צָרַף
tsâraph · H6884 · Hebrew · 33 occurrences
Meanings
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to test
Action by which humans or deities examine the character of humans by having them engage in a certain activity, as a goldsmith tests the quality of a precious metal by smelting it in the fire
ExamplesJudges 7:4 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. So it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
Psalm 17:3 You have put my heart to the test; You have visited me by night; You have sifted me and You find nothing; My intent is that my mouth will not offend.
Psalm 26:2 Examine me, LORD, and put me to the test; Refine my mind and my heart.
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to purge away
Causative action by which a goldsmith removes contaminants from a precious metal by smelting it in the fire; used as a metaphor for purging evil from the heart of humans
ExamplesIsaiah 1:25 “I will also turn My hand against you, And smelt away your impurities as with lye; And I will remove all your slag.
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to cast
Causative action by which a goldsmith creates an artifact from a precious metal by smelting it in the fire
ExamplesIsaiah 40:19 As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
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to refine
Causative action by which a goldsmith improves the quality of a precious metal by smelting it in the fire and so removing all contaminants; often used as a metaphor for purging evil from the hearts of humans
ExamplesPsalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words; Like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times.
Jeremiah 6:29 The bellows blow fiercely, The lead is consumed by the fire; In vain the refining goes on, But the wicked are not separated.
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to refine
Causative action by which deities improve the character of humans by leading them through difficult circumstances, like a goldsmith improves the quality of a precious metal by smelting it in the fire and so removing all contaminants
ExamplesPsalm 66:10 For You have put us to the test, God; You have refined us as silver is refined.
Psalm 105:19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD refined him.
Isaiah 48:10 “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
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true
Literally: tested; hence: state in which the words of deities have proven to be true and reliable, as a precious metal has been tested by a goldsmith and proven to be pure
Examples2 Samuel 22:31 “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30 As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 119:140 Your word is very pure, Therefore Your servant loves it.
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goldsmith, silversmith, refiner
Someone whose profession it is to work with precious metals, such as gold and silver
ExamplesJudges 17:4 So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a cast metal image, and they were in the house of Micah.
Nehemiah 3:8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
Nehemiah 3:32 And between the upper room of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants carried out repairs.
How it’s used In 11 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
17 occurrences in 6 groups
- Not stated: I 4
- אִמְרָהwords 3
- Not stated: you (one person) 3
- Not stated (infinitive) 3
- Not stated (participle) 3
- Not stated: he, she or it 1
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
12 occurrences in 10 groups
- כֶּסֶףsilver 3
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
8 occurrences in 7 groups
- כlike/as+ צָרַףto test 2
- עַדto, as far as, until+ עֵתtime, moment, period 1
- בin/on/with+ עֲלִילsmelting furnace 1
- בin/on/with+ הֶםthem 1
- כlike/as+ בֹּרcleanness 1
- לto/for+ שָׁוְאfalsehood, vanity 1
With adverbsAdverbs
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- מְאֹדvery 1
- שָׁםthere 1
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- הֶםthem 1
Named alongside itApposition
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- עֻזִּיאֵלUzziel 1
What it doesIt is the subject
4 occurrences in 3 groups
- בּוּשׁto be ashamed, to be put to shame 2
- חָזַקto be strong, to strengthen 1
- רָקַעto stamp 1
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- חָזַקto be strong, to strengthen 1
- שָׂכַרto hire oneself out 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
3 occurrences in 2 groups
- אִמְרָהwords 2
- הִנֵּהbehold 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
4 occurrences in 2 groups
- לto/for 4
- כlike/as 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- יָדhand, power 1
- אֵשׁfire 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 3 words
- בָּחַן bâchan · H974 · to test, to refine
- Both words denote testing and proving actions. צָרַף (tsâraph, H6884) has concrete metallurgical roots ("refine, melt") that extend figuratively to testing and purifying, while בָּחַן (bâchan, H974) is a more general term for examining or testing.
- זָכָה zâkâh · H2135 · to be just, to make clean
- זָכָה (zâkâh, H2135) denotes general cleansing or declaring pure (moral/legal purity); צָרַף (tsâraph, H6884) emphasizes purification through refining/testing process (metallurgical or metaphorical testing that purges impurities).
- טָהֵר ṭâhêr · H2891 · to become clean, to purify, to cleanse
- טָהֵר (ṭâhêr, H2891) emphasizes ritual or moral cleansing; צָרַף (tsâraph, H6884) emphasizes refining/testing that purges impurities (often metallurgical metaphor).
In the other Testament 1 word
- πυρόω pyróō · G4448 · to heat, to make fiery hot, to burn
- πυρόω (pyróō, G4448) emphasizes the process of being set on fire or refined by fire (passive voice orientation), capturing the metallurgical refinement sense of צָרַף (tsâraph, H6884) when that Hebrew verb describes purification through heating, though צָרַף (tsâraph, H6884)'s semantic range also extends to the artisan role (refiner, goldsmith) which πυρόω does not cover.
Semantic domains 7 entries
- Test002004002012
- צָרַף means to test or refine, as of the LORD's testing of Gideon's men at the water in Judges 7:4.
- Non-Whole002003001021
- This domain's connection to צָרַף is not directly illustrated among the sampled citations, which show the word's sense of testing, refining, and working metal rather than a breaking apart.
- Exist002002002005
- This domain's connection to צָרַף is not directly illustrated among the sampled citations, which show the word's sense of refining or the craft of a goldsmith rather than existence.
- Good002001001031
- This domain's connection to צָרַף is not directly illustrated among the sampled citations, which show the word's sense of testing or refining metal rather than a general goodness.
- Innocent002003003015
- This domain's connection to צָרַף is not directly illustrated among the sampled citations, which show the word's sense of refining metal rather than innocence.
- True002001003017
- The word also describes something proven pure or reliable, as of the word of the LORD refined and found blameless in 2 Samuel 22:31.
- Professions001001003009
- The word also denotes the craft of a goldsmith or silversmith, as of the silversmith who casts Micah's image in Judges 17:4, and the goldsmiths who repair Jerusalem's wall in Nehemiah 3:8 and 3:32.
Word family 3 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H6884. tsaraph צָרַף verb smelt, refine, test (Late Hebrew id.; Phoenician מצרף smelter;…
צָרַף verb smelt, refine, test (Late Hebrew id.; Phoenician מצרף smelter; Assyrian ƒurrupu, refined, ƒarpu, silver, naƒraptu, crucible; Arabic is pure, unmixed (especially of wine); **compare pure silver, etc., SchulthGGA, 1902, 673; also ZimGGA, 1899, 250; KAT 3, 650 (Hebrew, etc., borrowed from Assyrian); very doubtful is Sabean צרף silver, money, compare MordtmHim. Inschr. pp. 14, 29 CISiv, No. 291, 1.1); —
Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳צ Jer 6:29, suffix צְרָפָ֑תְהוּ Psa 105:19; Psa 105:2masculine singular suffix צְרַפְתָּנִי Psa 17:3, etc.; Imperfect1singular אֶצְרֹף Isa 1:25, suffix אֶצְרְפֶנּוּ Jdg 7:4; Imperative masculine singular צרופה Psa 26:2 Kt, צָרְפָה Qr; Infinitive absolute צָרוֺף Jer 6:29; construct לִצְרוֺף Dan 11:35, etc.; Participle active suffix צוֺרְכָּם Jer 9:6, etc.; pass. צָרוּף Psa 12:7, etc.; —
1 smelt, refine: Jer 6:29 (twice in verse) in vain hath he smelted continually (infinitive absolute; figurative of purifying people); so smelt away Isa 1:25 (accusative of dross; figurative); of silver Zec 13:9; Psa 66:10, בַּעֲלִיל צָרוּף כֶּסֶף Psa 12:7 (all simile); of י ׳אִמְרַת Psa 18:31 = 2Sa 22:31; Psa 119:140; Pro 30:5 (אֱלוֺהַּ אִמְרַת); refine (men, by trials) Dan 11:35 (+ לַלְבֵּן לִבָרֵר,).
2 test Jdg 7:4 I will test them (the warriors) for thee (׳י subject); — perhaps also Jdg 7:3 (see I. צפר); more Generally, of ׳י's testing, trying (the hearts of) men (often || בָּחַן) Jer 9:6; Isa 48:10; Zec 13:9; Psa 26:2; Psa 66:10.
3 test (and prove true) a man (subject ׳יs saying) Psa 105:19.
4 Participle active as
noun smelter, refiner, hence = goldsmith Jdg 17:4; Jer 10:9, Jer 10:14; Jer 51:17; Isa 40:19 (twice in verse) (but perhaps strike out vb, compare Du Che Marti), Isa 41:7; Isa 46:6; Pro 25:4; as a guild Neh 3:8, Neh 3:32.
Niph`al Imperfect3masculine plural יִצָּֽרְפוּ Dan 12:10 many shall be refined (by suffering; + יִתְלַבְּנוּ יִתְבָּֽרְרוּ,).
Pi`el Participle מְצָרֵף as
noun a refiner, מ ׳כְּאֵשׁ Mal 3:2 (simile of ׳י), compare ׳מְ alone Mal 3:3 (+ כֶּסֶף מְטַהֵר).
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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