סָעִיף (sa.iph)
sa.iph
cleft
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun saiph carries two distinct meanings that share a visual root: a split in rock and a branch on a tree. In its primary sense, it describes a cleft or fissure, often referring to a crevice in a cliff face. This usage appears in Judges 6:11, where the angel of the Lord sits under a terebinth tree beside a rocky outcrop, highlighting the rugged terrain of the region.
Less commonly, saiph refers to the branches or boughs of a tree. Isaiah uses this sense in chapter 9:10, where the people declare that although cedar beams have fallen, they will replace them with cypress branches. Here, the word emphasizes the raw material of construction and the resilience of nature. The connection between the two meanings lies in the idea of something split or divided from a main body.
Translators typically render saiph as "cleft" when referring to stone and "branches" when discussing vegetation. This dual usage reflects the close relationship between geological features and plant life in the ancient Near East, where trees often grew in rocky crevices. The word serves as a reminder of the physical landscape described in Scripture.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word saiph describes a split or fissure, most often found in the rugged limestone cliffs of ancient Israel. In Judges and Isaiah, these clefts are places of hiding and refuge. When fear rises or danger approaches, the text points to these rocky crevices as shelter from the storm. This imagery reminds us that God provides cover even in the most jagged and difficult landscapes of life.
Sometimes saiph refers to the branches of a tree, showing how nature adapts to harsh soil. Just as roots find purchase in stone, faith can grow where conditions seem impossible. These images ground our spiritual hope in physical reality. God knows the terrain of your heart and meets you there, whether you are seeking safety in a cleft or reaching for new growth like a branch.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- on/ branches/ its1×
- in/ [the] cleft of1×
- branches/ its1×
- and/ in/ [the] clefts of1×
- [the] clefts of1×
- [the] cleft of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- סְעִפֶֽי/הָ\׃1×
- סְעִפֵ֥י1×
- סְעִיף֮1×
- וּ/בִ/סְעִפֵ֖י1×
- בִּ/סְעִפֶ֙י/הָ֙1×
- בִּ/סְעִ֖יף1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 2:21
to go into the caverns of the rocks, and into the clefts of the ragged rocks, from before the terror of Yahweh, and from the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake the earth mightily.
This verse uses the word to describe hiding in rock clefts from the terrifying majesty of God, highlighting human vulnerability before divine holiness.
-
Isaiah 57:5
you who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree; who kill the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
Here the term identifies the specific rocky crevices where idolatrous worship took place, contrasting false refuge with true trust in God.
-
Isaiah 17:6
Yet gleanings will be left there, like the shaking of an olive tree, two or three olives in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outermost branches of a fruitful tree,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel.
The word shifts to mean tree branches, illustrating how even after devastation, small remnants of life remain on the outermost boughs.