BDB6257
עָפָר noun masculine Lev 14:42 dry earth, dust; — absolute ׳ ע Gen 2:7 +, construct עֲפַר Gen 13:16 +; suffix עֲפָרֵךְ Ezek 26:12, עֲפָרוֺ Deut 9:21, etc.; plural construct עַפְרֹת Job 28:6; Prov 8:26 —
1. literally:
a.
dry, loose earth, thrown (in malice) 2Sam 16:13 (|| אֲבָנִים);
עַלרֿאֹשׁ
׳
וַיַעֲלוּ ע
Josh 7:6 (
J
E
; sign of grief), so Ezek 27:30; Lam 2:10, and (with זָרַק) Job 2:12 loose earth (on
surface of ground) 1Kgs 18:38; Amos 2:7; Mic 1:10; Isa 34:7; Isa 34:9; Lev 17:13 (
H
) Ezek
24:7 (in figurative), Num 5:17; Job 14:19; Job 38:38; Job 39:14; Gen 26:15 (
R
), made into siege works Hab 1:10 of sand-storm Deut 28:24 (+ אָבָק); as serpent's food,
token of punishment and humiliation, Gen 3:14 (
J
) Isa
65:25 (compare Mic 7:17
2.e. below); ׳
זֹחֲלֵי ע
Deut
32:24 (poem; compare 2.e.).
b. specifically as material of human body Gen 2:7
; Gen 3:19
(
J
), Eccl
3:20, compare Job 4:19; Job 8:19; Ps 103:14, to which it returns (שׁוּב אֶלֿ)
Gen
3:19; Job
10:9; Ps 104:29; Eccl 3:20 so (with
עַל) Job 34:15; Eccl 12:7.
c. = surface
of ground Exod 8:12
; Exod 8:13
(twice in verse); (
P
; הָאָרַץ
׳
ע), Job 19:25; Isa 25:12; Isa 26:5 (both ||
אֶרֶץ), surface of (whole) earth Job 41:25, ׳
מְחִלוֺת ע
Isa
2:19 (for hiding), so ׳
ע alone Isa 2:10, compare ׳
חֹרֵי ע
Job
30:6 = soil, Job 5:6; Job 14:8.
d.
powder of anything pulverized Deut 9:21 (twice in verse)
(compare דָּ֑ק || Exod 32:20), 2Kgs 23:6
(twice in verse); 2Kgs 23:12; 2Kgs 23:15, so in simile
2Sam 22:43
= Ps
18:43, hence = ashes v
Ps 18:4; Num 19:17.
e.
debris, of ruined city 1Kgs 20:10; Ezek 26:4; Ezek 26:12; Neh 3:34
; Neh 4:4
;
Ps 102:15. The following are late:
f. earth of the grave: אֶשְׁכַּב
׳
לֶע
Job 7:21
, so (with עַל) Job 20:11; Job 21:26, compare
Job
17:16
׳
יוֺרְדֵי ע
Ps 22:30
, ׳
שֹׁכְנֵי ע
Isa
26:19, ׳
יְשֵׁנֵי אַדְמַתעֿ
Dan 12:2
עֲפַרמָֿוֶת
Ps 22:16
׳
ע in figure Ps 30:10.
g.
mortar (i.e. dried mud) for plastering houses Lev
14:41;
Lev 14:42; Lev 14:45
(
P
).
h. (iron-) ore
Job 28:2
עַפְרֹת זָהָב Job 28:6
gold-dust (but see
סַפִּיר
).
i. material of earth Isa 40:12
, compare ראֹשׁ עַפְרֹת תֵּבֵל
Prov
8:26
the first of the earth particles of the world.
2.
figurative:
a. of abundance Gen 13:16 (twice in verse); Gen 28:14 (all
J
) 2Chr 1:9
;
Job 27:16;
Ps 78:27
(||
חוֺל יַמִּים), compare עֲפַר יַעֲקֹב
Num 23:10 (
J
E
); with added idea of commonness, worthlessness Zeph 1:7; Zech 9:3.
b. of worthlessness (alone)
Job 22:24.
c. simile of the scattered, dispersed 2Kgs 13:7
׳
כֶּע
Isa 41:2 (so
van d. H.
Ginsb; Baer
׳
כֵּע; on meaning see Du
Che, reading תְּשִׂימֵם for יִתֵּן).
d. of self-abasement Gen 18:27 (+ אֵפַר), ׳
וְנִחַמְתִּי עַלעֿ
וָאֵפֶר
Job 42:6,
פִּיהוּ
׳
יִתֵּן בֶּע
Lam 3:29.
e. of humiliation (sitting or lying in dust) Isa 47:1 compare Isa 29:4 (twice in verse), Job 16:15;
Job 40:13;
Ps 7:6; Ps 44:26;
Ps 119:25
, simile
Job 30:19
licking dust Ps 72:9
; Isa
49:23
; Mic 7:17
,
compare Tel Amarna
tikalu ipra
(of enemies, see WklAltor. Forsch. iii. 291
;
also of serpent 1.a. above); of ׳
י raising from the dust 1Sam 2:8 = Ps 113:7, 1Kgs 16:2 of lifting oneself Isa 52:2.