Tsaphah צָפָה

Tsaphah (Hebrew צָפָה, Strong's H6822) is a Hebrew verb meaning “to watch”. It occurs 36 times in 33 verses of the Old Testament.

Definition

From the STEPBible Brief Lexicon of Hebrew (based on the abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs), STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.

Translated as

Topics

• Watchfulness

Verses

Every verse with Tsaphah, with the English words that translate it highlighted (KJV or BSB; other translations show the KJV here).

Genesis

• Genesis 31:49
  And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from each other.

1 Samuel

• 1 Samuel 4:13
  And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.
• 1 Samuel 14:16
  And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.Now when Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in Benjamin looked and saw the troops melting away and scattering in every direction,

2 Samuel

• 2 Samuel 13:34
  But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill side behind him.Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. When the young man standing watch looked up, he saw many people coming down the road west of him, along the side of the hill. And the watchman went and reported to the king, “I see men coming from the direction of Horonaim, along the side of the hill.”
• 2 Samuel 18:24
  And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone.Now David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall, looked out, and saw a man running alone.
• 2 Samuel 18:25
  And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.So he called out and told the king. “If he is alone,” the king replied, “he bears good news.” As the first runner drew near,
• 2 Samuel 18:26
  And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings.the watchman saw another man running, and he called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!” “This one also brings good news,” said the king.
• 2 Samuel 18:27
  And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.The watchman said, “The first man appears to me to be running like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” “This is a good man,” said the king. “He comes with good news.”

2 Kings

• 2 Kings 9:17
  And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?Now the watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, and he called out, “I see a company of troops!” “Choose a rider,” Joram commanded. “Send him out to meet them and ask, ‘Have you come in peace?’”
• 2 Kings 9:18
  So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again.So a horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’” “What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.” And the watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.”
• 2 Kings 9:20
  And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously.Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the charioteer is driving like Jehu son of Nimshi—he is driving like a madman!”

Job

• Job 15:22
  He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.He despairs of his return from darkness; he is marked for the sword.

Psalms

• Psalm 5:3
  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; at daybreak I lay my plea before You and wait in expectation.
• Psalm 37:32
  The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,
• Psalm 66:7
  He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.He rules forever by His power; His eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

Proverbs

• Proverbs 15:3
  The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.
• Proverbs 31:27
  She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Song of Solomon

• Song of Solomon 7:4
  Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath–rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.Your neck is like a tower made of ivory; your eyes are like the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim; your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, facing toward Damascus.

Isaiah

• Isaiah 21:6
  For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.For this is what the Lord says to me: “Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees.
• Isaiah 52:8
  Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, together they shout for joy. For every eye will see when the LORD returns to Zion.
• Isaiah 56:10
  His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 6:17
  Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’ But they answered, ‘We will not listen!’
• Jeremiah 48:19
  O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?Stand by the road and watch, O dweller of Aroer! Ask the man fleeing or the woman escaping, ‘What has happened?’

Lamentations

• Lamentations 4:17
  As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers for a nation that could not save us.

Ezekiel

• Ezekiel 3:17
  Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
• Ezekiel 33:2
  Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:“Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,
• Ezekiel 33:6
  But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’
• Ezekiel 33:7
  So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me.

Hosea

• Hosea 9:8
  The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.The prophet is Ephraim’s watchman, along with my God, yet the snare of the fowler lies on all his paths. Hostility is in the house of his God!

Micah

• Micah 7:4
  The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns. The day for your watchmen has come, the day of your visitation. Now is the time of their confusion.
• Micah 7:7
  Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

Nahum

• Nahum 2:1
  He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.One who scatters advances against you, O Nineveh. Guard the fortress! Watch the road! Brace yourselves! Summon all your strength!

Habakkuk

• Habakkuk 2:1
  I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the ramparts. I will watch to see what He will say to me, and how I should answer when corrected.

Notes

1. Definition and verse list from STEPBible's tagged Hebrew Old Testament (TAHOT) and Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Brief Lexicons, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.
2. English renderings from the public-domain KJV with Strong's numbers (eBible.org) and the Berean Standard Bible interlinear (public domain).