קָפַד (qa.phad)
qa.phad
to roll
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb qaphad, found in its Piel stem meaning "to gather together" or "roll up," appears only once in the Bible at Isaiah 38:12. In this context, King Hezekiah uses it to describe his mourning process. He speaks of his days and years being rolled up like a shepherd’s tent, suggesting a sudden gathering or termination of his life’s timeline.
This rare usage paints a vivid picture of personal history as a portable dwelling. Just as a shepherd rolls up the fabric of a tent to pack it away, Hezekiah feels his existence being condensed and stored. The image conveys not just an end, but a compacting of time into a small, manageable space before it is carried off.
Because the word occurs only here, its theological weight rests entirely on this metaphor of life as a temporary shelter. It reflects a view of human existence that is brief and portable, contrasting with the permanence of God’s promise. The verb captures the feeling of time being actively gathered up rather than passively passing.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Isaiah 38:12 uses a rare Hebrew word that paints life as a tent being rolled up by a shepherd. This image captures how quickly our time on earth can feel when facing illness or loss. It is not just about ending, but about the sudden gathering of all your days into one compact moment.
Hezekiah felt his strength fading and his future shrinking. Yet this verse does not leave us in despair. It reminds us that God holds every moment of our lives. Even when we feel our time is being cut short, He remains faithful to His promises. We can trust Him with our brief days.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- I have rolled up1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- קִפַּ֨דְתִּי1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 38:12
My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver. He will cut me off from the loom. From day even to night you will make an end of me.
This verse uses the verb to describe Hezekiah’s life being condensed like a rolled-up tent, emphasizing the suddenness of his perceived end.