חָפַר (cha.phar)
cha.phar
to search
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 19 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb chaphar carries the dual sense of digging physically and searching metaphorically. In its primary action, it describes the labor of excavating earth to create wells or tombs. This physical act often serves as a metaphor for deeper inquiry, where the effort of digging mirrors the diligence required to find truth or hidden things.
While the word appears in various contexts, its usage in Genesis highlights this connection between land and discovery. The patriarchs are recorded digging wells, an activity that involves both territorial claim and the search for life-sustaining water. Similarly, in Job, the term can describe searching out wisdom or understanding, suggesting that gaining insight requires persistent effort akin to moving heavy soil.
Translators typically render chaphar as "dig" when referring to wells or graves, but switch to "search" or "explore" when the context is intellectual or spiritual. This flexibility shows how ancient Hebrew thought linked physical labor with mental or spiritual pursuit. The word emphasizes that finding what is hidden demands active, sustained engagement rather than passive waiting.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word chaphar bridges the physical act of digging with the spiritual discipline of searching. In Genesis, patriarchs dug wells to find life-sustaining water in dry lands. This labor required patience and persistence. It reminds us that seeking God often involves similar steady effort, moving earth by earth until we reach the source of living water.
Job uses this same term to describe a desperate search for death or wisdom. Here, digging becomes a metaphor for intense inquiry. The text suggests that true understanding is not found passively. It requires us to engage deeply with our circumstances and with Scripture, even when the work feels heavy or uncertain.
This dual meaning encourages a faithful persistence in our spiritual lives. Whether we are seeking practical guidance or deeper truth, the effort itself has value. We are invited to trust that this diligent search leads us toward clarity and hope, just as digging eventually reveals water in the desert.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 19 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ they dug3×
- to/ spy out2×
- they had dug2×
- and/ he dug2×
- they paw1×
- they have dug1×
- so/ they may spy out1×
- people had dug1×
- it spies out1×
- and/ you will be well protected1×
- and/ they dug for/ it1×
- and/ I dug1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לַ/חְפֹּ֥ר2×
- חָֽפְרוּ֙2×
- יַחְפְּר֣וּ1×
- חֹפֵ֥ר1×
- חָפָ֑רוּ1×
- חָפַ֖רְתִּי1×
- חָפְר֥וּ1×
- חָֽפַר\־1×
- חֲפָר֣וּ/הָ1×
- וָ/אֶחְפֹּ֗ר1×
- וַֽ֝/יַּחְפְּרֻ֗/הוּ1×
- וַֽ/יַּחְפְּרוּ֙1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 26:19
Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of flowing water.
This verse shows Isaac’s servants finding flowing water through persistent digging, illustrating how sustained effort leads to discovery.
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Job 3:21
who long for death, but it doesn’t come; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,
Here the word describes digging for death as eagerly as for hidden treasures, highlighting the intensity of human longing even in despair.
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Deuteronomy 1:22
You came near to me, everyone of you, and said, “Let’s send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities to which we shall come.”
The people ask men to search the land, linking physical exploration with the need for reliable information before moving forward.
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Jeremiah 13:7
Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the belt was ruined. It was profitable for nothing.
Jeremiah digs up a ruined belt, showing that searching can reveal decay when we look for what was once hidden or preserved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does chaphar mean in the Bible?
How is chaphar different from other words for seeking?
Where does chaphar appear most often?
Every Occurrence (19 verses across 9 books)
Genesis 7 verses
He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well.”
Genesis 26:15Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped,…
Genesis 26:18Isaac dug again the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had…
Genesis 26:19Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of flowing water.
Genesis 26:21They dug another well, and they argued over that, also. So he called its name Sitnah.
Genesis 26:22He left that place, and dug another well. They didn’t argue over that one. So he called it Rehoboth. He said, “For now…
Genesis 26:32The same day, Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have…