H6852 H6852
depart early, leave (possibly at dawn)
This verb appears only in Judges 7:3 in God's instructions to Gideon about reducing his army. The interpretation remains somewhat uncertain—the text says 'let him return and depart' from Mount Gilead. Some connect it to Aramaic words for morning, suggesting 'depart early' or 'leave at dawn.' Others propose textual emendations. The basic sense involves departure or leaving, specifically allowing fearful soldiers to leave Gideon's camp before the battle with Midian. Whatever the precise etymology, the functional meaning—permission to depart—is clear from context.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Means to depart or leave, possibly with nuances of early morning departure. Judges 7:3 uses this verb in God's directive to let fearful men leave Gideon's army, resulting in 22,000 departing from the 32,000 who had gathered, leaving only 10,000 before God reduced the force further. 1×
AR["وَ-يَنْصَرِفْ"]·ben["এবং-সে-পাখির-মত-উড়ে-যাক"]·DE["und-weggehen-frueh"]·EN["and-depart-early"]·FR["et-depart-tôt"]·heb["ו-יצפור"]·HI["और-जाए"]·ID["dan-biarlah-ia-bergegas-pergi"]·IT["e-depart-presto"]·jav["lan-mundura"]·KO["그리고-떠나라"]·PT["e-parta-cedo"]·RU["и-удалится"]·ES["y-madrugue"]·SW["na-aondoke"]·TR["ve-geri-gitsin"]·urd["اور-اڑے"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [צָפַר] vb.;— Qal Impf. 3 ms. יָשֹׁב וְיִצְפֹּר מֵהַר הַגִּלְעָד Ju 7:3 let him return and (Vrss) let him depart, AV depart early (as Ki, from Aramaic צפרא, ܨܰܦܪܳܐ morning, improb.), wholly uncertain; Gr וְיַעֲבֹר; on difficulty of מֵהַר הַגּ׳ v. גִּלְעָד" dir="rtl" >גִּלְעָד 2, and GFM, who conj. וַיִּצְרְפֵם גִּדְעֹן and so Gideon put them to the test (cf. v 4), so Bu Now (cf. DrHast. ii. 176 n).