סַף (saph)
saph
basin; threshold
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 22 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun saph carries two distinct meanings that share a visual root: a spreading out or flat surface. In one sense, it refers to a basin, bowl, or goblet used for holding liquids. This usage appears in descriptions of temple furnishings, such as the large bronze basins prepared for ritual washing in Solomon’s temple (2 Chronicles 4:6). The image is of something wide and shallow, designed to hold water.
In its other primary sense, saph denotes a threshold or sill, the stone strip at the bottom of a doorway. This meaning occurs frequently in historical books like Kings and Chronicles, often marking the boundary between the outer court and the inner sanctuary. For instance, Ezekiel describes measurements from the threshold to the entrance of the temple (Ezekiel 40:5). Here, the word signifies a literal limit or point of entry.
These two senses are connected by the idea of a flat, spread-out surface. Whether it is the wide base of a bowl or the flat stone at a door’s foot, saph describes something that lies open and extended. Translators usually render it as "basin" or "threshold" depending on context, preserving the physical specificity of the original term.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word saph describes two distinct physical realities: a wide basin for holding water or the flat stone threshold at the bottom of a doorway. Both images share a core idea of a defined boundary that holds something precious within it. In the temple, these basins were essential for ritual cleansing, while thresholds marked the sacred line between the outer court and the holy place.
For your daily life, this word invites you to consider where you set your boundaries. Just as the threshold protected the inner sanctum from the chaos outside, your personal limits can guard your heart and peace. It is not about building walls of isolation, but creating a space where you can rest in God’s presence without being overwhelmed by the demands of the world.
When you feel scattered or exposed, remember that God provides spaces for refuge. Whether it is the quiet of prayer or the support of community, He establishes places where you are held securely. You do not need to carry everything at once; you can step into the space He has prepared for your soul.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 22 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ threshold9×
- the/ thresholds5×
- [is] in the/ basin2×
- the/ basins1×
- at/ [the] threshold of1×
- at the/ thresholds1×
- and/ the/ basins1×
- and/ basins1×
- a basin of1×
- [will be] on the/ threshold1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/סַּֽף\׃4×
- סַף\־1×
- וְ֠/הַ/סִּפּוֹת1×
- וְ/סַפּוֹת֙1×
- הַ֠/סִּפִּים1×
- הַ/סַּף֒1×
- הַ/סַּ֜ף1×
- הַ/סַּ֖ף1×
- הַ/סַּ֔ף1×
- הַ/סַּ֑ף1×
- הַ/סִּפִּֽים\׃1×
- הַ/סִּפִּ֛ים1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 12:22
You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door posts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.
This verse links the basin holding blood with the threshold, showing how both elements work together to mark a boundary of protection and life.
-
Judges 19:27
Her lord rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and behold, the woman his concubine had fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.
The tragic image of the woman falling at the threshold highlights the threshold as a place of vulnerability and the critical moment of decision.
-
II Kings 23:4
The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring out of Yahweh’s temple all the vessels that were made for Baal, for the Asherah, and for all the army of the sky; and he burned them outside of Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.
The keepers of the threshold are responsible for removing idols, showing their role in maintaining the purity of the sacred space.
-
Isaiah 6:4
The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
The shaking of the thresholds at God’s voice emphasizes the power and majesty that transcends even the physical boundaries of the temple.