6854. tsephardea
Lexical Summary
tsephardea: Frog

Original Word: צְפַרְדֵּעַ
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tsphardea`
Pronunciation: tsef-ar-day'-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (tsef-ar-day'-ah)
KJV: frog
NASB: frogs
Word Origin: [from H6852 (צָּפַר - depart) and a word elsewhere unused meaning a swamp]

1. a marsh-leaper, i.e. frog

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
frog

From tsaphar and a word elsewhere unused meaning a swamp; a marsh-leaper, i.e. Frog -- frog.

see HEBREW tsaphar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
frogs
NASB Translation
frogs (13).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
צְפַרְדֵּעַ noun feminineEx 8:2 (compare also AlbrZAW xv (1895), 322 Ges§§ 135o 145o) frogs (Arabic , etc.; Aramaic עוּדְּעָנַיָּא, אוּרְדְּעָא, ); — frogs, collective Exodus 8:2; Psalm 78:45; plural צִפַרְדְּעִים Exodus 7:27; Exodus 7:28; Exodus 7:29; Exodus 8:1; Exodus 8:3; Exodus 8:4; Exodus 8:5; Exodus 8:7; Exodus 8:8; Exodus 8:9; Psalm 105:30.

צֶ֫פֶת see II צפה.

Topical Lexicon
Occurrence in Scripture

צְפַרְדֵּעַ appears thirteen times, always rendered “frog(s),” ten times in Exodus 8 and once each in Psalm 78:45 and Psalm 105:30. Every reference looks back to the second plague on Egypt, making the word inseparable from that historic judgment.

The Plague of Frogs (Exodus 8)

When Pharaoh hardened his heart after the first plague, the Lord warned, “If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs” (Exodus 8:2). The Nile, the source of Egypt’s life and a focus of its worship, would “team with frogs” (8:3). These amphibians invaded every sphere—palace, bedroom, ovens, and kneading bowls—so that “the frogs will come upon you and your people and all your officials” (8:4).

Aaron’s staff over the waters (8:5-6) brought the promised inundation; Pharaoh’s magicians duplicated the sign (8:7) but could not remove it. Pharaoh pleaded, “Pray to the LORD to remove the frogs from me and my people” (8:8). Moses granted him the honor of naming the time, “that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God” (8:10). The removal came exactly as requested (8:11-13), yet Pharaoh again hardened his heart.

Covenantal Confrontation with Egyptian Deities

Ancient Egypt associated frogs with Heket, a goddess of fertility and resurrection who was often depicted with a frog’s head. By flooding Egypt with uncontrollable frogs—and then killing them in heaps that stank (8:14)—Yahweh exposed Heket’s impotence and demonstrated His absolute sovereignty. Each plague systematically dismantled Egypt’s pantheon; the frog plague therefore served as a polemic against false fertility cults.

Psalmic Recollections

Generations later, Israel’s worship recalled the frogs as a sign of covenant faithfulness:
• “He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them” (Psalm 78:45).
• “Their land teemed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings” (Psalm 105:30).

Both psalms employ the plague to bolster trust in the Lord’s saving power and to warn against forgetfulness of His mighty acts.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Lordship over Creation: The creatures that normally inhabited riverbanks became instruments of judgment the moment God commanded.
2. Holiness and Separation: Frogs desecrated Egypt’s sacred and domestic spaces alike, illustrating that nothing resists divine holiness unchecked.
3. Hardness of Heart: The plague ended only after Pharaoh begged for relief, yet the rapid return to obstinacy highlights the deceitfulness of sin.
4. Covenant Vindication: The plague advanced God’s redemptive plan to liberate Israel, prefiguring later acts of deliverance culminating in the cross and resurrection.

Typological and Prophetic Resonance

Revelation 16:13 describes “unclean spirits like frogs” proceeding from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. The imagery recalls Exodus: demonic forces, like the plague-frogs, flood the earth prior to final judgment. This linkage places the Exodus narrative within a broader biblical pattern: temporary plagues foreshadow final cosmic confrontation and victory.

Historical and Cultural Background

Frogs thrived in the annual Nile inundation, symbolizing fertility. Egyptians protected them; killing a frog could incur severe penalties. The plague therefore struck at Egypt’s social order and religious taboos, intensifying its psychological impact and demonstrating that obedience to God outweighs cultural norms.

Ministerial Applications

• Preaching: The narrative offers a compelling call to repentance, exposing how temporary concessions (Pharaoh’s pleas) differ from genuine surrender.
• Worship: Psalmic reflections encourage congregations to remember past deliverances as fuel for present praise.
• Counseling: The swift shift from crisis-driven vows to hardened resistance warns believers against conditional obedience.
• Missions: Just as the Lord confronted Egypt’s gods, the gospel confronts modern idols; confidence rests in the same sovereign power.

Related Passages for Study

Exodus 7–12; Deuteronomy 4:34; Nehemiah 9:10; Acts 7:36; Revelation 16:13-14.

Forms and Transliterations
בַּֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים׃ בצפרדעים׃ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֗ים הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים׃ הַֽצֲפַרְדְּעִ֔ים הַצְּפַרְדֵּ֔עַ הצפרדע הצפרדעים הצפרדעים׃ וּ֝צְפַרְדֵּ֗עַ וצפרדע צְפַרְדְּעִ֑ים צְפַרְדְּעִים֒ צפרדעים baṣ·p̄ar·də·‘îm baṣp̄ardə‘îm BatzfardeIm ha·ṣă·p̄ar·də·‘îm haṣ·p̄ar·də·‘îm haṣ·ṣə·p̄ar·dê·a‘ haṣăp̄ardə‘îm haṣp̄ardə‘îm haṣṣəp̄ardêa‘ hatzafardeIm HatzfardeIm hatztzefarDea ṣə·p̄ar·də·‘îm ṣəp̄ardə‘îm tzefardeIm ū·ṣə·p̄ar·dê·a‘ ūṣəp̄ardêa‘ utzefarDea
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Englishman's Concordance
Exodus 8:2
HEB: כָּל־ גְּבוּלְךָ֖ בַּֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים׃
NAS: your whole territory with frogs.
KJV: all thy borders with frogs:
INT: your whole territory frogs

Exodus 8:3
HEB: וְשָׁרַ֣ץ הַיְאֹר֮ צְפַרְדְּעִים֒ וְעָלוּ֙ וּבָ֣אוּ
NAS: will swarm with frogs, which will come
KJV: shall bring forth frogs abundantly,
INT: will swarm the Nile frogs will come and go

Exodus 8:4
HEB: עֲבָדֶ֑יךָ יַעֲל֖וּ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים׃
NAS: So the frogs will come
KJV: And the frogs shall come up
INT: servants will come the frogs

Exodus 8:5
HEB: וְהַ֥עַל אֶת־ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים עַל־ אֶ֥רֶץ
NAS: the pools, and make frogs come
KJV: and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up
INT: the pools come frogs over the land

Exodus 8:6
HEB: מִצְרָ֑יִם וַתַּ֙עַל֙ הַצְּפַרְדֵּ֔עַ וַתְּכַ֖ס אֶת־
NAS: of Egypt, and the frogs came
KJV: of Egypt; and the frogs came up,
INT: of Egypt came and the frogs and covered the land

Exodus 8:7
HEB: וַיַּעֲל֥וּ אֶת־ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים עַל־ אֶ֥רֶץ
NAS: with their secret arts, making frogs come
KJV: and brought up frogs upon the land
INT: their secret come frogs on the land

Exodus 8:8
HEB: יְהוָ֔ה וְיָסֵר֙ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים מִמֶּ֖נִּי וּמֵֽעַמִּ֑י
NAS: that He remove the frogs from me and from my people;
KJV: that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people;
INT: the LORD remove the frogs and from my people

Exodus 8:9
HEB: וּֽלְעַמְּךָ֔ לְהַכְרִית֙ הַֽצֲפַרְדְּעִ֔ים מִמְּךָ֖ וּמִבָּתֶּ֑יךָ
NAS: and your people, that the frogs be destroyed
KJV: to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses,
INT: and your people be destroyed the frogs at and your houses

Exodus 8:11
HEB: וְסָר֣וּ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֗ים מִמְּךָ֙ וּמִבָּ֣תֶּ֔יךָ
NAS: The frogs will depart
KJV: And the frogs shall depart
INT: will depart the frogs at and your houses

Exodus 8:12
HEB: עַל־ דְּבַ֥ר הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים אֲשֶׁר־ שָׂ֥ם
NAS: concerning the frogs which
KJV: because of the frogs which he had brought
INT: because of the frogs which had inflicted

Exodus 8:13
HEB: מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיָּמֻ֙תוּ֙ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים מִן־ הַבָּתִּ֥ים
NAS: of Moses, and the frogs died
KJV: of Moses; and the frogs died
INT: of Moses died and the frogs out of the houses

Psalm 78:45
HEB: עָ֭רֹב וַיֹּאכְלֵ֑ם וּ֝צְפַרְדֵּ֗עַ וַתַּשְׁחִיתֵֽם׃
NAS: which devoured them, And frogs which destroyed
KJV: among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed
INT: swarms devoured and frogs destroyed

Psalm 105:30
HEB: שָׁרַ֣ץ אַרְצָ֣ם צְפַרְדְּעִ֑ים בְּ֝חַדְרֵ֗י מַלְכֵיהֶֽם׃
NAS: swarmed with frogs [Even] in the chambers
KJV: brought forth frogs in abundance,
INT: swarmed their land frogs the chambers of their kings

13 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6854
13 Occurrences


baṣ·p̄ar·də·‘îm — 1 Occ.
ha·ṣă·p̄ar·də·‘îm — 1 Occ.
haṣ·p̄ar·də·‘îm — 7 Occ.
haṣ·ṣə·p̄ar·dê·a‘ — 1 Occ.
ṣə·p̄ar·də·‘îm — 2 Occ.
ū·ṣə·p̄ar·dê·a‘ — 1 Occ.

6853
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