Hebrew word · H6823

צָפָה

tzipah

to overlay

In the intensive form: to overlay, plate or sheathe a surface with another material (wood, gold, bronze).

Appears 47 times in 40 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to lay out, lay over, overlay, cover

1a) (Piel) to overlay, plate, stud

1b) (Pual) to be laid over

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 1 Kings 6:15

Range of meaning

In the intensive form: to overlay, plate or sheathe a surface with another material (wood, gold, bronze).

Against the English

'Covered', 'overlaid' and 'lined' are all adequate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exodus 25–26: the ark, the table and the tabernacle boards are 'overlaid' with gold. 1 Kings 6:20–22, 28, 30: the same verb for gold overlay in the temple. 2 Kings 18:16: Hezekiah strips off what had been overlaid.

Where it appears

Exodus · 26
  1. Exodus 25:11 וְצִפִּיתָ֤ תְּצַפֶּ֑נּוּ and you will overlay, you will overlay it

    Overlay it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.

  2. Exodus 25:13 וְצִפִּיתָ֥ and you will overlay

    And make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

  3. Exodus 25:24 וְצִפִּיתָ֥ and you will overlay

    Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it.

  4. Exodus 25:28 וְצִפִּיתָ֥ and you will overlay

    Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them.

  5. Exodus 26:29 תְּצַפֶּ֣ה וְצִפִּיתָ֥ you will overlay, and you will overlay

    Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.

  6. Exodus 26:32 מְצֻפִּ֣ים overlaid

    Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.

  7. Exodus 26:37 וְצִפִּיתָ֤ and you will overlay

    Make five posts of acacia wood for the curtain, overlay them with gold, use hooks of gold, and cast five bronze bases for them.

    Here: To plate or sheathe a surface, here with gold. The wood stays the core and the gold is its visible skin.

  8. Exodus 27:2 וְצִפִּיתָ֥ and you will overlay

    Make a horn on each of its four corners, so that the horns are of one piece, and overlay it with bronze.

  9. Exodus 27:6 וְצִפִּיתָ֥ and you will overlay

    Additionally, make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.

  10. Exodus 30:3 וְצִפִּיתָ֨ and you will overlay

    Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.

  11. Exodus 30:5 וְצִפִּיתָ֥ and you will overlay

    Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

  12. Exodus 36:34 צִפָּ֣ה וַיְצַ֥ף he overlaid, and he overlaid

    And he overlaid the frames with gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. He also overlaid the crossbars with gold.

  13. Exodus 36:36 וַיְצַפֵּ֣ם and he overlaid them

    He also made four posts of acacia wood for it and overlaid them with gold, along with gold hooks; and he cast four silver bases for the posts.

  14. Exodus 36:38 וְצִפָּ֧ה and he overlaid

    together with five posts and their hooks. He overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands with gold, and their five bases were bronze.

  15. Exodus 37:2 וַיְצַפֵּ֛הוּ and he overlaid it

    He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it.

  16. Exodus 37:4 וַיְצַ֥ף and he overlaid

    Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

  17. Exodus 37:11 וַיְצַ֥ף and he overlaid

    He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding around it.

  18. Exodus 37:15 וַיְצַ֥ף and he overlaid

    He made the poles of acacia wood for carrying the table and overlaid them with gold.

  19. Exodus 37:26 וַיְצַ֨ף and he overlaid

    And he overlaid with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns. Then he made a molding of gold around it.

  20. Exodus 37:28 וַיְצַ֥ף and he overlaid

    And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

  21. Exodus 38:2 וַיְצַ֥ף and he overlaid

    He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze.

  22. Exodus 38:6 וַיְצַ֥ף and he overlaid

    And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.

  23. Exodus 38:28 וְצִפָּ֥ה and he overlaid

    With the 1,775 shekels of silver he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands for them.

1 Kings · 13
  1. 1 Kings 6:15 צִפָּ֥ה וַיְצַ֛ף he overlaid, and he overlaid

    He lined the interior walls with cedar paneling from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he covered the floor with cypress boards.

    Here: 'He overlaid/sheathed'. The same verb is used a few verses later for overlaying with gold (6:20–22, 30), so the wood is the first layer of a richly finished interior.

  2. 1 Kings 6:20 וַיְצַפֵּ֖הוּ וַיְצַ֥ף and he overlaid it, and he overlaid

    The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.

  3. 1 Kings 6:21 וַיְצַ֨ף וַיְצַפֵּ֖הוּ and he overlaid, and he overlaid it

    So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.

  4. 1 Kings 6:22 צִפָּ֥ה צִפָּ֥ה he overlaid

    So he overlaid with gold the whole interior of the temple, until everything was completely finished. He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

  5. 1 Kings 6:28 וַיְצַ֥ף and he overlaid

    He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

  6. 1 Kings 6:30 צִפָּ֣ה he overlaid

    And he overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

  7. 1 Kings 6:32 וְצִפָּ֣ה and he overlaid [them]

    The double doors were made of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.

  8. 1 Kings 6:35 וְצִפָּ֣ה and he overlaid

    He carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.

  9. 1 Kings 10:18 וַיְצַפֵּ֖הוּ and he overlaid it

    Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.

2 Kings · 1
  1. 2 Kings 18:16 צִפָּ֔ה he had overlaid

    At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold with which he had plated the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.

2 Chronicles · 5
  1. 2 Chronicles 3:4 וַיְצַפֵּ֥הוּ and he overlaid it

    The portico at the front, extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits long and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.

  2. 2 Chronicles 3:6 וַיְצַ֧ף and he overlaid

    He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and its gold was from Parvaim.

  3. 2 Chronicles 3:10 וַיְצַפּ֥וּ and they overlaid

    In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of sculptured work, and he overlaid them with gold.

  4. 2 Chronicles 4:9 צִפָּ֥ה he overlaid

    He made the courtyard of the priests and the large court with its doors, and he overlaid the doors with bronze.

  5. 2 Chronicles 9:17 וַיְצַפֵּ֖הוּ and he overlaid it

    Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.

Proverbs · 1
  1. Proverbs 26:23 מְצֻפֶּ֣ה overlaid

    Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.

Isaiah · 1
  1. Isaiah 21:5 צָפֹ֥ה they are spreading out

    They prepare a table, they lay out a carpet, they eat, they drink! Rise up, O princes, oil the shields!

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