Hebrew word · H662

אָפַק

vaiyit'apak

to refrain

In the reflexive form: to control oneself, to force oneself to hold back strong feeling or action.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated November 14, 2026

What it means

1) to hold, be strong, restrain, hold back

1a) (Hithpael)

1a1) to restrain oneself, refrain

1a2) to force, compel oneself

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

Range of meaning: In the reflexive form: to control oneself, to force oneself to hold back strong feeling or action.
Against the English: 'Restrained myself' (BSB, WEB, ESV) and 'refrained myself' (KJV) are accurate. NIV 'held myself back' is also good. The word implies feeling pushing against the restraint, not indifference.
Used elsewhere in the period: Joseph holding back tears (Genesis 43:31; 45:1), Haman controlling his rage (Esther 5:10), Saul forcing himself to offer sacrifice (1 Samuel 13:12). Isaiah 63:15 speaks of God's compassion being 'restrained', and Isaiah 64:12 asks 'Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD?'

Range of meaning: Reflexive form of a root meaning "hold, grip." It means "to hold oneself in, restrain oneself, get control of oneself." Joseph uses it when he fights back tears in front of his brothers (Gen 43:31; 45:1). Haman restrains himself (Esth 5:10). God says "I have held myself in" (Isa 42:14) and asks "will you restrain yourself?" (Isa 64:12 [11 Heb.]).
Against the English: KJV, WEB and ESV: "I forced myself." BSB and NIV: "I felt compelled." YLT: "I force myself." "Forced myself" keeps the reflexive sense. "Felt compelled" moves the pressure outward onto circumstances, as though events pushed Saul against his will.
How it drifted: The normal sense, "restrain oneself," seems to point the opposite way from what Saul did. So translators read it as "I mastered my hesitation, I made myself do it." Many modern versions then go further to the psychological "felt compelled" (compare the Vulgate's "compelled by necessity").
Used elsewhere in the period: All the other occurrences mean emotional self-control under pressure (Joseph, Haman, God). Here it is applied to pushing through an inner restraint. Commentators (e.g. McCarter, Tsumura) take it as "I took hold of myself / overcame my reluctance."

Range of meaning: In this reflexive form: to control oneself, hold oneself in, refrain from acting on a strong impulse. Joseph 'controlled himself' before his brothers (Gen 43:31) until 'he could no longer control himself' and wept aloud (45:1). Haman 'restrained himself' in his anger (Esth 5:10). Saul 'forced himself' to offer the sacrifice (1 Sam 13:12).
Against the English: 'Restrained' (BSB, WEB, KJV) and 'refrained themselves' (YLT) are accurate. A careless reader might hear 'withdrawn' or 'gone'. The Hebrew implies a feeling that is still present and being held back with effort.
Used elsewhere in the period: Isaiah itself uses the verb twice in a striking way. In 42:14 God says, 'For a long time I have kept silent, I have held myself back (ʾetʾappāq); now like a woman in labour I will cry out.' At the close of this same lament, 64:12 (Hebrew 64:11), the people ask: 'Will you hold yourself back (titʾappaq) at these things, O LORD?'

Genesis · 2

Genesis 43:31 וַיִּ֨תְאַפַּ֔ק and he restrained himself

Then he washed his face and came back out. Regaining his composure, he said, “Serve the meal.”

Here: A reflexive verb form: he "held himself" or "gripped himself." It describes effort, a man pushing his feelings down by force of will. It does not say the feeling has gone away. The same verb comes back in 45:1, where he "could no longer hold himself in."
Genesis 45:1 לְהִתְאַפֵּ֗ק to restrain himself

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me!” So none of them were with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.

Here: 'To hold himself in, to keep a grip on himself.' This is the same verb as 43:31, where Joseph washed his face and 'controlled himself' after weeping in private. The repetition is deliberate. Once he managed it; this time he cannot.

1 Samuel · 1

1 Samuel 13:12 וָֽאֶתְאַפַּ֔ק and I forced myself

I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will descend upon me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

Here: A reflexive verb: "I got hold of myself," "I steeled myself." Saul presents the act as something he did reluctantly, mastering his own scruples. The form makes him both the one pushing and the one pushed.

Esther · 1

Esther 5:10 וַיִּתְאַפַּ֣ק and he restrained himself

Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. And calling for his friends and his wife Zeresh,

Isaiah · 3

Isaiah 42:14 אֶתְאַפָּ֑ק I have restrained myself

“I have kept silent from ages past; I have remained quiet and restrained. But now I will groan like a woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.

Here: 'I held myself in,' the effort of keeping strong feeling under control. Joseph does this when he holds back tears before his brothers (Genesis 43:31; 45:1). The word stops the first half of the verse on a pent-up note.
Isaiah 63:15 הִתְאַפָּֽקוּ׃ they have restrained themselves

Look down from heaven and see, from Your holy and glorious habitation. Where are Your zeal and might? Your yearning and compassion for me are restrained.

Here: 'They have held themselves back.' The verb describes mastering your emotions, as Joseph does when he fights back tears in front of his brothers (Gen 43:31; 45:1). It implies the love is still there but is being suppressed, not that it has died.
Isaiah 64:12 תִתְאַפַּ֖ק will you restrain yourself

After all this, O LORD, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

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