and preservation of Abraham’s seed, thus advancing redemptive history. The imagery of pounding water becomes a memorial of divine faithfulness, regularly invoked in Israel’s worship (Psalm 106:10–11) and later Christian baptismal typology (1 Corinthians 10:1–2). Miraculous Provision and Restoration (2 Kings 6:6) Centuries later the same verb re-emerges in a quieter yet equally supernatural moment: “Elisha cut a stick, threw it in there, and made the iron float” (2 Kings 6:6). Here tsuph depicts the reverse of its earlier violence—something heavy is lifted rather than engulfed. The lost axe head threatened communal welfare in a prophetic school unable to afford replacement. By overruling natural law, the Lord affirms His concern for everyday needs and validates the prophetic ministry that safeguards covenant truth in apostate Israel. The episode foreshadows Christ’s mastery over creation (Mark 4:39; John 6:19). Intensity of Personal Despair (Lamentations 3:54) After Jerusalem’s destruction Jeremiah confesses, “Waters flowed over my head; I said, ‘I am cut off!’” (Lamentations 3:54). The same verb now expresses crushing sorrow, not physical drowning. The lament situates covenant people under deserved discipline (Leviticus 26:17, 39), yet the wider chapter moves from overwhelming grief to renewed hope: “Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). Thus the word’s trajectory underscores that divine judgment never has the last word for the repentant. Unifying Theological Motifs 1. Divine Sovereignty: Whether destroying armies, overriding gravity, or permitting grief, the LORD governs the waters, a recurring symbol of chaotic threat (Job 38:8–11; Revelation 21:1). Ministry and Discipleship Implications • Remembered Deliverance: Leaders can model Moses by rehearsing God’s past rescues to fortify present obedience (Deuteronomy 11:7). Christological and Eschatological Echoes The pattern culminates in Jesus Christ, whose authority commanded both storm-tossed seas and the depths of death itself. His resurrection turns the waters of judgment into the fountain of life, guaranteeing that every future tsuph-like threat will ultimately “work together for good” (Romans 8:28). Worship and Homiletical Suggestions • Pair the Red Sea account with the floating axe head to illustrate “from national crisis to personal need.” Summary Though rare, tsuph threads through Scripture as a vivid reminder that the God who once submerged Egypt, lifted iron, and allowed lament is the same Lord who saves, sustains, and sanctifies His people today. Forms and Transliterations הֵצִ֜יף הציף וַיָּ֖צֶף ויצף צָֽפוּ־ צפו־ hê·ṣîp̄ hêṣîp̄ heTzif ṣā·p̄ū- ṣāp̄ū- tzafu vaiYatzef way·yā·ṣep̄ wayyāṣep̄Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 11:4 HEB: וּלְרִכְבּ֗וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵצִ֜יף אֶת־ מֵ֤י NAS: Sea to engulf them while they were pursuing KJV: sea to overflow them INT: chariots when to engulf the water Sea 2 Kings 6:6 Lamentations 3:54 3 Occurrences |
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