Hebrew / Aramaic entry for Bible study and original-language reference.
| Strong's Number: | H8314 |
|---|---|
| Word: | שָׂרָף |
| Part of Speech: | noun masc |
| Etymology: | from H8313 |
| Language: | Hebrew |
| Occurrences: | 7 |
| Transliteration: | saraph |
| Phonetic Spelling/Pronunciation: | saw-rawf' |
| Meaning: | 1. burning, i.e. (figuratively) poisonous (serpent) 2. specifically, a saraph or symbolical creature (from their copper color) |
| KJV Renderings: | fiery (serpent), seraph. |
Strong's is an index and starting point, not the final meaning of a word. Do not build doctrine from a gloss, root, or number. Test meaning by sentence, grammar, authorial usage, context, and the passage argument.
I. שָׂרָף noun masculine Isa 14:29 a serpent, usually venomous (possibly from above √, from burning effect of poison); — absolute ׳ שׂ Num 21:8 ( J E ; on Arabic parallels see JacobArabic Dichter ii. 93, iv. 10 f.), apposition ׳ נָחָשׁ שׂ Deut 8:15, plural הַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים Num 21:6 a flying serpent, or dragon, שָׂרָף מְעוֺפֵף Isa 14:29; Isa 30:6.
II. [שָׂרָף] noun masculine Isa 6:2 plural שְׂרָפִים seraphim (probably akin to I. ׳ שׂ, as beings originally mythically conceived with serpents' bodies (serpent-deities, compare Isa 14:29; Isa 30:6), or ( CheComm.) personified of lightning, compare arts. SERAPHIM, StrachanHast. DB CheEncy. Bib.; Di Marti and others compare also Egyptian guardian-griffins, called Šerref ; see also כְּרוּב ; on Assyrian Šarrapu (-bu) , epithet of god Nergal, connected by DlWB with √ שָׂרַף, see שָׁרָב , ZimKAT 3. 415); — in OT majestic beings with six wings, and human hands and voices, attendant upon ׳ י Isa 6:2; Isa 6:6.
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke
