H6822 H6822
Look out, spy, keep watch; as substantive: watchman, sentinel — from צָפָה 'to look out, observe'
The verb צָפָה means to look out from an elevated or advantageous position, scanning the horizon with purpose and vigilance. Its most frequent use is as a substantivized participle — the 'watchman' (צֹפֶה) stationed on a tower or wall to report what he sees approaching (2 Sam 18:24-27; 2 Kgs 9:17-20). The prophets adopt this role: Ezekiel and Habakkuk are God's watchmen set over Israel (Ezek 3:17; 33:7; Hab 2:1). In its verbal uses, it ranges from Jacob's covenant watchfulness at Mizpah — 'may the LORD watch between me and you' (Gen 31:49) — to Micah's hopeful 'I will watch for the LORD' (Mic 7:7). The Spanish 'atalaya/vigia' (watchtower sentinel) and the Ethiopic cognate meaning 'to hope' together illuminate how physical looking-out shades into expectant waiting.
5. sense 5 — In Psalm 37:32, 'the wicked watches (צֹפֶה) the righteous and seeks to kill him.' This is predatory surveillance — spying with hostile intent rather than protective vigilance. Spanish 'acecha' (to stalk, lurk) and German 'spahte' (spied) capture the menacing tone. The BDB entry explicitly glosses this: 'a wicked man spieth upon the righteous.' It stands apart from the sentinel-watchman and the hopeful-expectant senses as a distinctly adversarial use of looking out. 1×
AR["يَتَرَبَّصُ"]·ben["পর্যবেক্ষণ-করে"]·DE["spähte"]·EN["watches"]·FR["sentinelle"]·heb["צופה"]·HI["घात-में-है"]·IT["veglio'"]·jav["Ngintip"]·KO["엿보도다"]·PT["Espreita"]·RU["подстерегает"]·ES["Acecha"]·SW["Anavizia"]·TR["İzler"]·urd["گھات-لگاتا-ہے"]
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. watchman, sentinel — The substantivized participle צֹפֶה used as a noun meaning 'watchman' or 'sentinel' — someone posted as a lookout on walls, towers, or heights. This is the dominant usage (22 of 37 occurrences). The watchman at Gibeah spots Philistine troops melting away (1 Sam 14:16); David's watchman reports Absalom's messengers approaching (2 Sam 13:34; 18:24-27); Jehu's approach is observed from the tower (2 Kgs 9:17-20). The prophets are metaphorically God's watchmen set over the nation (Isa 52:8; 56:10; Ezek 3:17; 33:2-7; Hos 9:8). Spanish 'atalaya' and 'vigia' both denote a lookout specifically stationed for observation. 22×
AR["(حُرَّاسُهُ)","[צפו]","الرَّاصِدَ","الرَّقيبُ","الرّاقِبُ","الـ-مُرَاقِبُونَ","راقِبٌ","رَقيبًا","رَقِيبًا","مُرَاقِبِيكَ","وَالرّاقِبُ","وَٱلرَّقِيبُ","ٱلرَّقِيبِ"]·ben["(তার-প্রহরীরা)","-পাহারাদারকে","-সেই-প্রহরীরা","[তার-প্রহরীরা]","আর-প্রহরী","এবং-প্রহরী","তোমার-প্রহরীদের","পাহারাদার","প্রহরী","প্রহরী-","প্রহরী-হিসেবে।","প্রহরীর"]·DE["[(צפיו)]","[[צפו]]","[המצפה]","[הצפה]","[והצפה]","[לצפה]","[מצפיך]","[צפה]","der-watchman","der-watchmen","und-der-watchman"]·EN["[ketiv:his-watchman]","and-the-watchman","as-watchman","his-watchmen","the-watchman","the-watchmen","watchman","watchman-of","your-watchmen"]·FR["et-le-sentinelle","et-veiller","le-sentinelle","le-watchmen","sentinelle","veiller"]·heb["ה-מצפה","ה-צופה","ה-צופים","ו-ה-צופה","ל-צופה","מצפייך","צופה","צופיו"]·HI["उसके-पहरेदार","और-चौकीदार","चौकीदार","चौकीदारों-ने","तेरे-चौकीदारों-का","पहरेदार","पहरेदार-को","पहरेदार-ने","वहच्चोपेह","हच्चोपेह"]·ID["-pengawal","-pengintai","Dan-penjaga","Pengamat","Penjaga-penjaganya","[penjaganya]","dan-pengawal","pengamat","pengintai-pengintai","pengintaimu","penjaga","sebagai-penjaga."]·IT["e-il-sentinella","e-sentinella","il-sentinella","il-sentinelle","sentinella"]·jav["Jaga-ipun","Lan-penjaga","[qere]","dados-penjagi","ing-penjagi","ingkang-ngemataken","jagi","kang-njagi","lan-penjagi-punika","para-panjagi-panjenengan","penjaga","penjagi","penjagi-punika","sang-jagi","tukang-jaga"]·KO["그-정탐꾼이","그-파수꾼들이","그-파수꾼의","그-파수꾼이","그러나-그-파수꾼이","그리고-파수꾼이","그의-파수꾼들은","파수꾼","파수꾼도다","파수꾼들-너의-의","파수꾼으로","파수꾼을","파수꾼이"]·PT["Atalaia","E-o-atalaia","E-o-vigia","[qere]","as-sentinelas","atalaia","como-atalaia","o-atalaia","o-vigia","teus-vigias","vigias-seus"]·RU["(стражи-его)","-сторож","[(стражи)]","а-страж","и-страж","сторож","страж","стража","стражей-твоих","стражем","стражи"]·ES["Sus-atalayas","Y-el-atalaya","Y-el-vigía","[Ketiv]","atalaya","atalaya-de","como-atalaya.","el-atalaya","el-vigía","los-vigias","tus-atalayas"]·SW["Na-mlinzi","k","kuwa-mlinzi","mlinzi","mlinzi-wa","na-mlinzi","walinzi","walinzi-wake","walinzi-wako"]·TR["(Gozculeir)","[gozcusu]","bekçi","bekçi-olarak","bekçinin","bekçisi","gozcuyu","gözceler","gözcü","gözcü-o","gözcülerinin-senin","ve-bekçi","ve-gözcü-o"]·urd["اور-پہرےدار","اُس-کے-پہرے-دار","تیرے-نگہبانوں-کا","نگران","نگہبان","پہرےدار","پہرےدار-نے","پہرےدار-کو","پہرےدار-کے","پہرےداروں-نے"]
1 Sam 14:16, 2 Sam 13:34, 2 Sam 18:24, 2 Sam 18:25, 2 Sam 18:26, 2 Sam 18:26, 2 Sam 18:27, 2 Kgs 9:17, 2 Kgs 9:18, 2 Kgs 9:20, Isa 21:6, Isa 52:8 (+10 more)
2. look out expectantly, watch eagerly — The Piel (intensive) stem expressing eager, expectant watching — looking out with sustained anticipation for something hoped for or feared. Eli sits by the road 'watching' anxiously for news of the Ark (1 Sam 4:13); the psalmist watches for God each morning (Ps 5:3); Jeremiah tells Aroer to stand by the road and 'watch' for fugitives (Jer 48:19); in Lamentations 4:17, eyes fail from watching vainly for a nation that cannot save; Micah 7:7 declares 'I will watch for the LORD' in confident hope. The Ethiopic cognate meaning 'to hope' preserves this expectant dimension that goes beyond mere visual surveillance. 7×
AR["أَنْتَظِرُ","انْتَظَرْنَا","رَاقِبِي","وَ-أَنْتَظِرُ","وَأَرقُبُ","وَانْظُرِي","يَتَرَقَّبُ"]·ben["অপেক্ষা-করেছিলাম","এবং-অপেক্ষা-করব","এবং-আমি-দেখব","এবং-দেখ","তাকাব","দেখছিলেন","নজর-রাখো-"]·DE["[אצפה]","[ואצפה]","[וצפי]","[צפה]","[צפינו]","und-spähte","watching"]·EN["I-will-watch","and-I-watch","and-I-will-watch","and-watch","watch-","watching","we-watched"]·FR["et-sentinelle","et-veiller","sentinelle","veillant","veiller"]·heb["אצפה","ו-אצפה","ו-צפי","מצפה","ציפינו","צפה-"]·HI["और-देख","और-मैं-ताकूँगा","और-मैं-देखूँगा","ताकूँगा","देख-","देखता-हुआ","हमने-बाट-जोही"]·ID["akan-memandang","awasilah-","dan-aku-akan-mengintip","dan-aku-menantikan","dan-amatilah","kami-mengawasi","mengawasi"]·IT["e-sentinella","e-veglio'","osservando","sentinella"]·jav["badhé-mirsani","kita-sami-ngantos-antos","lan-Kawula-ningali","lan-mirsanana","ningali","saha-ningali","sami-mirsani"]·KO["그리고-바라보리니","그리고-바라보리라","그리고-살펴라","바라보겠다","바라보라","바라보며","우리-가-바라보았네"]·PT["e-observa","e-vigiarei","esperamos","olharei","vigia-","vigiando"]·RU["буду-смотреть","и-буду-вглядываться","и-буду-ожидать","и-смотри","наблюдай","ожидали","смотрящий"]·ES["mirando","miraré","vigilábamos","y-mira","y-vigilaré","¡Vigila"]·SW["akiangalia","angalia-","na-nitaangalia","na-nitangojea","na-utazame","nitamtazamia","tulisubiri"]·TR["gözle-","gözledik","gözleyeceğim","izliyordu","ve-bak","ve-beklerim","ve-gözleyeceğim"]·urd["انتظار-کیا-ہم-نے","اور-انتظار-کرتا-ہوں","اور-دیکھتا-رہوں-گا","اور-دیکھو","تاکتے-ہوئے","دیکھ","نگاہ-رکھوں-گا"]
3. keep watch, stand guard — Qal finite and participial forms used verbally to mean 'keep watch' or 'observe' without the professional-sentinel nuance. At Mizpah, God is asked to 'keep watch' between Jacob and Laban to ensure the covenant is kept (Gen 31:49). God's eyes 'keep watch' on the nations (Ps 66:7); the LORD's eyes 'observe' the evil and the good (Prov 15:3); the capable woman 'watches over' the ways of her household (Prov 31:27); Song 7:4 describes a tower 'looking toward' Damascus. These uses emphasize ongoing, attentive observation rather than a stationed lookout role. 5×
AR["النَّاظِرِ","تَرْقُبانِ","تُراقِبانِ","راقِبَةٌ","يُراقِبُ"]·ben["তাকিয়ে-আছে","নজর-রাখুন","নিরীক্ষণ-করছে","পাহারা-দেয়","সে-দেখাশোনা-করে"]·DE["[צופה]","[צופיה]","[צפות]","spähte","überwachen-möge"]·EN["are-watching","keep-watch","may-watch","watching","watching-over"]·FR["guetteur","puisse-veiller","regardant","sentinelle"]·heb["יצף","צופה","צופות","צופייה","תצפינה"]·HI["देखता-हुआ","देखती-हैं","निगरानी-करती","निगरानी-करे","निगाह-रखती-हैं"]·ID["Mengawasi","biarlah-mengawasi","mengawasi","menghadap"]·IT["may-vegliare","veglio'","vigilare"]·jav["Yéhuwah-mirsani","kang-ningali","mirsani","ngawasi"]·KO["감시하시기를","감시하시도다","그녀가-지켜본다","바라보는","살피시느니라"]·PT["que-vigia","vigiam","vigiando","vigie"]·RU["да-смотрит","наблюдает","наблюдают","наблюдающие","смотрящая"]·ES["Vigila","observando","que-mira-hacia","vigilan","vigile"]·SW["alinde","huangalia","unaotazama","yanaangalia"]·TR["Gözetir","Gözetlesin","bakan","gözetliyor","izleyen"]·urd["جو-دیکھتی-ہے","دیکھتی-ہیں","نگرانی-کرتی-ہیں","نگرانی-کرتی-ہے","نگہبانی-کرے"]
4. sense 4 — In Job 15:22, Eliphaz says the wicked person is 'watched for' or 'destined for' the sword — darkness lies in wait and destruction is appointed. The two occurrences both come from this verse (likely the ketiv/qere or participial doublet). The English glosses '(and-watched)' and '[and-watched]' with their parenthetical markers, along with Spanish 'destinado' (destined), suggest the sense has shifted from active watching to being the object of fate's gaze — watched and marked out for doom, a passive-experiential extension of the root. 2×
AR["وَ-مُرَاقَبٌ"]·ben["(এবং-নির্ধারিত)","[এবং-নির্ধারিত]"]·DE["[(וצפוי)]","[[וצפו]]"]·EN["(and-watched)","[and-watched]"]·FR["et-guetteur"]·heb["ו-צפוי"]·HI["और-वह-नियत"]·ID["K","dan-ditunggu"]·IT["e-vigilare"]·jav["lan-dipun-tunggu"]·KO["(그리고-예정된)","[그리고-예정된]"]·PT["[e-vigiado]","e-destinado"]·RU["и-обречён"]·ES["y-destinado"]·SW["[na-amepangiwa]","na-amepangiwa"]·TR["[ve-belirlenmiş]","ve-belirlenmiş"]·urd["اور-مقرر"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. [צָפָה37] vb. look out or about, spy, keep watch (NH id., Pi. hope; Ethiopic ሰፈወ: iii. 2 hope);— Qal28 Impf. 3 ms. juss. יִ֫צֶף בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶ֑ךָ Gn 31:49 (J) may י׳ keep watch between me and thee (that the covenant be kept = א׳ עֵד וגו׳ v 50); 3 fpl. עֵינָיו בַּגּוֹיִם תִּצְפֶּי֑נָה ψ 66:7 his eyes keep watch upon the nations; Pt. act. צוֹפֶה רָשָׁע לַצַּדִּיק ψ 37:32 a wicked man spieth…