Lexical Summary shataph: To overflow, to wash away, to inundate, to flood Original Word: שָׁטַף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance drown, overflow whelm, rinse, run, rush, thoroughly wash away A primitive root; to gush; by implication, to inundate, cleanse; by analogy, to gallop, conquer -- drown, (over-)flow(- whelm, rinse, run, rush, (throughly) wash (away). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to overflow, rinse or wash off NASB Translation charging (1), engulfed (1), flooded away (1), flooding (2), flowed (1), overflow (9), overflowing (6), overflows (1), overwhelming (2), rinsed (3), torrential (1), wash away (1), washed (1), washed off (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs שָׁטַף verb overflow, rinse or wash off (Late Hebrew id., so Jewish-Aramaic שְׁטַף; Assyrian š atâpu, overflow, Arabic  id., Cuche); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳שׁ Isaiah 8:8 +, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular וַיִּשְׁטֹף 1 Kings 22:38, etc.; Participle שׁוֺטֵף Isaiah 10:22 +, plural שֹׁטְפִים Isaiah 28:2; — 1 overflow, of river Isaiah 8:8; Jeremiah 47:2a (see נַחַל), Daniel 11:10,40, all figurative of invading army, compare Isaiah 28:15 (qy. by StaThLz, Apr. 1894, 235, Du Marti read שׁוֺט שֹׁטֵט), Isaiah 28:18 (see שׁוֺט), also (simile of ׳י in judgment) Isaiah 28:2 (מַיִם), Isaiah 30:28, of judicial destruction, שׁוֺטֵף צְדָקָה Isaiah 10:22; with accusative of land Jeremiah 47:2b, person (figurative) Isaiah 43:2 (נְהָרוֺת), Psalm 69:3 (שִׁבֹּלֶת), Psalm 69:16 (מִיִם ׳שׁ), Psalm 124:4 (מַיִם), compare Isaiah 28:17; Songs 8:7; גֶּשֶׁם שׁוֺטֵף flooding rain (of ׳יs judgement) Ezekiel 11:11,13; Ezekiel 38:22; נַחַל שׁוֺטֵף Isaiah 66:12, simile, in good sense. — Abs. Daniel 11:26 see Niph`al — Figurative of dashing, rushing horse, בַּמִּלְחָמָה ׳כְּסוּס שׁוֺ Jeremiah 8:6. 2 flow, run, literal of נַחַל Psalm 78:20; 2Chronicles 32:4. 3 literally, rinse or wash off, with accusative of thing washed 1 Kings 22:38, יָדָיו בַּמָּ֑יִם Leviticus 15:11 (P); of stain Ezekiel 16:9 (מֵעָלַיִךְ; "" רָחַץ); עֲפַראָֿ֑רֶץ Job 14:19. Niph`al Imperfect3masculine singular יִשָּׁטֵף בַּמַּיִם Leviticus 15:12 be rinsed out, off (P; of wooden vessel); 3masculine plural יִשָּֽׁטְפוּ מִלְּפָנָיו Daniel 11:22 be swept away (defeated), read probably יִשָּׁטֵף (for יִשְׁטֹף), also Daniel 11:26 (compare Dr). Pu`al Perfect3masculine singular וּמֹרַק וְּשֻׁטַּף בַּמָּ֑יִם Leviticus 6:21 (P) it shall be scoured and rinsed. Topical Lexicon Entry Title: שָׁטַף (shataph)Scope of Meaning The verb denotes violent outpouring or sweeping motion, whether of water, armies, passions, or judgment. The common thread is an irresistible force that overruns every obstacle. Literal Hydrological Uses 1. Rivers and torrents: “The torrent Kishon swept them away” (Judges 5:21). These verses present shataph as a graphic reminder of the power of created waters and, by implication, their Creator. Cultic and Domestic Washing Several priestly instructions employ shataph for “rinsing” sacrificial utensils or garments (for example 2 Chronicles 4:6; 2 Chronicles 4:14). While other roots cover bathing and laundering, shataph emphasizes the quick, forceful flush that removes impurity. The term therefore reinforces the seriousness of holiness: sin must be driven away, not merely dabbed at. Flood as Divine Judgment Psalm 124:4–5 portrays Israel’s potential annihilation in exile imagery: “Then the floods would have engulfed us, the torrent would have overwhelmed us, the raging waters would have swept us away.” The figure recalls the Noahic Deluge, linking every later rescue to the archetypal salvation of the remnant (Genesis 9). Prophets use the same word to predict judgment on the nations: The universality of judgment and the certainty of divine triumph are underscored. Military and Political Metaphors Assyrian, Babylonian, and later empires are pictured as flood-waters: The imagery conveys speed, terror, and the futility of human resistance, reminding readers that geopolitical events unfold under divine sovereignty. Moral and Emotional Torrents Proverbs 27:4 extends the verb from water to wrath: “Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?” Thus shataph becomes a mirror for the human heart—undisciplined emotion can devastate as surely as a river in spate. Redemptive Counter-Floods Isaiah offers a striking reversal: “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19 footnote reading). Here divine intervention rises higher than the flood itself, hinting at the ultimate victory secured in Christ, whose atoning work stills every deluge of accusation (Revelation 12:15–16). Eschatological Echoes Nahum’s oracle against Nineveh and Daniel’s prophecies push the motif toward the last days, when final judgment will again “sweep away” rebellion. The typology reaches its climax in the New Heaven and New Earth where there is “no longer any sea” (Revelation 21:1), symbolizing the complete removal of chaotic powers. Theological Reflection 1. God’s judgments may appear sudden, yet they are never arbitrary; the floodwaters always follow persistent sin. Pastoral and Homiletical Application • Warn: unchecked sin accumulates like headwaters behind a dam; judgment can break forth without further notice. Key References (Representative) Judges 5:21; Job 14:19; Psalm 78:20; Psalm 124:4–5; Proverbs 27:4; Isaiah 8:8; Isaiah 28:2; Isaiah 59:19; Nahum 1:8; Daniel 9:26; Daniel 11:10; 2 Chronicles 4:6. Forms and Transliterations הַשּׁוֹטֵ֥ף השוטף וְיִשְׁטְפוּ֙ וְשָׁטַ֣ף וְשָׁטַ֥ף וְשֻׁטַּ֖ף וַיִּשְׁטֹ֨ף וָאֶשְׁטֹ֥ף ואשטף וישטף וישטפו ושטף יִ֫שְׁטֹ֥פוּ יִשְׁט֑וֹף יִשְׁטְפ֑וּהָ יִשְׁטְפ֑וּךָ יִשְׁטֹֽפוּ׃ יִשָּׁטְפ֥וּ יִשָּׁטֵ֖ף ישטוף ישטף ישטפו ישטפו׃ ישטפוה ישטפוך שְׁטָפ֑וּנוּ שְׁטָפָֽתְנִי׃ שָׁטַ֣ף שֹׁטְפִ֛ים שֹׁטֵף֙ שׁוֹטֵ֔ף שׁוֹטֵ֖ף שׁוֹטֵ֗ף שׁוֹטֵ֛ף שׁוֹטֵ֥ף שׁוֹטֵף֙ שׁוֹטֵף֩ שוטף שטף שטפונו שטפים שטפתני׃ תִּשְׁטְפֵ֤נִי ׀ תִּשְׁטֹֽף־ תשטף־ תשטפני haš·šō·w·ṭêp̄ hashshoTef haššōwṭêp̄ šā·ṭap̄ šāṭap̄ šə·ṭā·p̄ā·ṯə·nî šə·ṭā·p̄ū·nū šəṭāp̄āṯənî šəṭāp̄ūnū shaTaf shetaFateni shetaFunu shoTef shoteFim šō·ṭə·p̄îm šō·ṭêp̄ šō·w·ṭêp̄ šōṭêp̄ šōṭəp̄îm šōwṭêp̄ tiš·ṭə·p̄ê·nî tiš·ṭōp̄- tishteFeni tishtof tišṭəp̄ênî tišṭōp̄- vaeshTof vaiyishTof veshaTaf veshutTaf veyishteFu wā’ešṭōp̄ wā·’eš·ṭōp̄ way·yiš·ṭōp̄ wayyišṭōp̄ wə·šā·ṭap̄ wə·šuṭ·ṭap̄ wə·yiš·ṭə·p̄ū wəšāṭap̄ wəšuṭṭap̄ wəyišṭəp̄ū yiš·šā·ṭə·p̄ū yiš·šā·ṭêp̄ yiš·ṭə·p̄ū·hā yiš·ṭə·p̄ū·ḵā yiš·ṭō·p̄ū yiš·ṭō·wp̄ yishshaTef yishshateFu yishteFucha yishteFuha yishTof yishTofu yiššāṭêp̄ yiššāṭəp̄ū yišṭəp̄ūhā yišṭəp̄ūḵā yišṭōp̄ū yišṭōwp̄Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 6:28 HEB: בֻּשָּׁ֔לָה וּמֹרַ֥ק וְשֻׁטַּ֖ף בַּמָּֽיִם׃ NAS: then it shall be scoured and rinsed in water. KJV: it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water. INT: boiled shall be scoured and rinsed water Leviticus 15:11 Leviticus 15:12 1 Kings 22:38 2 Chronicles 32:4 Job 14:19 Psalm 69:2 Psalm 69:15 Psalm 78:20 Psalm 124:4 Songs 8:7 Isaiah 8:8 Isaiah 10:22 Isaiah 28:2 Isaiah 28:17 Isaiah 28:18 Isaiah 30:28 Isaiah 43:2 Isaiah 66:12 Jeremiah 8:6 Jeremiah 47:2 Jeremiah 47:2 Ezekiel 13:11 Ezekiel 13:13 Ezekiel 16:9 30 Occurrences |
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