כָּפָה (ka.phah)
ka.phah
to subdue
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb kaphah appears only once in the Old Testament, found in Proverbs 21:14. It carries the meaning of soothing, subduing, or pacifying a situation through deliberate action. The context suggests using a gift to calm anger, effectively neutralizing hostility before it escalates.
This single usage highlights a practical wisdom about human relationships. Rather than confronting rage with force, the text advises defusing tension through generosity. The word implies an active effort to lower the temperature of a conflict, turning potential destruction into peace through a tangible gesture.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word kaphah describes a deliberate action to subdue or calm something intense, like quieting a storm or soothing an angry person. In Proverbs 21:14, we see this applied to human relationships: a secret gift can pacify anger and turn aside strong wrath. This is not about bribery in the corrupt sense, but about using generosity to lower the temperature of conflict before it escalates into destruction.
For your daily life, this offers a practical path forward when tensions rise. Instead of meeting hostility with force or words that escalate the fight, consider how a small, thoughtful gesture might defuse the situation. It reminds us that peace often requires active effort and humility. By choosing to give rather than demand, you can help turn potential destruction into quiet resolution.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- it subdues1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יִכְפֶּה\־1×
Key Verses
-
Proverbs 21:14
A gift in secret pacifies anger, and a bribe in the cloak, strong wrath.
This verse uniquely applies kaphah to the act of using a secret gift to pacify anger, showing how generosity can subdue strong wrath.