Original Word: סָפַח
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: caphach
Pronunciation: sah-fakh'
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-fakh')
KJV: abiding, gather together, cleave, smite with the scab
NASB: assign, attach, attachment, gathered together, mix
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to scrape out, but in certain peculiar senses (of removal or association)

abiding, gather together, cleave, smite with the scab

Or saphach (Isaiah 3:17) {saw-fakh'}; a primitive root; properly, to scrape out, but in certain peculiar senses (of removal or association) -- abiding, gather together, cleave, smite with the scab.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to join, attach to
NASB Translation
assign (1), attach (1), attachment (1), gathered together (1), mix (1).

I. [סָפח] verb join, attach to; —

Qal Imperative masculine singular suffix׳סְפָחֵ֫נִי נָא אֶלוֿגו 1 Samuel 2:36 attach me, pray, to one of the priest's offices.

Niph`al Perfect3plural וְנִסְמְּחוּ עַלֿ consecutive Isaiah 14:1 and they shall attach themselves to the house of Jacob ("" נִלְוָה).

Pi`el Participle מְסַמֵּהַ חֲסָֽתְךָ Habakkuk 2:15 joining (to it ?) thy fury, but read probably מִסַּף (ח dittograph) from the goblet of thy fury (so We Gr Now GASm Da).

Pu`al Imperfect3masculine plural יְסֻמָּ֑חוּ Job 30:7 are joined together, hold themselves together (yet read perhaps Niph`al יִסָּפֵ֑חוּ Bu).

Hithpa`el Infinitive construct מֵהִסְתַּמֵּחַ 1 Samuel 26:19 they have driven me out from joining myself with (בְּ) the inheritance of ׳י.

II. ספח (√ of following; apparently pour out; compare Arabic pour out, shed (blood; Qor 6:146); Late Hebrew מִמֵּחַ of river, cast out alluvial soil, make new land).

שִׂמַּח verb Pi`el denominative cause a scab upon, smite with scab (שׂ substantive for ס); — וְשִׂמַּה אֲדֹנָי ׳קָדְקָד וגו (consecutive) Isaiah 3:17 and Adonay shall smite with scab the crown of the daughters of Zion.

Meaning and Scope

The verb סָפַח (saphach) traces a movement of attachment—bringing something or someone into close association—or, in certain contexts, adding an element that defiles or burdens. Whether the attachment is welcomed, begged for, or forced, the word always highlights a change of status that is controlled by God’s providence.

Occurrences and Contexts

1. 1 Samuel 2:36 – A member of Eli’s judged line will plead, “Please appoint me to some priestly office so that I may eat a morsel of bread”. The once-privileged family will beg merely to be attached to priestly service, showing how divine judgment reverses human status.
2. 1 Samuel 26:19 – David protests that he has been driven “from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD”. To be barred from attaching himself to the covenant worship is portrayed as a fate worse than exile itself.
3. Job 30:7 – The social outcasts “huddle among the bushes and gather beneath the nettles” (paraphr. of). Their desperate clustering illustrates how misery compels a forced attachment for survival.
4. Isaiah 3:17 – “Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare”. The verb depicts an imposed blemish that sets them apart in shame, a negative attachment marking divine discipline.
5. Isaiah 14:1 – “Aliens will join them and be united with the house of Jacob”. Here saphach anticipates nations voluntarily attaching themselves to Israel, a grace-filled reversal of 1 Samuel 2:36.
6. Habakkuk 2:15 – “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring out your wineskin…”. The participle paints a corrupt additive act—mixing drink so as to exploit another’s nakedness.

Themes of Inclusion and Exclusion

• Covenant Belonging: In 1 Samuel and Isaiah, saphach underscores access to worship and land. Being “joined” to Israel or its priesthood is a gift guarded by God.
• Reversal of Fortunes: The same verb that promises Gentile inclusion (Isaiah 14:1) also describes Eli’s descendants begging for scraps (1 Samuel 2:36). Divine sovereignty exalts and humbles.
• Social Marginalization: Job 30:7 shows the ostracized clinging together, and Habakkuk 2:15 shows the powerful adding degradation to the helpless. Both passages expose societal sin that demands repentance.
• Visible Judgment: Isaiah 3:17 turns attachment into a mark of disgrace—a public sign that unfaithfulness carries consequences.

Echoes in Redemptive History

Saphach anticipates the grafting language of Romans 11. Just as foreigners “will be united with the house of Jacob,” Gentiles are “grafted in among them” by faith in Christ. The verb thereby foreshadows the one new man in which former outsiders find a permanent attachment to the people of God.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Hospitality and Evangelism: Isaiah 14:1 calls God’s people to welcome those He is drawing to Himself. Churches mirror the coming kingdom when they joyfully attach newcomers to the fellowship.
• Guarding Worship: David’s lament in 1 Samuel 26:19 warns against allowing any practice or attitude that pushes believers away from corporate inheritance.
• Compassion for Outcasts: Job 30:7 challenges leaders to move toward society’s marginalized, providing shelter rather than merely observing their desperate clustering.
• Warning Against Exploitation: Habakkuk 2:15 condemns adding substances or circumstances that weaken another for personal gain—a timeless rebuke to abuses of power, addiction, and manipulation.
• Humble Dependence: Eli’s descendants begging for attachment remind every servant of God that ministry is a mercy, not a right.

Christological and Ecclesiological Reflections

In Jesus Christ the once-far-off are “brought near” (Ephesians 2:13). The word saphach helps illuminate this miracle: believers are not merely visitors but permanently attached to the household of God. At the same time, the judgments linked with the verb caution the church against pride; attachment can be withdrawn or marked with shame when hearts rebel. Thus saphach urges both gratitude for inclusion and vigilance in holiness.

וְנִסְפְּח֖וּ וְשִׂפַּ֣ח ונספחו ושפח יְסֻפָּֽחוּ׃ יספחו׃ מְסַפֵּ֥חַ מֵהִסְתַּפֵּ֜חַ מהסתפח מספח סְפָחֵ֥נִי ספחני mê·his·tap·pê·aḥ mə·sap·pê·aḥ mehistapPeach mêhistappêaḥ mesapPeach məsappêaḥ sə·p̄ā·ḥê·nî sefaCheni səp̄āḥênî venispeChu vesipPach wə·nis·pə·ḥū wə·śip·paḥ wənispəḥū wəśippaḥ yə·sup·pā·ḥū yesupPachu yəsuppāḥūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts