The Verb שָׁאַף in Biblical Hebrew

Abstract

Biblical Hebrew lexicons unanimously present the basic meaning of the verb שׁאף as “pant, snuff.” Absent etymological evidence, however, the lexical value of the verb hangs on the contextual interpretation of three attestations where the verb has not undergone semantic expansion: Isa 42:14; Jer 2:24; 14:6. Fresh analysis of the philological evidence garners support for an alternate interpretation of שׁאף רוח in Jer 2:24; 14:6 as “bray, cry out” and suggests that ואשׁאף in Isa 42:14 constitutes an elliptical form of the phrase with the same meaning. This new semantic understanding in turn allows for a reanalysis of derived meanings, furnishing a revised understanding of the verb שׁאף.