H6687 H6687
to flow, overflow, float; water moving over or causing something to rise on the surface
This verb captures water in motion: flowing over something, overflowing boundaries, or causing objects to float. Deuteronomy 11:4 describes how God made the waters of the Red Sea flow over Pharaoh's army. In 2 Kings 6:6, Elisha makes an iron axe head float on water—a miraculous reversal. Lamentations 3:54 uses it figuratively: 'waters flowed over my head,' expressing being overwhelmed by calamity. The French and German translations preserve causative nuances ('caused to overflow', 'it floated'), reflecting both the natural movement of water and supernatural intervention.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The three contexts show water's power: destructive (Red Sea drowning Egypt's army), miraculous (floating iron), and metaphorical (drowning in distress). Translations capture both transitive and intransitive uses—water flowing and being made to flow, objects floating and being caused to float. The Qal stem appears in Lamentations (waters flowed), while the Hiphil in Deuteronomy and 2 Kings emphasizes causation. Cross-linguistic evidence confirms both literal hydraulic action and figurative application to overwhelming circumstances. 3×
AR["أَطَغَى", "طَفَتْ-", "فَطَفا"]·ben["উপচে-পড়েছে", "এবং-ভাসল", "প্লাবিত-করেছিলেন"]·DE["[צפו]", "er-caused-zu-ueberfliessen", "und-es-floated"]·EN["Flowed", "and-it-floated", "he-caused-to-overflow"]·FR["[צפו]", "et-cela-floated", "il-caused-à-overflow"]·heb["הציף", "ו-יצף", "צפו"]·HI["छा-गए-", "बहाया", "वय्याचफ"]·ID["Meluap", "dan-mengapung", "membanjiri"]·IT["[צפו]", "e-esso-floated", "egli-caused-a-overflow"]·jav["Toya-sami-kebak", "lan-ngambang", "ngeremaken"]·KO["그리고-떴다", "덮였네", "덮치셨느니라"]·PT["Inundaram", "e-flutuou", "fez-transbordar"]·RU["Поднялись", "и-всплыло", "потопил"]·ES["Fluyeron", "hizo-desbordar", "y-flotó"]·SW["Maji", "alifunika", "na-kikaelea"]·TR["Yükseldi", "akıttı", "ve-yuzdurdu"]·urd["اور-تیرا", "بہ-گئے", "بہا-دیا"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [צוּף] vb. flow, overflow, [float] (NH id.; so Aramaic טוּף, ܛܳܦ;—Arabic طَوْفٌ skin-raft is loan-wd. Frä 220);— Qal Pf. 3 pl. צָפוּ־מַיִם עַל־רֹאשִׁי La 3:54 (fig.). Hiph. 1. Pf. cause to flow over, הֵצִיף אֶת־מֵי יַם־סוּף עַל־פְּנֵיהֶם Dt 11:4. 2. cause to float: Impf. 3 ms. וַיָּצֶף הַבַּרְזֶל 2 K 6:6.