Hebrew word · H5317

נֹ֫פֶת

nofet

honey

Honey that drips or flows freely from the comb, the purest and most prized honey (Ps 19:10; Prov 24:13; 27:7; Song 4:11; 5:1). It is related to nûp̄, "to sprinkle, drip" (Prov 7:17, she "sprinkled" her bed with myrrh).

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

flowing honey, honey from the comb, a dropping down, honey, honeycomb

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 Proverbs 5:3

Range of meaning

Honey that drips or flows freely from the comb, the purest and most prized honey (Ps 19:10; Prov 24:13; 27:7; Song 4:11; 5:1). It is related to nûp̄, "to sprinkle, drip" (Prov 7:17, she "sprinkled" her bed with myrrh).

Against the English

Most versions say "honey." KJV says "drop as an honeycomb," supplying "as" and following the Vulgate's favus ("honeycomb"). That is close, but the word refers to the dripping honey rather than the wax comb.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 19:10 sets God's judgments above "nōp̄et ṣûp̄îm," honey from the comb. The Song of Songs uses this exact line in praise: "Your lips drip nōp̄et, O bride; honey and milk are under your tongue" (Song 4:11, same verb and noun).

From the study of Psalm 19:10

Range of meaning

Nofet is honey that flows or drips: the free-running honey that comes out of the comb by itself, before it is pressed or strained. People prized it as the purest and sweetest. Tsuf is the honeycomb. Joined together, the phrase means 'the drippings of the combs.'

Against the English

ESV and NASB ('drippings of the honeycomb'), NLT ('honey dripping from the comb') and YLT ('liquid honey of the comb') keep the picture of fresh honey running out. KJV's 'honey and the honeycomb' and BSB/NIV's 'honey from the comb' lose the dripping, top-grade sense and make the second half sound like a repeat instead of a step up.

Used elsewhere in the period

Nofet appears in Proverbs 5:3 (a seductress's lips 'drip nofet'), Proverbs 24:13 ('nofet is sweet to your palate'), Proverbs 27:7, and Song of Songs 4:11 (the bride's lips drip nofet). Tsuf appears only here and in Proverbs 16:24 ('pleasant words are a comb of honey').

From the study of Proverbs 24:13

Range of meaning

Honey that flows or drips freely from the comb, the purest and best honey. It is a poetic word that appears only in poetry (Ps 19:10; Prov 5:3; 27:7; Song 4:11).

Against the English

KJV and BSB translate it "honeycomb". The word does not mean the wax structure. It means the honey running out of it, and WEB's "droppings of the honeycomb" and NIV's "honey from the comb" come closer.

How it drifted

Older English used "honeycomb" loosely for comb honey. Modern readers picture the wax.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ugaritic nbt, 'honey', is the same word. In the Baal myth, when the god returns, "the heavens rain oil, the wadis run with honey (nbt)", a picture of the land coming back to life. Ps 19:10 calls God's judgments sweeter than "honey and the drippings of the comb (nōpet ṣûpîm)". Prov 5:3 uses nōpet for the seductive speech of the forbidden woman.

Where it appears

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 19:10 וְנֹ֣פֶת and [the] honey of

    They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

    Here: 'And the drippings of…' This is the honey that runs freely out of the comb by itself before anyone presses it, thought of as the purest and sweetest. It raises the stakes again, the way 'refined gold' did.

Proverbs · 3

  1. Proverbs 5:3 נֹ֣פֶת honey

    Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,

    Here: This is the finest honey, the kind that oozes from the comb before it is pressed (Ps 19:10, "drippings of the honeycomb"). It was a luxury. It stands first in the clause for emphasis: honey is what her lips give off.

  2. Proverbs 24:13 וְנֹ֥פֶת and honey from [the] comb

    Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.

    Here: A poetic word for the purest honey, the kind that drips straight from the comb. It sharpens the first line: not just honey, but the best of it.

  3. Proverbs 27:7 נֹ֑פֶת honey

    The soul that is full loathes honey, but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is sweet.

    Here: The finest honey, flowing fresh from the comb: the sweetest and most prized thing an Israelite could eat. Its very excellence makes the trampling striking.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 4:11 נֹ֛פֶת honey

    Your lips, my bride, drip sweetness like the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the aroma of Lebanon.

    Here: The liquid honey that runs out of the comb, not the wax comb itself. It stands first in the Hebrew sentence for emphasis: honey is the first thing he names, before he even mentions her lips.

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