עפר

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ע־פ־ר (ʿ-p-r)

Perhaps related to אֵפֶר ('éfer, ʾḗp̄er, “ash”). From Proto-Semitic *ʕapar- (“dust”). Compare Aramaic עַפְרָא (ʿap̄rā, “dust”) (absolutive: עֲפָר (ʿăp̄ār)), Arabic غَبَرَة (ḡabara) / غُبَار (ḡubār, “dust”), (perhaps borrowed from Aramaic) عَفَر (ʕafar, “dust”), Ugaritic 𐎓𐎔𐎗 (ʿpr) and Akkadian 𒅖 (eperum, “dust; soil, earth”).

Pronunciation

• Audio

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Noun

עָפָר • ('afár, ʿāp̄ār) m (no plural forms, singular construct עֲפַר־) [pattern: קָטָל]

1. earth, dirt
2. (literary) dust
   • Tanach, Psalms 103:14, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     כִּי־הוּא יָדַע יִצְרֵנוּ זָכוּר כִּי־עָפָר אֲנָחְנוּ׃

     Ki hu yadá yitzrénu; zakhúr ki ʿafar anáḥnu

     For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.

3. (biblical) ashes

Declension

Declension of עָפָר

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	עָפָר	first	עֲפָרִי		עֲפָרֵנוּ
	definite	הָעָפָר	second	עֲפָרְךָ	עֲפָרֵךְ	עֲפַרְכֶם	עֲפַרְכֶן
	construct	עֲפַר־	third	עֲפָרוֹ	עֲפָרָהּ	עֲפָרָם	עֲפָרָן
plural	indefinite	עֲפָרִים	first	עפריי / עֲפָרַי		עֲפָרֵינוּ
	definite	הָעֲפָרִים	second	עֲפָרֶיךָ	עפרייך / עֲפָרַיִךְ	עֲפָרֵיכֶם	עֲפָרֵיכֶן
	construct	עֲפָרֵי־	third	עֲפָרָיו	עֲפָרֶיהָ	עֲפָרֵיהֶם	עֲפָרֵיהֶן

Synonyms

• (dust): אָבָק ('avák)

Noun

עֹפֶר • ('ófer) m

1. defective spelling of עופר

Adjective

עָפֹר • ('afór) m

1. defective spelling of עפור

References

• H6083 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible