H0650 H0650
Channel, watercourse, stream bed (wadi or ravine); tube or conduit (of bones/scales); a strong or mighty one.
Afiq is a poetic word for the carved-out channels through which water rushes — the wadis, ravines, and stream beds that score the Judean wilderness and burst to life during seasonal rains. The psalmist's longing in Psalm 42:1, 'As a deer pants toward channels of water,' uses afiq to evoke the dry beds that promise life-giving flow. When the Psalmist prays 'Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like channels in the Negev' (Ps 126:4), the image is of empty ravines suddenly filled. Spanish arroyos and French ruisseaux both capture the seasonal watercourse. Job extends the imagery metaphorically: the hippopotamus's bones are 'tubes of bronze' (Job 40:18) and the crocodile's scales form tight 'channels' (Job 41:15). A single curious occurrence in Job 12:21 uses the related form to mean 'mighty ones' — likely from a parallel root denoting strength.
Senses
1. watercourse, channel, stream bed — A natural watercourse, channel, stream bed, wadi, or ravine through which water flows or once flowed. This dominant sense (16 occurrences) is concentrated in poetic and prophetic texts: the channels of the sea exposed at God's rebuke (2 Sam 22:16; Ps 18:15), the deer panting for streams of water (Ps 42:1), wadis in the Negev as an image of restoration (Ps 126:4), and Ezekiel's ravines and valleys (Ezek 6:3; 34:13; 36:4-6). Spanish arroyos/canales, French ruisseaux, and German Bachbett all converge on the seasonal watercourse. Job 6:15 compares treacherous friends to 'channels of a wadi' that vanish when you need them most. 16×
AR["أَفِيقِي", "أَقنِيَتِهِ", "أَوْدِيَتِكَ", "فِي-ٱلْأَوْدِيَةِ", "قِيعَانُ", "كَالسُّيول", "كَمَجْرى", "لِـ-الأَوْدِيَةِ", "لِلْأَوْدِيَةِ", "مَجاري", "مَجَارِي", "وَٱلْأَوْدِيَةُ"]·ben["-উপত্যকাগুলোকে", "-জল-প্রবাহের", "আর-স্রোতগুলি", "উপত্যকায়", "খাত", "জলধারা", "জলের-স্রোতের-", "তার-খালগুলি", "তোমার-নদীখাতগুলি", "নদীখাতগুলিকে", "নদীর-তল", "মতো", "যেমন-স্রোত", "স্রোতে"]·DE["Bachbett", "[אפיקי]", "[אפיקיו]", "[אפיקיך]", "[באפיקים]", "[ואפקים]", "[לאפיקים]", "channels-von", "der-channels-von", "wie-Ströme"]·EN["and-the-ravines", "by-the-streams", "channels-of", "its-channels", "like-channel-of", "like-streams", "ravines-of-", "the-channels-of", "to-the-ravines", "your-ravines"]·FR["[אפיקיו]", "channels-de", "comme-ruisseau", "comme-torrent", "des-ruisseaux", "et-vallée", "torrent", "vallée"]·heb["אפיקי", "אפיקי-", "אפיקיו", "אפיקיך", "ב-אפיקים", "ו-אפיקים", "כ-אפיק", "כ-אפיקים", "ל-אפיקים"]·HI["उसकी-नालियों", "और-को-घाटियों", "और-नालों", "को-नालों", "तल", "तेरी", "धाराएँ", "धाराओं", "धाराओं-की-तरह", "नदियों", "नाले", "नाले-की-तरह", "नालों"]·ID["aliran", "aliran-airmu", "aliran-aliran", "anak-sungainya", "dan-lembah", "dasar-dasar", "di-lembah-lembah", "kepada-aliran-air", "kepada-lembah-lembah", "seperti-lembah", "seperti-sungai-sungai"]·IT["[אפיקיו]", "channels-di", "channels-of", "come-like-channel-of", "e-torrente", "torrente"]·jav["dasar", "dhasar", "dhateng-lepen-lepen", "dhateng-lèpèn-lèpèn", "ing-lèpèn-lèpèn", "kados-dhasaring", "kados-ilining-toya", "kalen-kalen-ipun", "kali-kali", "lan-kali-kali", "lepen", "lèpen-lèpen", "lèpèn-lèpèn-panjenengan"]·KO["-시내들-의", "같이-수로-가", "개울들에-", "그-계곡들에게", "그-골짜기들에게", "그-수로들", "그리고-개울들이", "네-계곡들에서", "물길들-이", "수로들-이", "시내들", "시내들-같이", "시내들-의", "시내들-이", "에-그-계곡들에서"]·PT["aos-ribeiros", "canais-de", "canais-seus", "como-as-correntes", "como-leito-de", "correntes-de", "e-ribeiros", "nos-ribeiros", "os-leitos", "os-ribeiros-de", "riachos-de", "ribeiros-de", "ribeiros-teus", "às-torrentes"]·RU["в-долинах", "и-русла", "к-руслам", "как-потоки", "как-русло", "потокам", "потоками", "потоки", "русла", "русла-твои", "руслами-его", "руслах"]·ES["a-los-arroyos", "arroyos-de", "canales-de", "cauces-de", "como-arroyos", "como-cauce-de", "corrientes-de", "en-los-arroyos", "los-cauces-de", "sus-cauces", "tus-arroyos,", "y-los-cauces"]·SW["kama-mkondo-wa", "kama-vijito", "katika-mifereji", "kwa-mabonde", "kwa-mifereji", "mifereji-ya", "mifereji-yake", "mifereji-yako", "mito-ya", "na-mifereji", "vijito", "vijito-vya"]·TR["akarsu-", "dereler-gibi", "derelerde", "derelere", "derelerinin", "kanallarina", "suları", "vadilere", "ve-dereler", "yatakları", "yatağı-gibi"]·urd["اور-ندیاں", "اُس-کی-نالیوں", "تہ", "تہیں", "تیری-ندیوں-میں", "جیسے-ندیوں-کے", "دھاروں-کی-طرح", "نالوں-کو", "ندیاں", "ندیوں-سے", "ندیوں-میں", "نہروں", "پانی-کی-نہروں"]
2 Sam 22:16, Job 6:15, Ps 18:15, Ps 42:1, Ps 126:4, Song 5:12, Isa 8:7, Ezek 6:3, Ezek 31:12, Ezek 32:6, Ezek 34:13, Ezek 35:8 (+4 more)
2. tube, row, conduit — A tube, conduit, or cylindrical row — the channel metaphor extended to non-aquatic physical structures. Two occurrences in Job's descriptions of great beasts: the hippopotamus's bones are 'tubes of bronze' (Job 40:18), and the crocodile's overlapping scales form tight 'channels of shields' (Job 41:15). Spanish tubos/canales and the English 'tubes' preserve the imagery of hollow cylindrical forms. The poet borrows the watercourse shape to describe anatomical marvels. 2×
AR["أَنَابِيبُ", "صُفُوفُ"]·ben["নালা", "নালাগুলি"]·DE["Bachbett"]·EN["are-channels-of", "are-tubes-of"]·FR["ruisseau"]·heb["אפיקי"]·HI["नलियाँ", "पंक्तियाँ"]·ID["saluran-saluran", "tabung-tabung"]·IT["are-channels-of", "sono-tubes-di"]·jav["barisan", "kadosdéné-pipa"]·KO["관들이"]·PT["fileiras-de-", "tubos-de-"]·RU["ряды", "трубы"]·ES["canales-de", "tubos-de"]·SW["mirija", "safu-za"]·TR["boruları", "kanallarıdır"]·urd["قطاریں-ہیں", "نالیاں-جیسی"]
3. mighty, strong one — A mighty or strong one — likely from a related root afiq meaning 'firm, strong' rather than from the watercourse meaning. Only 1 occurrence: Job 12:21, where God 'pours contempt on the mighty' (or 'loosens the belt of the strong'). Spanish los fuertes ('the strong ones') renders the personal meaning clearly. Some scholars connect this to Aramaic cognates meaning 'strong,' suggesting a homonymic overlap rather than a semantic extension from 'channel.' 1×
AR["حِزامَ"]·ben["শক্তিশালীদের"]·DE["Bachbett"]·EN["mighty"]·FR["ruisseau"]·heb["אפיקים"]·HI["शक्तिशालों-की"]·ID["yang-kuat"]·IT["mighty"]·jav["sabuk"]·KO["수로들-의-"]·PT["fortes"]·RU["сильных"]·ES["los-fuertes"]·SW["wenye-nguvu"]·TR["kemerini"]·urd["کمر-بند"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [אָפִיק] n.m. 2 S 22:16 channel (as holding, confining waters; poet.)—cstr. אֲפִיק Jb 6:15; pl. אֲפִיקִים Ez 6:3; אֲפִקִים Ez 32:6; cstr. אֲפִ(י)קֵי 2 S 22:16 Jo 1:20; sf. אֲפִיקֶיךָ Ez 35:8; אֲפִיקָיו Is 8:7—channel = stream-bed, ravine, א׳ מַיִם ψ 42:2 Jo 1:20 cf. 4:18 Ct 5:12; also ψ 18:16, but better א׳ יָם as 2 S 22:16; א׳ נְחָלִים Jb 6:15; of river-bed Is 8:7; so also (without defining…