5592. caph
Lexical Summary
caph: Threshold, doorframe, sill, basin, goblet

Original Word: סַף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: caph
Pronunciation: saf
Phonetic Spelling: (saf)
KJV: bason, bowl, cup, door (post), gate, post, threshold
Word Origin: [from H5605 (סָפַף - stand at the threshold), in its original sense of containing]

1. a vestibule (as a limit)
2. also a dish (for holding blood or wine)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bason, bowl, cup, door post, gate, post, threshold

From caphaph, in its original sense of containing; a vestibule (as a limit); also a dish (for holding blood or wine) -- bason, bowl, cup, door (post), gate, post, threshold.

see HEBREW caphaph

Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. סַף noun masculine basin, goblet (Late Hebrew סַף; Phoenician סף (Inscription of Tyre(1), 5, 6) SchrödZMG xxxix (1886), 317 f. ClGannAnnales du Musée Guimet x. 511 = Recuell d'arch. orient.(1886), 89 HalRŠJ xii.107 Bloch; but Lzb330 door-sill); — ׳ס absolutebasin Exodus 12:22 (twice in verse) (J; containing blood of passover lamb); construct סַףרַֿעַל Zechariah 12:2 goblet of reeling (intoxicating, figurative), probably also Habakkuk 2:15, where read מִסַּף חֲמָֽתְךָ from the goblet of thy fury (for ᵑ0 ׳מְסַמֵּחַ ח, see I. ספח); plural absolute סַמּוֺת 2 Samuel 17:28 basins for ordinary use; הַסִּמִּים Jeremiah 52:19, הַסִמּוֺת 1 Kings 7:50 and construct סִמּוֺת כֶּסֶף 2 Kings 12:14, of temple utensils.

II. סַף noun masculineAmos 9:1 threshold, sill (Late Hebrew id.; Phoenician see Lzb1. סַף; Aramaic סִמָּא, Arabic sippu Dl509, all id.); — absolute ׳ס 2 Kings 12:10 +, also הַסָּ֑ף Judges 19:27 3t. (Baer Ginsb), הַסָּ֑ף 2 Kings 25:8; suffix סִמִּי Ezekiel 43:8, סִמָּם Ezekiel 43:8; plural סִמִּים Amos 9:1; Isaiah 6:4 6t. Ezra, Chronicles; — threshold, sill Judges 19:27; Amos 9:1; Isaiah 6:4; Ezekiel 41:16 (twice in verse); Ezekiel 43:8 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 3:7, הַבַּיִת ׳ס 1 Kings 14:17, הַשַּׁעַר ׳ס Ezekiel 40:6,7, compare Ezekiel 40:6 b שֹׁמֵרֹ הַסַּף = door-keeper, an important temple official, Jeremiah 35:4, so ׳שֹׁמְרֵי הַסּ 2 Kings 12:10 (priests), 2 Kings 22:4 2Chronicles 34:9 (Levites!), 2 Kings 23:4; 2 Kings 25:18 = Jeremiah 52:24; in Persia, of palace Esther 2:21; Esther 6:2; of tabernacle הַסִּמִּים ׳שׁ 1 Chronicles 9:19; שֹׁעֲרֵי ׳הַסּ2Chronicles 23:4 (Levites), ׳שֹׁעֲרִים בַּסּ 1 Chronicles 9:22; collective חֹרֶב בַּסָּ֑ף Zephaniah 2:14 desolation in the thresholds.

Topical Lexicon
Range of Meaning and Occurrences

סַף (sap) appears roughly thirty-two times across the Hebrew Scriptures and denotes the rim, lip, or container that holds or marks out something else. Hence it can describe a bowl, cup, basin, the metal pan of Temple service, or the threshold and door-sill that frames entry. The contexts move from household life to royal ritual, from priestly ministry to prophetic vision, giving the term rich theological coloring.

The Passover Threshold – Salvation at the Door (Exodus 12:22-23)

The first canonical appearance is the foundational Passover. Israel was told to collect the lamb’s blood “in the basin” and to apply it to lintel and doorposts. “None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning” (Exodus 12:22). The sap here is both vessel and threshold, the appointed meeting point between judgment and protection. It is a type of the blood of Christ set at the entrance of the heart (John 10:9). Later threshold texts (1 Kings 14:17; Ezekiel 9:3) echo the same liminal tension— life inside, death outside.

Temple Service – Vessels of Ministry

Numerous references cluster around the Solomonic Temple and later restorations (1 Kings 7:40, 1 Kings 7:45; 2 Kings 25:15; 1 Chronicles 28:17; 2 Chronicles 4:16; Ezra 1:10; Jeremiah 52:19). These sapim are handcrafted articles of bronze, gold, or silver, dedicated to handle sacrificial blood, incense, or grain offerings. Their presence underlines the biblical pattern: holy worship demands consecrated utensils. When Josiah repaired the Temple, “they made vessels of service for the house of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 24:14). The chronicler’s joy that sanctified bowls had been restored mirrors the believer’s call to be “vessels for honor, sanctified and useful to the Master” (2 Timothy 2:21).

Domestic and Royal Hospitality

Beyond cultic settings, sap names the everyday bowl of oil or wine (Judges 5:25) and the cup set before a king (Proverbs 23:31). In the Song of Songs the beloved’s navel is poetically likened to “a rounded bowl that never lacks mixed wine” (Song of Songs 7:2), pointing to abundance and intimacy. Thus sap moves easily from sanctuary to supper-table, reminding readers that covenant life sanctifies both.

Prophetic Cup Imagery – Judgment and Deliverance

The prophets employ sap as a powerful metaphor. Zechariah 12:2 warns, “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples”. Nations that attempt to devour Zion will drink staggering judgment from the same vessel that preserves the faithful. Similar imagery surfaces in Isaiah 51:17, where Jerusalem has “drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His wrath.” The dual edge of sap— blessing for the obedient, ruin for the rebel— accents divine justice.

Thresholds and False Worship

Zephaniah decries those “who leap over the threshold” while filling “their master’s house with violence and deceit” (Zephaniah 1:9). The threshold becomes a symbol of casual irreverence, contrasting sharply with Passover obedience. The inviolability of God’s doorway anticipates New Testament teaching that entrance to His presence is through one consecrated way (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Theological Reflections

1. Mediation. Whether bowl or door-frame, sap mediates between two realms— heaven and earth, holy and common, life and death.
2. Consecration. Anything placed in the sap is set apart for God or stands under His inspection; careless handling invites judgment (1 Samuel 2:13-17 implicates comparable abuse of sacrificial vessels).
3. Fulfillment. The blood-marked threshold points forward to the cross, while prophetic cups unveil the final reckoning described in Revelation 16.

Representative References

Exodus 12:22-23; Judges 5:25; 1 Kings 7:40, 45; 2 Kings 25:15; 1 Chronicles 28:17; 2 Chronicles 4:16; Ezra 1:10; Proverbs 23:31; Song of Songs 7:2; Isaiah 51:17; Zephaniah 1:9; Zechariah 12:2.

Summary

סַף gathers household, royal, and priestly scenes into one term that highlights boundaries and containers chosen by God to convey either mercy or wrath. In Scripture’s unfolding drama, the sap ultimately points to the poured-out blood of the covenant and the doorway of salvation offered in the Messiah.

Forms and Transliterations
בְסַף־ בַּסִּפִּ֔ים בַּסַּ֔ף בַּסַּף֒ בַּסָּ֑ף בסף בסף־ בספים הַ֠סִּפִּים הַסִּפִּ֔ים הַסִּפִּ֖ים הַסִּפִּ֗ים הַסִּפִּ֛ים הַסִּפִּ֡ים הַסִּפִּֽים׃ הַסַּ֑ף הַסַּ֔ף הַסַּ֖ף הַסַּ֛ף הַסַּ֜ף הַסַּֽף׃ הַסַּף֒ הסף הסף׃ הספים הספים׃ וְ֠הַסִּפּוֹת וְסַ֣ף וְסַפּוֹת֙ והספות וסף וספות סִפִּ֗י סִפָּ֜ם סִפּ֥וֹת סַ֣ף סַף־ סף סף־ ספות ספי ספם bas·sap̄ bas·sāp̄ bas·sip·pîm basSaf bassap̄ bassāp̄ bassipPim bassippîm ḇə·sap̄- ḇəsap̄- has·sap̄ has·sip·pîm hasSaf hassap̄ hassipPim hassippîm saf sap̄ sap̄- sip·pām sip·pî sip·pō·wṯ sipPam sippām sipPi sippî sipPot sippōwṯ Vehassippot vesaf vesappOt wə·has·sip·pō·wṯ wə·sap̄ wə·sap·pō·wṯ wəhassippōwṯ wəsap̄ wəsappōwṯ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Exodus 12:22
HEB: בַּדָּ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־ בַּסַּף֒ וְהִגַּעְתֶּ֤ם אֶל־
NAS: which is in the basin, and apply
KJV: [it] in the blood that [is] in the bason, and strike
INT: the blood which the basin and apply to

Exodus 12:22
HEB: הַדָּ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּסָּ֑ף וְאַתֶּ֗ם לֹ֥א
NAS: of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel
KJV: with the blood that [is] in the bason; and none
INT: of the blood which the basin you not

Judges 19:27
HEB: וְיָדֶ֖יהָ עַל־ הַסַּֽף׃
NAS: with her hands on the threshold.
KJV: and her hands [were] upon the threshold.
INT: her hands on the threshold

2 Samuel 17:28
HEB: מִשְׁכָּ֤ב וְסַפּוֹת֙ וּכְלִ֣י יוֹצֵ֔ר
NAS: brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat,
KJV: beds, and basons, and earthen
INT: beds basins pottery and earthen

1 Kings 7:50
HEB: וְ֠הַסִּפּוֹת וְהַֽמְזַמְּר֧וֹת וְהַמִּזְרָק֛וֹת
NAS: and the cups and the snuffers
KJV: And the bowls, and the snuffers,
INT: and the cups and the snuffers and the bowls

1 Kings 14:17
HEB: הִ֛יא בָּאָ֥ה בְסַף־ הַבַּ֖יִת וְהַנַּ֥עַר
NAS: As she was entering the threshold of the house,
KJV: [and] when she came to the threshold of the door,
INT: she was entering the threshold of the house the child

2 Kings 12:9
HEB: הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ שֹׁמְרֵ֣י הַסַּ֔ף אֶת־ כָּל־
NAS: who guarded the threshold put
KJV: that kept the door put
INT: and the priests guarded the threshold all the money

2 Kings 12:13
HEB: בֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֗ה סִפּ֥וֹת כֶּ֙סֶף֙ מְזַמְּר֤וֹת
NAS: silver cups, snuffers,
KJV: of the LORD bowls of silver,
INT: the house of the LORD cups silver snuffers

2 Kings 22:4
HEB: אָסְפ֛וּ שֹׁמְרֵ֥י הַסַּ֖ף מֵאֵ֥ת הָעָֽם׃
KJV: which the keepers of the door have gathered
INT: have gathered the keepers of the door the people

2 Kings 23:4
HEB: וְאֶת־ שֹׁמְרֵ֣י הַסַּף֒ לְהוֹצִיא֙ מֵהֵיכַ֣ל
KJV: and the keepers of the door, to bring forth
INT: of the second and the keepers of the door to bring of the temple

2 Kings 25:18
HEB: שְׁלֹ֖שֶׁת שֹׁמְרֵ֥י הַסַּֽף׃
NAS: with the three officers of the temple.
KJV: and the three keepers of the door:
INT: the three officers of the temple

1 Chronicles 9:19
HEB: הָעֲבוֹדָ֔ה שֹׁמְרֵ֥י הַסִּפִּ֖ים לָאֹ֑הֶל וַאֲבֹֽתֵיהֶם֙
NAS: keepers of the thresholds of the tent;
KJV: keepers of the gates of the tabernacle:
INT: of the service keepers of the thresholds of the tent and their fathers

1 Chronicles 9:22
HEB: הַבְּרוּרִים֙ לְשֹׁעֲרִ֣ים בַּסִּפִּ֔ים מָאתַ֖יִם וּשְׁנֵ֣ים
NAS: to be gatekeepers at the thresholds were 212.
KJV: to be porters in the gates [were] two hundred
INT: chosen to be porters the gates hundred both

2 Chronicles 3:7
HEB: הַבַּ֜יִת הַקֹּר֧וֹת הַסִּפִּ֛ים וְקִֽירוֹתָ֥יו וְדַלְתוֹתָ֖יו
NAS: the beams, the thresholds and its walls
KJV: the beams, the posts, and the walls
INT: the house the beams the thresholds walls doors

2 Chronicles 23:4
HEB: וְלַלְוִיִּ֔ם לְשֹֽׁעֲרֵ֖י הַסִּפִּֽים׃
KJV: [shall be] porters of the doors;
INT: and Levites porters of the doors

2 Chronicles 34:9
HEB: הַלְוִיִּם֩ שֹׁמְרֵ֨י הַסַּ֜ף מִיַּ֧ד מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה
KJV: that kept the doors had gathered
INT: the Levites kept the doors of the hand Manasseh

Esther 2:21
HEB: הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ מִשֹּׁמְרֵ֣י הַסַּ֔ף וַיְבַקְשׁוּ֙ לִשְׁלֹ֣חַ
NAS: from those who guarded the door, became angry
KJV: of those which kept the door, were wroth,
INT: of the king's guarded the door and sought to lay

Esther 6:2
HEB: הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ מִשֹּׁמְרֵ֖י הַסַּ֑ף אֲשֶׁ֤ר בִּקְשׁוּ֙
KJV: the keepers of the door, who sought
INT: of the king's the keepers of the door what had sought

Isaiah 6:4
HEB: וַיָּנֻ֙עוּ֙ אַמּ֣וֹת הַסִּפִּ֔ים מִקּ֖וֹל הַקּוֹרֵ֑א
NAS: And the foundations of the thresholds trembled
KJV: And the posts of the door moved
INT: trembled and the posts of the thresholds the voice called

Jeremiah 35:4
HEB: שַׁלֻּ֖ם שֹׁמֵ֥ר הַסַּֽף׃
KJV: of Shallum, the keeper of the door:
INT: of Shallum the keeper of the door

Jeremiah 52:19
HEB: וְאֶת־ הַ֠סִּפִּים וְאֶת־ הַמַּחְתּ֨וֹת
NAS: also took away the bowls, the firepans,
KJV: And the basons, and the firepans,
INT: the bowls the firepans the basins

Jeremiah 52:24
HEB: שְׁלֹ֖שֶׁת שֹׁמְרֵ֥י הַסַּֽף׃
NAS: with the three officers of the temple.
KJV: and the three keepers of the door:
INT: the three officers of the temple

Ezekiel 40:6
HEB: וַיָּ֣מָד ׀ אֶת־ סַ֣ף הַשַּׁ֗עַר קָנֶ֤ה
NAS: and measured the threshold of the gate,
KJV: thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate,
INT: step and measured the threshold of the gate rod

Ezekiel 40:6
HEB: רֹ֔חַב וְאֵת֙ סַ֣ף אֶחָ֔ד קָנֶ֥ה
NAS: and the other threshold [was] one
KJV: and the other threshold [of the gate, which was] one
INT: one width threshold and the other rod

Ezekiel 40:7
HEB: חָמֵ֣שׁ אַמּ֑וֹת וְסַ֣ף הַ֠שַּׁעַר מֵאֵ֨צֶל
NAS: the guardrooms. And the threshold of the gate
KJV: cubits; and the threshold of the gate
INT: five cubits and the threshold of the gate by

32 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5592
32 Occurrences


bas·sap̄ — 3 Occ.
bas·sip·pîm — 1 Occ.
has·sap̄ — 11 Occ.
has·sip·pîm — 7 Occ.
sap̄ — 3 Occ.
sip·pām — 1 Occ.
sip·pî — 1 Occ.
sip·pō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·has·sip·pō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
ḇə·sap̄- — 2 Occ.
wə·sap·pō·wṯ — 1 Occ.

5591b
Top of Page
Top of Page