Original Word: תָּפַשׂ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: taphas
Pronunciation: tah-FAS
Phonetic Spelling: (taw-fas')
KJV: catch, handle, (lay, take) hold (on, over), stop, X surely, surprise, take
NASB: seized, captured, caught, seize, handle, take, took
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to manipulate, i.e. seize
2. chiefly to capture, wield, specifically, to overlay
3. (figuratively) to use unwarrantably

catch, handle, lay, take hold on, over, stop, surely, surprise,

A primitive root; to manipulate, i.e. Seize; chiefly to capture, wield, specifically, to overlay; figuratively, to use unwarrantably -- catch, handle, (lay, take) hold (on, over), stop, X surely, surprise, take.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to lay hold of, wield
NASB Translation
arrested (2), capture (2), captured (8), caught (5), grasp (1), grasps (1), handle (4), handled (1), hold (1), lay hold (1), lays hold (1), occupy (1), overlaid (1), play (1), profane (1), seize (5), seized (13), seizes (1), surely be captured (1), take (3), taken over (1), took (3), took hold (3), wielding (1), wields (1).

תָּפַשׂ verb lay hold of, wield ( = Late Hebrew תָּפַשׂ, תָּפַם, Aramaic תְּפַשׂ, תְּפַם); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳ת 2 Kings 14:13 +, suffix consecutive וּתְפָשָׂהּ Deuteronomy 22:28, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יִתְמּשֹׁ Isaiah 3:6, 1plural נִתְמְּשֵׂם 2 Kings 7:12, etc.; Imperative masculine plural תִּפְשׂוּ 1 Kings 18:40, etc.; Infinitive absolute תָּפשֹׁ Jeremiah 34:3; construct תְּפשֹׁ Ezekiel 14:5, לִתְמּשֹׁ Ezekiel 21:16; Ezekiel 30:21, suffix לְתָפְשָׂהּ Deuteronomy 20:19, etc.; Participle תֹּפֵשׂ Genesis 4:21 +, construct תֹּפְשִׂי Jeremiah 49:16 (Ges^{§ 90l}), etc.; —

1 lay hold of, seize (with the hand), accusative of person, Genesis 39:12 (J; + בְּבִגְדוֺ), also (ב person) Isaiah 3:6; Deuteronomy 21:19; Jeremiah 37:14; Ezekiel 29:7 (in figurative; + ב instrumental); with ב of thing 1 Kings 11:30; Deuteronomy 9:17; arrest, catch, accusative of person 1 Samuel 23:26; 1 Kings 13:4; 1 Kings 18:40 (twice in verse); Jeremiah 26:8; Jeremiah 37:13; 2 Kings 14:13 2Chronicles 25:23; 2 Kings 25:6 = Jeremiah 52:9; Psalm 71:11; in phrase catch, capture alive (חַי), accusative of person Joshua 8:28 (JE), 1 Samuel 15:8; 1 Kings 20:18 (twice in verse); 2 Kings 7:12; 2 Kings 10:14 (twice in verse); seize city (accusative) Joshua 8:8 (JE), 2 Kings 14:7; 2 Kings 16:9; 2 Kings 18:13 = Isaiah 36:1; Deuteronomy 20:9; Jeremiah 40:10; figurative Ezekiel 14:5 seize Israel (accusative) by (ב) their heart (terrorize them); Proverbs 30:9 seize (do violence to) the name (accusative) of my God; תָּפוּשׂ זָהָב Habakkuk 2:19 grasped (sheathed) in gold; מְרוֺם גִּבְעָה ׳ת Jeremiah 49:16 holding (occupying) the height of the hill.

2 grasp in order to wield, wield, use skilfully : grasp sword בַּכָּף Ezekiel 21:16 (accusative omitted), compare Ezekiel 30:21 (ב of sword), and especially participle: תִּפֵשׂ הַקֶּשֶׁת Amos 2:15, תֹּפֵשׂ כִנּוֺר Genesis 4:21 (J), מַגָּל ׳ת Jeremiah 50:16, תֹּפְשֵׂי מָגֵן Jeremiah 46:9a (strike out ׳ת Jeremiah 46:9b ᵐ5 Gie Co Du), מָשׁוֺט ׳ת Ezekiel 27:29, חֲרָבוֺת Ezekiel 38:4; even הַתּוֺרָה ׳ת Jeremiah 2:8 they that handle (deal with, are expert in) the law, הַמִּלְחָמָה ׳ת Numbers 31:27 (P) those skilled in war. — Jeremiah 34:8 see below

Niph`al Perfect3masculine singular נִתְמַּשׂ Ezekiel 19:4, 2feminine singular נִתְמַּשְׂתְּ Jeremiah 50:24, etc.; Imperfect3feminine singular וַתִּתָּפֵשׂ Jeremiah 51:41, 2masculine singular תִּתָּפֵשׂ Jeremiah 34:3; Jeremiah 38:23, etc.; Infinitive construct לְהִתָּפֵשׂ Ezekiel 21:28; — be seized, arrested, caught (sometimes "" נִלְכַּד), subject person, Jeremiah 38:23 (ב instrumental), Jeremiah 50:24 (figurative of Babylonian ), also (with ב instrumental) Ezekiel 12:13; Ezekiel 17:20; Ezekiel 19:4,8 (both figurative of Israel), Ezekiel 21:29, and (without ב) Ezekiel 21:28; Numbers 5:13; + Infinitive absolute

Qal תָּפשֹׁ תִּתָּפֵשׂ Jeremiah 34:3; be seized, of fortress, city Jeremiah 48:41 (both "" נִלְכַּד), Jeremiah 50:46, compare Jeremiah 51:32; figurative Psalm 10:2 may they be caught in (ב) the devices which they have planned.

Pi`el Imperfect2masculine singular תְּתַמֵּשׂ Proverbs 30:28 a lizard thou mayest grasp with the hands (ב); — or read תִּתָּפֵשׂ Niph`al Imperfect 3 feminine singular, see De Toy.

I. תֹּ֫פֶת see תוף.

Overview

תָּפַשׂ (tāfas) describes the decisive act of seizing, grasping, or taking hold—whether of people, objects, or even abstract realities such as teaching or guilt. Across its roughly sixty-five appearances, the verb portrays both righteous and unrighteous hands closing upon their object. It ranges from military conquests and legal arrests to priests “handling” God’s Law, thereby engraving a theological portrait of human responsibility under divine sovereignty.

Patterns of Usage

• Physical capture in warfare (Numbers 21:32; Joshua 8:8; 2 Kings 14:13).
• Arrest or detainment of individuals (Jeremiah 37:13; Jeremiah 38:28).
• Grasping garments, hair, weapons, or tools (Genesis 39:12; Nehemiah 13:25).
• Handling, managing, or manipulating non-material things—most often the Law (Jeremiah 2:8; Jeremiah 8:8).
• Figurative “seizure” by sin, judgment, or wisdom (Ecclesiastes 7:26; Hosea 7:4).

Narrative Examples

1. Genesis 39:12-13 records Potiphar’s wife who “caught Joseph by his cloak,” illustrating sudden temptation and Joseph’s steadfast flight. Ministry implication: victory over sin begins with refusing its grasp before it becomes inescapable.

2. Numbers 21:32 shows Israel seizing villages of the Amorites. The conquest scenes proclaim the Lord’s covenant faithfulness; yet the same verb later condemns faithless kings who relied on human might (2 Kings 14:13).

3. 1 Samuel 15:27 reports Saul seizing Samuel’s robe, symbolizing a desperate attempt to hold onto rejected kingship, immediately followed by the garment’s tear and the prophetic verdict: “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today” (verse 28).

Liturgical and Prophetic Contexts

• Jeremiah repeatedly employs תָּפַשׂ to unveil religious corruption:

– “The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’… Those who handle the law did not know Me” (Jeremiah 2:8).

– “The lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely” (Jeremiah 8:8).

In both texts, the shepherds’ hands are on the sacred scrolls, yet their hearts are far from the Author. The verb therefore warns that mere possession of revelation does not equal obedience.

• Jeremiah 26:8-9 pictures civil authorities seizing the prophet for proclaiming judgment. Their action anticipates later opposition to Christ and to Gospel messengers (Acts 4:3).

Wisdom Literature

Ecclesiastes 7:26 speaks of the adulterous woman: “the sinner is captured by her.” Here תָּפַשׂ diagrams moral entanglement; sin does not merely entice—it imprisons. Proverbs 30:9 (LXX nuance) and related wisdom motifs reinforce that the wicked “are trapped by their own evil desires.”

Theological Implications

1. Human agency versus divine sovereignty: Though men seize, the Lord determines outcomes. Jehu orders, “Seize them alive!” (2 Kings 10:14), yet every coup fulfills prophetic word (1 Kings 19:17).
2. Covenant responsibility: Priests who “handle the law” stand accountable for fidelity (Jeremiah 2:8); mishandling accelerates national ruin (Jeremiah 8:8).
3. Deliverance motif: God alone can release what sin has captured. Psalm 68:18 (using a cognate idea) celebrates the victorious ascent that leads captives free—a trajectory climaxing in Ephesians 4:8.

Messianic and Eschatological Foreshadowing

The unlawful seizure of Jeremiah anticipates the arrest of Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:50). Both events disclose that unrighteous hands cannot thwart redemptive purpose; rather, God turns the arrest of His Servant into the release of sinners. The eschatological Day will see the final reversal when the Lamb “takes hold” of kingdoms (Revelation 11:15).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Guard the heart before sin gains a grip. Joseph’s flight (Genesis 39) provides a template for purity ministries.
• Handle the Word with reverence; teaching ministries must combine orthodoxy with obedience lest they repeat Jeremiah’s indictment.
• Counsel captives of addiction or guilt by pointing to Christ who “binds up the broken-hearted” (Isaiah 61:1).
• Encourage believers to “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Timothy 6:12)—a deliberate, covenantal appropriation mirroring the positive use of תָּפַשׂ.

Key Reference List

Genesis 39:12; Numbers 21:32; Joshua 8:8-9; Judges 8:14; 1 Samuel 15:27; 2 Kings 10:14; 2 Kings 14:13; Nehemiah 13:25; Jeremiah 2:8; Jeremiah 8:8; Jeremiah 26:8; Jeremiah 37:13; Jeremiah 38:28; Hosea 7:4; Ecclesiastes 7:26.

בְּתָפְשָׂ֨ם בתפשם וְ֝תִפְשׂ֗וּהוּ וְ֝תָפַ֗שְׂתִּי וְנִתְפְּשֵׂ֣ם וְנִתְפַּ֖שׂ וְתָ֥פְשׂוּ וְתָפַ֥שׂ וְתֹפְשֵׂ֤י וְתֹפֵ֤שׂ וְתֹפֵ֥שׂ וַֽיִּתְפְּשֵֽׂם׃ וַֽיִּתְפְּשֶׂ֔הָ וַֽיִּתְפְּשׂ֑וּם וַֽיִּתְפְּשׂ֖וּם וַֽיִּתְפְּשׂוּ֙ וַיִּתְפְּשׂ֨וּ וַיִּתְפֹּ֛שׂ וַיִּתְפֹּ֞שׂ וַיִּתְפֹּ֣שׂ וַיִּתְפֹּ֤שׂ וַתִּתְפְּשֵׂ֧הוּ וַתִּתָּפֵ֖שׂ וָאֶתְפֹּשׂ֙ וּתְפָשָׂ֖הּ ואתפש ויתפש ויתפשה ויתפשו ויתפשום ויתפשם׃ ונתפש ונתפשם ותפש ותפשה ותפשו ותפשוהו ותפשי ותפשתי ותתפש ותתפשהו יִתְפֹּ֨שׂ יִתָּפְשׂ֓וּ ׀ יתפש יתפשו כְּתָפְשְׂכֶ֣ם כתפשכם לְהִתָּפֵֽשׂ׃ לְתָפְשָֽׂם׃ לְתָפְשָׂ֗הּ לִתְפֹּ֣שׂ לִתְפֹּ֥שׂ להתפש׃ לתפש לתפשה לתפשם׃ נִתְפְּשָׂ֣ה נִתְפַּ֔שְׂתְּ נִתְפָּ֑שָׂה נִתְפָּ֑שׂ נִתְפָּ֔שׂוּ נִתְפָּֽשָׂה׃ נִתְפָּֽשׂ׃ נתפש נתפש׃ נתפשה נתפשה׃ נתפשו נתפשת תְּפַשְׂתֶּֽם׃ תְּפֹ֥שׂ תְּתַפֵּ֑שׂ תִּפְשֻׂ֑הוּ תִּפְשֽׂוּם׃ תִּפְשׂ֣וּ ׀ תִּפְשׂ֣וּם תִּתָּפֵ֔שׂ תִּתָּפֵֽשׂוּ׃ תָּ֣פְשׂוּ תָּפַ֛שׂ תָּפֹ֣שׂ תָּפוּשׂ֙ תֹּפְשִׂ֖י תֹּפְשֵׂ֖י תֹּפְשֵׂ֣י תֹּפְשֵׂ֥י תֹּפֵ֥שׂ תפוש תפש תפשהו תפשו תפשום תפשום׃ תפשי תפשתם׃ תתפש תתפשו׃ bə·ṯā·p̄ə·śām betafeSam bəṯāp̄əśām kə·ṯā·p̄ə·śə·ḵem ketafeseChem kəṯāp̄əśəḵem lə·hit·tā·p̄êś lə·ṯā·p̄ə·śāh lə·ṯā·p̄ə·śām lehittaFes ləhittāp̄êś letafeSah letafeSam ləṯāp̄əśāh ləṯāp̄əśām liṯ·pōś litPos liṯpōś niṯ·pā·śāh niṯ·pā·śū niṯ·pāś niṯ·paśt niṯ·pə·śāh nitPas niṯpāś nitPasah niṯpāśāh nitPast niṯpaśt nitPasu niṯpāśū nitpeSah niṯpəśāh tā·p̄aś tā·p̄ə·śū tā·p̄ōś tā·p̄ūś taFas Tafesu taFos taFus tāp̄aś tāp̄əśū tāp̄ōś tāp̄ūś tə·p̄aś·tem tə·p̄ōś tə·ṯap·pêś tefasTem teFos təp̄aśtem təp̄ōś tetapPes təṯappêś tifSu tifSuhu tifSum tip̄·śū tip̄·śu·hū tip̄·śūm tip̄śū tip̄śuhū tip̄śūm tit·tā·p̄ê·śū tit·tā·p̄êś tittaFes tittaFesu tittāp̄êś tittāp̄êśū tō·p̄ə·śê tō·p̄ə·śî tō·p̄êś toFes tofeSei tofeSi tōp̄êś tōp̄əśê tōp̄əśî ū·ṯə·p̄ā·śāh utefaSah ūṯəp̄āśāh vaetPos vaiyitpeSeha VaiyitpeSem vaiyitpeSu vaiyitpeSum vaiyitPos vattitpeSehu vattittaFes venitPas venitpeSem vetaFas vetaFasti veTafesu vetifSuhu vetoFes vetofeSei wā’eṯpōś wā·’eṯ·pōś wat·tiṯ·pə·śê·hū wat·tit·tā·p̄êś wattiṯpəśêhū wattittāp̄êś way·yiṯ·pə·śe·hā way·yiṯ·pə·śêm way·yiṯ·pə·śū way·yiṯ·pə·śūm way·yiṯ·pōś wayyiṯpəśehā wayyiṯpəśêm wayyiṯpəśū wayyiṯpəśūm wayyiṯpōś wə·niṯ·paś wə·niṯ·pə·śêm wə·ṯā·p̄aś wə·ṯā·p̄aś·tî wə·ṯā·p̄ə·śū wə·ṯip̄·śū·hū wə·ṯō·p̄ə·śê wə·ṯō·p̄êś wəniṯpaś wəniṯpəśêm wəṯāp̄aś wəṯāp̄aśtî wəṯāp̄əśū wəṯip̄śūhū wəṯōp̄êś wəṯōp̄əśê yiṯ·pōś yit·tā·p̄ə·śū yitPos yiṯpōś yittafeSu yittāp̄əśūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts