Hebrew word · H2645

חָפָה

chipah

to cover

To cover, wrap or veil. In the Hebrew Bible it is used for covering the head as a sign of mourning or shame (2 Sam 15:30; Esther 6:12; Jer 14:3–4), for covering a condemned man's face (Esther 7:8), and for overlaying a temple surface with gold or wood (2 Chr 3:5–9).

Appears 12 times in 10 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to cover, overlay, wainscotted, covered with boards or panelling

1a) (Qal) to cover

1b)(Niphal) to be covered

1c) (Piel) to cover, overlay

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Samuel 15:30

Range of meaning

To cover, wrap or veil. In the Hebrew Bible it is used for covering the head as a sign of mourning or shame (2 Sam 15:30; Esther 6:12; Jer 14:3–4), for covering a condemned man's face (Esther 7:8), and for overlaying a temple surface with gold or wood (2 Chr 3:5–9).

Against the English

'His head was covered' is accurate, but the English does not say why. A modern reader may picture a hood against the sun, a disguise, or the head coverings of 1 Corinthians 11. To an ancient Israelite it meant grief and disgrace.

How it drifted

English 'cover one's head' carries no fixed social meaning today, so the gesture's meaning goes unnoticed.

Used elsewhere in the period

Esther 6:12 pairs the same verb with mourning: Haman hurries home 'mourning and with head covered' (ʾavel waḥafui rosh) after being humiliated. In Jeremiah 14:3–4 farmers in a drought are 'ashamed and dismayed and cover their heads'. In 2 Sam 19:4 (Hebrew 19:5) David covers his face (a different verb, laʾat) when mourning Absalom. Mourning gestures in Israel and its neighbours also included covering or uncovering the head, tearing clothes, putting dust on the head and going barefoot. Ezekiel 24:17 shows the details varied: there mourners take off the turban and sandals and cover the lip.

From the study of Psalm 68:13

Range of meaning

To cover or overlay. It is used of covering the head in mourning (2 Sam 15:30; Esth 6:12) and especially of plating wood with gold or metal (2 Chr 3:5, 7, 8, 9).

Against the English

'Covered' (KJV, BSB) is accurate but soft. 'Sheathed' (WEB) catches the metal-plating sense better.

Used elsewhere in the period

The metal-overlay use is clear in Chronicles' account of the temple.

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 15:30 חָפ֔וּי חָפוּ֙ [was] covered, they covered

    But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up. His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. And all the people with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.

    Here: A passive participle describing a state: his head is wrapped or veiled. This is a recognised gesture of mourning and shame (compare Esther 6:12 and Jeremiah 14:3–4).

2 Chronicles · 5

  1. 2 Chronicles 3:5 חִפָּה֙ וַיְחַפֵּ֖הוּ he overlaid, and he overlaid it

    He paneled the main room with cypress, which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm trees and chains.

  2. 2 Chronicles 3:7 וַיְחַ֨ף and he overlaid

    He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

  3. 2 Chronicles 3:8 וַיְחַפֵּ֙הוּ֙ and he overlaid it

    Then he made the Most Holy Place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold.

  4. 2 Chronicles 3:9 חִפָּ֥ה he overlaid

    The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

Esther · 2

  1. Esther 6:12 וַחֲפ֥וּי and covered of

    Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief.

  2. Esther 7:8 חָפֽוּ׃ ס people covered

    Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?” As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 68:13 נֶחְפָּ֣ה [are] covered

    Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her feathers with shimmering gold.”

    Here: 'Overlaid, plated.' It is a passive feminine form agreeing with the wings. The same verb describes plating the temple with gold (2 Chr 3:5–9), so it can carry a metalworker's sense: covered as with a sheath of metal.

Jeremiah · 2

  1. Jeremiah 14:3 וְחָפ֥וּ and they have covered

    The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads.

    Here: 'And they covered': a physical act of mourning or disgrace. The person hides the face and head from view.

  2. Jeremiah 14:4 חָפ֥וּ they have covered

    The ground is cracked because no rain has fallen on the land. The farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.