Lexical Summary kaphash: To subdue, to bring into bondage, to subject Original Word: כָּפַשׁ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cover A primitive root; to tread down; figuratively, to humiliate -- cover. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to make bent, press or bend together NASB Translation cower (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [כָּפַשׁ] verb only Hiph`il make bent, press or bend together (Late Hebrew Hiph`il id.; כָּפַשׁ furnish a vessel with a bent rim, כּוֺפֶשׁ a broad-rimmed vessel; Arabic Hiph`il Perfect3masculine singular suffix בָּאֵפֶרהִכְמִּישַׁנִי Lamentations 3:16 he made me cower in the ashes. Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Nuances The verb conveys the idea of forcefully pressing down, trampling, or overwhelming so thoroughly that the object is brought low and covered. The imagery combines external pressure (“trampled”) with the result of humiliation (“in the dust”), painting a picture of total subjection. Textual Occurrence Lamentations 3:16: “He has ground my teeth with gravel; He has trampled me in the dust.” Jeremiah’s lament over Jerusalem reaches a climax of helplessness. The term depicts the invading power of Babylon as the very hand of God pressing His people to the ground—an act that feels both crushing and inescapable. Historical Setting After the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, survivors faced physical ruin, social disgrace, and spiritual desolation. Dust, ashes, and gravel were literal and symbolic: the shattered masonry of the city now underfoot, mixed with tears and blood. By choosing a term that pictures trampling, the prophet underlines the completeness of judgment—walls, temple, and people alike flattened beneath divine wrath executed through human agents. Theological Themes 1. Divine Discipline. The verb underscores that the exile was not random cruelty but purposeful chastening (Hebrews 12:6). Canonical Echoes Though 3728 itself appears only once, its concept reverberates: These passages show God both permitting His people to be trampled and promising to trample evil for their sake, highlighting His sovereign consistency. Christological Overtones The Servant’s humiliation foretold in Isaiah 53:10 and the Psalmist’s cry, “You lay Me in the dust of death” (Psalm 22:15), anticipate Jesus Christ, who was voluntarily crushed that many might be lifted. The single use of the verb in Lamentations pre-echoes the unique, once-for-all crushing of the Messiah (Hebrews 9:26). Pastoral and Devotional Insights • Seasons of being “pressed into the dust” may signal God’s refining rather than His abandonment. Homiletical Suggestions 1. Title: “When God Feels Heavy: Lessons from the Dust.” a. The Crushing (Lamentations 3:16). b. The Confession (3:18-20). c. The Covenant Hope (3:21-26). Practical Ministry Application In counseling, invite sufferers to articulate their “dust” moments, then guide them to recall God’s steadfast love (Lamentations 3:22). Encourage communal lament in worship settings; it validates pain and opens the way for corporate healing and revival (2 Chronicles 7:14). Forms and Transliterations הִכְפִּישַׁ֖נִי הכפישני hichpiShani hiḵ·pî·ša·nî hiḵpîšanîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Lamentations 3:16 HEB: בֶּֽחָצָץ֙ שִׁנָּ֔י הִכְפִּישַׁ֖נִי בָּאֵֽפֶר׃ NAS: with gravel; He has made me cower in the dust. KJV: with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. INT: gravel my teeth cower the dust 1 Occurrence |