הָפַךְ
to overturn
‘to overturn’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘trans.’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘reflex. & intrans.’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself). Here: ‘turn this way & that’
- Hophal
- The passive counterpart of the Hiphil (“he was caused to…”).
Form
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Grammatical forms 39 distinct
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 16 times (17%)
- Verb, Niphal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 12 times (13%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 9 times (10%)
- Verb, Niphal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural 6 times (6%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Perfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular 4 times (4%)
- Verb, Qal, Infinitive Construct 4 times (4%)
- Verb, Niphal, Sequential Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural 2 times (2%)
- Verb, Niphal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 2 times (2%)
+31 more forms (39 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 94 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H2015 appears — 92 distinct verses across 28 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Genesis 4 verses
- Genesis 3:24 הַ/מִּתְהַפֶּ֔כֶת ptcl def.art + Hithpael ptcp.act fs So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
- Genesis 19:21 הָפְכִּ֥/י Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs He said to him, "Behold, I have granted your request concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.
- Genesis 19:25 וַֽ/יַּהֲפֹךְ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground.
- Genesis 19:29 בַּ/הֲפֹךְ֙ prep + Qal inf.cs It happened, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
Exodus 5 verses
- Exodus 7:15 נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ Niphal pf 3ms Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, he goes out to the water; and you shall stand by the river's bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.
- Exodus 7:17 וְ/נֶהֶפְכ֥וּ conj + Niphal pf 3cp Thus says Yahweh, "In this you shall know that I am Yahweh. Behold, I will strike with the rod that is in my hand on the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
- Exodus 7:20 וַ/יֵּהָֽפְכ֛וּ conj + Niphal wimpf 3mp Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
- Exodus 10:19 וַ/יַּהֲפֹ֨ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt.
- Exodus 14:5 וַ֠/יֵּהָפֵךְ conj + Niphal wimpf 3ms It was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
Leviticus 9 verses
- Leviticus 13:3 הָפַ֣ךְ Qal pf 3ms and the priest shall examine the plague in the skin of the body: and if the hair in the plague has turned white, and the appearance of the plague is deeper than the body's skin, it is the plague of leprosy; and the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean.
- Leviticus 13:4 הָפַ֣ךְ Qal pf 3ms If the bright spot is white in the skin of his body, and the appearance of it isn't deeper than the skin, and the hair of it hasn't turned white, then the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days.
- Leviticus 13:10 הָפְכָ֖ה Qal pf 3fs and the priest shall examine him. Behold, if there is a white rising in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the rising,
- Leviticus 13:13 הָפַ֥ךְ Qal pf 3ms then the priest shall examine him; and, behold, if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean of the plague. It has all turned white: he is clean.
- Leviticus 13:16 וְ/נֶהְפַּ֣ךְ conj + Niphal wpf 3ms Or if the raw flesh turns again, and is changed to white, then he shall come to the priest;
- Leviticus 13:17 נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ Niphal pf 3ms and the priest shall examine him; and, behold, if the plague has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean of the plague. He is clean.
- Leviticus 13:20 הָפַ֣ךְ Qal pf 3ms and the priest shall examine it; and, behold, if the appearance of it is lower than the skin, and the hair of it has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy. It has broken out in the boil.
- Leviticus 13:25 נֶהְפַּךְ֩ Niphal pf 3ms then the priest shall examine it; and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot has turned white, and the appearance of it is deeper than the skin; it is leprosy. It has broken out in the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy.
- Leviticus 13:55 הָפַ֨ךְ Qal pf 3ms Then the priest shall examine it, after the plague is washed; and, behold, if the plague hasn't changed its color, and the plague hasn't spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire. It is a mildewed spot, whether the bareness is inside or outside.
Deuteronomy 2 verses
- Deuteronomy 23:5 וַ/יַּהֲפֹךְ֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Nevertheless Yahweh your God wouldn't listen to Balaam; but Yahweh your God turned the curse into a blessing to you, because Yahweh your God loved you.
- Deuteronomy 29:23 הָפַ֣ךְ Qal pf 3ms [and that] the whole land of it is sulfur, and salt, [and] a burning, [that] it is not sown, nor bears, nor any grass grows therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Yahweh overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
Joshua 2 verses
- Joshua 7:8 הָפַ֧ךְ Qal pf 3ms Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!
- Joshua 8:20 נֶהְפַּ֖ךְ Niphal pf 3ms When the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people who fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.
Judges 3 verses
- Judges 7:13 מִתְהַפֵּךְ֙ וַ/יַּהַפְכֵ֥/הוּ Hithpael ptcp.act ms conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms When Gideon had come, behold, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow; and he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream; and, behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.
- Judges 20:39 וַ/יַּהֲפֹ֥ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, Surely they are struck down before us, as in the first battle.
- Judges 20:41 הָפַ֔ךְ Qal pf 3ms The men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that evil had come on them.
1 Samuel 4 verses
- 1 Samuel 4:19 נֶהֶפְכ֥וּ Niphal pf 3cp His daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came on her.
- 1 Samuel 10:6 וְ/נֶהְפַּכְתָּ֖ conj + Niphal wpf 2ms and the Spirit of Yahweh will come mightily on you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man.
- 1 Samuel 10:9 וַ/יַּהֲפָךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms It was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs happened that day.
- 1 Samuel 25:12 וַ/יַּהַפְכ֥וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp So David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words.
2 Samuel 1 verse
1 Kings 1 verse
2 Kings 3 verses
- 2 Kings 5:26 הָֽפַךְ Qal pf 3ms He said to him, Didn't my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive groves and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and men-servants and maid-servants?
- 2 Kings 9:23 וַ/יַּהֲפֹ֧ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, Ahaziah.
- 2 Kings 21:13 וְ/הָפַ֖ךְ conj + Qal wpf 3ms I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
1 Chronicles 1 verse
2 Chronicles 2 verses
- 2 Chronicles 9:12 וַֽ/תַּהֲפֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3fs King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides that which she had brought to the king. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.
- 2 Chronicles 18:33 הֲפֹ֧ךְ Qal impv 2ms A certain man drew his bow at a venture, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of the chariot, Turn your hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore wounded.
Nehemiah 1 verse
Esther 2 verses
- Esther 9:1 וְ/נַהֲפ֣וֹךְ conj + Niphal inf.abs Now in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have rule over them, (whereas it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over those who hated them),
- Esther 9:22 נֶהְפַּ֨ךְ Niphal pf 3ms as the days in which the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the needy.
Job 12 verses
- Job 9:5 הֲפָכָ֣/ם Qal pf 3ms + sfx pers 3mp Who removes the mountains, and they don't know it, When he overturns them in his anger
- Job 12:15 וְ/יַ֖הַפְכוּ conj + Qal impf 3mp Behold, he withholds the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sends them out, and they overturn the earth.
- Job 19:19 נֶהְפְּכוּ Niphal pf 3cp All my familiar friends abhor me. They whom I loved have turned against me.
- Job 20:14 נֶהְפָּ֑ךְ Niphal pf 3ms Yet his food in his bowels is turned. It is cobra venom within him.
- Job 28:5 נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ Niphal pf 3ms As for the earth, out of it comes bread; Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
- Job 28:9 הָפַ֖ךְ Qal pf 3ms He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock, And he overturns the mountains by the roots.
- Job 30:15 הָהְפַּ֥ךְ Hophal pf 3ms Terrors are turned on me. They chase my honor as the wind. My welfare has passed away as a cloud.
- Job 30:21 תֵּהָפֵ֣ךְ Niphal impf 2ms You have turned to be cruel to me. With the might of your hand you persecute me.
- Job 34:25 וְ/הָ֥פַךְ conj + Qal pf 3ms Therefore he takes knowledge of their works. He overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
- Job 37:12 מִתְהַפֵּ֣ךְ Hithpael ptcp.act ms It is turned round about by his guidance, That they may do whatever he commands them On the surface of the habitable world,
- Job 38:14 תִּ֭תְהַפֵּךְ Hithpael impf 3fs It is changed as clay under the seal, And stands forth as a garment.
- Job 41:28 נֶהְפְּכוּ Niphal pf 3cp The arrow can't make him flee. Sling stones are like chaff to him.
Psalms 10 verses
- Psalms 30:11 הָפַ֣כְתָּ Qal pf 2ms You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,
- Psalms 32:4 נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ Niphal pf 3ms For day and night your hand was heavy on me. My strength was sapped in the heat of summer. Selah.
- Psalms 41:3 הָפַ֥כְתָּ Qal pf 2ms Yahweh will sustain him on his sickbed, And restore him from his bed of illness.
- Psalms 66:6 הָ֤פַךְ Qal pf 3ms He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There, we rejoiced in him.
- Psalms 78:9 הָ֝פְכ֗וּ Qal pf 3cp The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle.
- Psalms 78:44 וַ/יַּהֲפֹ֣ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink.
- Psalms 78:57 נֶ֝הְפְּכ֗וּ Niphal pf 3cp But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
- Psalms 105:25 הָפַ֣ךְ Qal pf 3ms He turned their heart to hate his people, To conspire against his servants.
- Psalms 105:29 הָפַ֣ךְ Qal pf 3ms He turned their waters into blood, And killed their fish.
- Psalms 114:8 הַ/הֹפְכִ֣י ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms cs Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a spring of waters.
Proverbs 2 verses
Isaiah 3 verses
- Isaiah 34:9 וְ/נֶהֶפְכ֤וּ conj + Niphal wpf 3cp The streams of [Edom] shall be turned into pitch, and the dust of it into sulfur, and the land of it shall become burning pitch.
- Isaiah 60:5 יֵהָפֵ֤ךְ Niphal impf 3ms Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart shall thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
- Isaiah 63:10 וַ/יֵּהָפֵ֥ךְ conj + Niphal wimpf 3ms But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, [and] himself fought against them.
Jeremiah 6 verses
- Jeremiah 2:21 נֶהְפַּ֣כְתְּ Niphal pf 2fs Yet I had planted you a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then are you turned into the degenerate branches of a foreign vine to me?
- Jeremiah 13:23 הֲ/יַהֲפֹ֤ךְ ptcl inter + Qal impf 3ms Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.
- Jeremiah 20:16 הָפַ֥ךְ Qal pf 3ms Let that man be as the cities which Yahweh overthrew, and didn't repent: and let him hear a cry in the morning, and shouting at noontime;
- Jeremiah 23:36 וַ/הֲפַכְתֶּ֗ם conj + Qal pf 2mp The burden of Yahweh shall you mention no more: for every man's own word shall be his burden; for you have perverted the words of the living God, of Yahweh of Hosts our God.
- Jeremiah 30:6 וְ/נֶהֶפְכ֥וּ conj + Niphal wpf 3cp Ask now, and see whether a man does travail with child: why do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
- Jeremiah 31:13 וְ/הָפַכְתִּ֨י conj + Qal wpf 1cs Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
Lamentations 5 verses
- Lamentations 1:20 נֶהְפַּ֤ךְ Niphal pf 3ms See, Yahweh; for I am in distress; my heart is troubled; My heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: Abroad the sword bereaves, at home there is as death.
- Lamentations 3:3 יַהֲפֹ֥ךְ Qal impf 3ms Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.
- Lamentations 4:6 הַֽ/הֲפוּכָ֣ה ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.pass fs For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, That was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were laid on her.
- Lamentations 5:2 נֶֽהֶפְכָ֣ה Niphal pf 3fs Our inheritance is turned to strangers, Our houses to aliens.
- Lamentations 5:15 נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ Niphal pf 3ms The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning.
Ezekiel 1 verse
Daniel 2 verses
- Daniel 10:8 נֶהְפַּ֤ךְ Niphal pf 3ms So I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me; for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
- Daniel 10:16 נֶהֶפְכ֤וּ Niphal pf 3cp Behold, one in the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spoke and said to him who stood before me, my lord, by reason of the vision my sorrows are turned on me, and I retain no strength.
Hosea 2 verses
- Hosea 7:8 הֲפוּכָֽה Qal ptcp.pass fs Ephraim, he mixes himself among the nations. Ephraim is a pancake not turned over.
- Hosea 11:8 נֶהְפַּ֤ךְ Niphal pf 3ms "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within me, My compassion is aroused.
Joel 1 verse
Amos 5 verses
- Amos 4:11 הָפַ֣כְתִּי Qal pf 1cs "I have overthrown some of you, As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a burning stick plucked out of the fire; Yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.
- Amos 5:7 הַ/הֹפְכִ֥ים ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp You who turn justice to wormwood, And cast down righteousness to the earth:
- Amos 5:8 וְ/הֹפֵ֤ךְ conj + Qal ptcp.act ms Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, And turns the shadow of death into the morning, And makes the day dark with night; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name,
- Amos 6:12 הֲפַכְתֶּ֤ם Qal pf 2mp Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison, And the fruit of righteousness into bitterness;
- Amos 8:10 וְ/הָפַכְתִּ֨י conj + Qal wpf 1cs I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; And I will make you wear sackcloth on all your bodies, And baldness on every head. I will make it like the mourning for an only son, And the end of it like a bitter day.
Jonah 1 verse
Zephaniah 1 verse
Haggai 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
הפך (hâphak) is a Hebrew verb most often rendered “to overturn.” Translators differ — “is turned” in the King James Version, then “has turned” (Berean Standard Bible), as the renderings breakdown shows. With 92 verses in 28 books, it is a moderately common word in the Hebrew Bible. It first appears in Genesis 3:24. The verb spans 4 stems, from Qal to Niphal. For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H2015 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 92
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 92 distinct verses.
- 28 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 28 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #440
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 440 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 92 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 92 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 37 verses · 40%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 35 verses · 38%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 20 verses · 22%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Is turned 9×, Turned 8×, Are turned 5×
- American Standard Version: Turned 9×, Is turned 6×, Are turned 4×
- Berean Standard Bible: Has turned 7×, He turned 5×, Turned 5×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Turned 12×, And 7×, Has turned 6×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H2015 across 94 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 45 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H2015 across 93 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 53 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H2015 across 93 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 55 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H2015 across 111 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 56 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
23 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal) and Hophal (the passive of Hiphil).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 23 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. Lv 13:3 + 13 times; וְהָפַךְ consec. 2 K 21:13 Jb 34:25; 3 mpl. הָֽפְכוּ ψ 78:9; הֲפַכְתֶּם Am 6:12 Je 23:36, etc.; Impf. יַהֲפֹךְ La 3:3 Je 13:23; וַיַּהֲפֹךְ Gn 19:25 + 6 times; וַיַּהֲפָךְ־ 1 S 10:9; sf. וַיַּהַפְכֵהוּ Ju 7:13; 3 fs. וַתַּהֲפֹךְ 2 Ch 9:12; אֶהְפֹּךְ Zp 3:9; וַיַּהַפְכוּ 1 S 25:12 Jb 12:15; Imv. הֲפֹךְ 1 K 22:34 = 2 Ch 18:33, Inf. abs. הָפוֹךְ Pr 12:7; cstr. הֲפֹךְ Gn 19:29 1 Ch 19:3; sf. הָפְכִּי Gn 19:21; הָפְכָהּ 2 S 10:3;—on הַפְכְּכֶם (so Baer, q.v.) Is 29:16, v. הֶפֶךְ; Pt. act. הֹפֵךְ Am 5:8; הַהֹפְכִי ψ 114:8; pl. הַהֹפְכִים Am 5:7; pass. הֲפוּכָה Ho 7:8 La 4:6.— e.g. Leviticus 13:3
- 1. trans.
- a. turn, turn about, turn over, c. acc.: e.g. turn the back (עֹרֶף) Jos 7:8 (JE); a dish עַל־פָּנֶיהָ (צַלַּחַת) 2 K 21:13; the hand, & so the horses of a chariot 1 K 22:34 = 2 Ch 18:33, 2 K 9:23; but also (sq. בְּ) of hostility La 3:3; turn a cake (pass.) Ho 7:8; of י׳, ה׳ שָׂפָה בְּרוּרָה Zp 3:9 i.e. restore speech of a pure kind, sq. אֶל־עַמִּים; לֵב אַחֵר 1 S 10:9 another heart, sq. לוֹ; turn a wind (רוּחַ; i.e. bring from different quarter) Ex 10:19 (J). e.g. Joshua 7:8
- b. overturn, overthrow, sq. acc. Sodom, etc., Gn 19:21, 25, 29 (J), Dt 29:22 Je 20:16 La 4:6 (cf. מַהְפֵּכַת וגו׳ Am 4:11 v. infr.; also הֲפֵכָה, [מַהְפֵּכָה]); city of Ammon 2 S 10:3 = 1 Ch 19:3 (obj. om.); mountains Jb 9:5; 28:9; throne Hg 2:22 (‖ הִשְׁמִיד), chariots v 22; tent (אֹהֶל), ה׳ לְמַ֫עְלָה Ju 7:13; obj. earth (ה׳ = devastate) Jb 12:15; wicked men Am 4:11 (הָפַכְתִּי בָּכֶם כְּמַהְפֵּכַת אֱלֹהִים אֶת־סְדֹם וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָה) Pr 12:7 Jb 34:25 (obj. om.). e.g. Genesis 19:21
- c. turn = change, transform (1) sq. acc. = alter; a colour (עֵינוֹ) Lv 13:55 (P); skin Je 13:23; bed (מִשְׁכָּבוֹ v. מ׳; Che his lying down) ψ 41:4 i.e. restore to health; (2) pervert דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים Je 23:36; (3) sq. acc. c. Inf. ψ 105:25 he turned their heart to hate his people; (4) turn to, into, sq. two acc. Lv 13:10 ψ 114:8 rock into pool of water; usually sq. acc. + לְ, ψ 66:6 sea into dry land, ψ 78:44 rivers into blood, cf. 105:29; Je 31:13 mourning into joy, so ψ 30:12; Am 5:7 justice into wormwood, cf. 6:12; 8:10 feasts into mourning; Dt 23:6 = Ne 13:2 curse into blessing; Am 5:8 death-shade into morning. e.g. Leviticus 13:55
- 2. intrans.
- a. turn, turn back, Ju 20:39, 41 2 K 5:26 ψ 78:9 2 Ch 9:12; sq. לדרך 1 S 25:12; e.g. Judges 20:39
- b. turn = change, change into, sq. pred. adj. ה׳ לָבָן turn white Lv 13:3, 4, 13, 20 (all P). e.g. Leviticus 13:3
Niphal
- Pf. נֶהְפַּךְ Ex 7:15 + 10 times; נֶהְפָּ֑ךְ Jb 20:14; וְנֶהְפַּךְ consec. Lv 13:16; נֶהֶפְכָה La 5:2; 3 mpl. נֶהְפְּכוּ Jb 19:19 + 3 times, נֶהֶפְכוּ 1 S 4:19 Dn 10:16, וְנֶהֶפְכוּ consec. Ex 7:17 Is 34:9, etc.; Impf. יֵהָפֵךְ Is 60:5 Jo 3:4; וַיֵּהָפֵךְ Ex 14:5 Is 63:10; 2 ms. תֵּהָפֵךְ Jb 30:21 Ez 4:8; וַיֵּהָֽפְכוּ Ex 7:20; Inf. abs. נַהֲפוֹךְ Est 9:1; Pt. נֶהְפָּךְ Pr 17:20; נֶהְפָּ֑כֶת Jon 3:4;— e.g. Exodus 7:15
- 1. reflex. & intrans.
- a. turn oneself, turn, turn back (cf. Qal 2 a) Jos 8:20 (JE); turn aside ψ 78:57; turn from side to side Ez 4:8; pains turned upon (עַל) her 1 S 4:19 (i.e. came suddenly upon her) cf. Dn 10:16; turn against sq. בְּ Jb 19:19; turn to(ward), sq. עַל, Is 60:5 (‖ בא לְ). e.g. Joshua 8:20
- b. turn = change (oneself) sq. pred. adj. Lv 13:25 (P); sq. pred. noun (?), vine turns into degenerate plant Je 2:21; no pred. expressed Jb 20:14 (cf. v b); of heart turned in compassion Ho 11:8 (‖ נִכְמְרוּ נִחוּמָ֑י), in sorrow, distress, La 1:20; of heart changed, so as to be favourably disposed toward (sq. אֶל) Ex 14:5 (J) = change of mind; sq. לְ, of plague spots changing colour Lv 13:16, 17 (P); rod changing to serpent Ex 7:15 (P); faces to paleness Je 30:6; dance to mourning La 5:15; comeliness to corruption Dn 10:8; וַיֵּהָפֵךְ לָהֶם לְאוֹיֵב Is 63:10 Jb 30:21. e.g. Leviticus 13:25
- c. be perverse, only pt. used subst. נֶהְפָּךְ בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ Pr 17:20 he that is perverse with his tongue. e.g. Proverbs 17:20
- 2. pass.,
- a. be turned, turned over to sq. לְ, an inheritance to strangers La 5:2. e.g. Lamentations 5:2
- b. be reversed Est 9:1. e.g. Esther 9:1
- c. be turned, changed, sq. לְ, waters into blood Ex 7:17, 20 (E); Saul into another man 1 S 10:6; streams into pitch Is 34:9; sun to darkness Jo 3:4; stones to chaff Jb 41:20; month changed from sorrow to gladness Est 9:22; cf. ψ 32:4 where complem. om. e.g. Exodus 7:17
- d. be overturned, overthrown, of city Nineveh Jon 3:4. e.g. Jonah 3:4
- e. be upturned, of subterran. work of miners Jb 28:5 = there is an upturning. e.g. Job 28:5
Hithpael
- Impf. 3 fs. תִּתְהַפֵּךְ Jb 38:14; Pt. מִתְהַפֵּךְ Ju 7:13 Jb 37:12; מִתְהַפֶּכֶת Gn 3:24;—reflex. & intrans.: e.g. Job 38:14
- 1. turn this way & that, every way, of the flaming sword Gn 3:24 (J); storm-cloud Jb 37:12; turn over & over Ju 7:13, of bread-cake tumbling into the host of Midian. e.g. Genesis 3:24
- 2. transform oneself, Jb 38:14 of earth under rising dawn. e.g. Job 38:14
Hophal
- Pf. הָהְפַּךְ עָלַי בַּלָּהוֹת Jb 30:15 there have been turned upon me terrors (cf. הִתְגַּלְגָּ֑לוּ v 14, of foes). e.g. Job 30:15
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. turn, overturn (NH id., Aramaic הֲפַךְ, ܗܦܰܟ, Arabic أَفَكَ WSG 47, Assyrian abâku, apâku DlW)—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
הָפַךְ
- (b. h.)
- 1. (act. verb) to turn; to change; to reverse; to pervert, subvert, destroy. Ex. R. s. 18 הָפְכָה המדינה שעבודה וכ׳ a country perverted the rules of forced labor for the captives (treating them inhumanely); ה׳ עליהם את הדין וכ׳ he changed the law against them and put them to death by night (against the Jewish law, v. Snh. IV, 1). Ib. ה׳ סדום He destroyed Sodom. Ber. 55ᵇ כשם שהָפַכְתָּ וכ׳ as thou didst turn the curse … into blessing, כן הֲפוֹךְ וכ׳ so do thou turn &c. B. Kam. III, 3 ההוֹפֵךְ את הגלל he who upturns (changes the place of) the dung (taking possession); a. v. fr.—Part. Pass. הָפוּךְ. Pes. 50ᵃ עולם ה׳ ראיתי וכ׳ I saw a reversed world, the uppermost below &c. Sabb. 108ᵇ הֲפוּכָה סדום וכ׳ Sodom is subverted and what is said about it is perverted. Sifra Thazr. Par. 3, ch. III הפוך, הפוכה when its color is changed; a. v. fr.—Y. Naz. V, end, 54ᵇ לשון הפוך, v. הֶפֶךְ.
- 2. (neut. verb) to change. Sifra ch. IV אי כולי ה׳ לבן if the whole of it has turned white. Neg. IV, 3; a. fr.
- 1. to be upturned, destroyed; to be changed. Yalk. Esth. 1056 כשנ׳ סדום when Sodom was subverted. Gen. R. s. 50 ומדינה נֶהְפֶּכֶת, v. אִדְרַבְלָא. Tanḥ. Sh’moth 25 נ׳ להם מן וכ׳ the voice turned around, as if coming from &c.; a. fr.
- 2. to roll about, v. Hithpa.
- 1. to reverse, pervert, turn. Gen. R. s. 20 שהי׳ דברים וכ׳ who spoke perversely of the Creator. Kidd. 59ᵃ עני מְהַפֵּךְ וכ׳ a poor man turns the cake, and another comes and takes it, i.e. one who buys away what another is negotiating for.
- 2. to scheme, v. infra.
- , Nithpa. נִתְהַפֵּךְ
- 1. to be changed, disguise one’s self. Gen. R. s. 21 end שהם מִתְהַפְּכִים they (the angels) assume various shapes.
- 2. to turn one’s self around. Ib. שהיא מִתְהַפֶּכֶת וכ׳ for it (the fiery sword) turns around man &c. Yeb. 35ᵃ; Keth. 37ᵃ מתהפכת she turns herself (makes violent motions). Ib. נִתְהַפְּכָה (Keth. l. c. נֶהֶפְכָה).—Tanḥ. Vayetsé 11 היה מ׳ עליו prevaricated (changing terms).
- 3. to scheme. Ruth R. introd. 3 שהוא מִתְהפֵּךְ ובא וכ׳ he (Esaw = Rome) schemes and comes against &c.; Yalk. Prov. 959 בא ומְהַפֵּךְ על וכ׳. Ib. שהם מִתְהַפְּכִים וכ׳; Ruth R. l. c. שמְהַפְּכִין.
הֲפַךְ
- , same (v. אֲפַךְ)
- 1. to turn, change. Targ. Ps. CV, 29; a. fr.—Y. Sabb. XVI, end, 15ᵈ ה׳ אפוי he turned his face off.
- 2. to overturn, destroy. Targ. Gen. XIX, 25; a. fr.
- 3. (neut. verb) to turn around. Targ. Prov. XXVI, 11; a. e.—Num. R. s. 12 כהדין ברנש … הָפוּךְ לאחוריו like one going down a ladder backwards; Y. R. Hash. II, 58ᵃ כאילין דסלקין בסולמא הֲפִיךְ like those who ascend a ladder backward; Yalk. Job 912 [read:] כהדין דסלקין בסולמא הפוך (v. Lattes Saggio p. 106).
- 4. (with ב) to be engaged in, to handle. Pes. 113ᵃ (prov.) הֲפוֹךְ בנבילתא ולא תֵיפוֹךְ וכ׳ deal in carcasses, but deal not in words (gossip, sophistry &c.). Y. B. Kam. IV, beg. 4ᵃ אנא הפך ומתהפך בדידי וכ׳ I turn around my stock of goods (selling and buying again), so that I reach thee in profits. Ab. V, 22 הֲפוֹךְ בה וכ׳ study it over and again; a. fr.—V. הֲפִיכָא.
- l) (= h. הֵשִׁיב) to turn; to bring back, restore; to turn off (wrath), to appease; to give in return, reply. Targ. Prov. XXV, 13.—Ib. XXIX, 8.—Ib. XXIV, 29 Ms. (ed. אַהֲפֵיךְ Af.).—Ib. 26.—2) to handle, be engaged in, barter, study (v. Pe. 4). Kidd. 59ᵃ דוה מְהַפֵּיךְ בההיא וכ׳ was negotiating about a field. Sabb. 119ᵃ כמה דלא מְהַפִּיכְנָא בזכותיה before I study what might be said in his favor. Pes. 40ᵃ דמְהַפְּכֵי כיפי who handle sheaves; כי מְהַפְּכִיתוּ הַפִּיכוּ וכ׳ (Ms. M. הפכיתו) when ye handle (them), handle them with the thought that they will be used for a religious purpose.—Part. pass. מְהַפַּךְ. Y. Maasr. III, end, 51ᵃ היא הפכה והיא מְהַפְּכָה it turns and is turned in all directions (studied over and again), but we can learn nothing from it.
- , v. supra.
- 1. to be turned, changed; to turn about, deal in &c. Targ. Lev. XIII, 3. Targ. Job XXX, 21; a. fr.—Y. Maasr. III, end, 51ᵃ, v. supra.
- 2. to roll about. Targ. Jud. VII, 13; a. e.
הֶפֶךְ
- preced. wds.)
- 1. reverse, opposite. לְשׁוֹן ה׳ a phrase which means the reverse (euphemism). Y. Naz. II, 51ᵈ bot. (ed. Krot. הפר, corr. acc.); ib. V, end, 54ᵇ לָשׁוֹן הָפוּךְ.
- 2. upturning (a pile), displacing. B. Kam. 29ᵇ כל ה׳ למטה וכ׳ the term ‘upturning’ means a movement within three cubits (Var. v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note 80).
פַּךְ
- flask, jar with a narrow neck, v. טָפִי. Y. Hor. III, 47ᶜ bot. נמשחו מן הפך were anointed out of a flask, opp. קרן; Meg. 14ᵃ. Ib. (ref. to I Sam. II, 1) רמה קרני ולא רמה פַּכִּי ‘my horn is high’, but not ‘my flask is high.’ Tosef. Succ. III, 10 כמין פי הפך as if coming forth through the mouth of a flask, v. פִּכְפֵּךְ. Neg. XII, 5 חסה התורה … ועל פַּכֹּו the Torah has regard … even for a man’s flask; Sifra M’teorʿa, Neg., ch. III, Par. 5. Gen. R. s. 69, end שופע … כמלא פי הפך the oil was poured down for him from heaven in large drops as if coming out of a flask; Yalk. ib. 120; a. fr.—Pl. פַּכִּים, פַּכִּין. Sabb. 84ᵇ פ׳ קטנים small flasks (into which you cannot dip your finger); B. Kam. 25ᵇ. Ḥull. 91ᵃ (ref. to Gen. XXXII, 25) נשתייר על פ׳ קטנים he remained behind for the sake of some small jars. Kel. II, 2; a. fr. e.g. 1 Samuel 2:1
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 78 distinct written forms H2015 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 18 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H2015, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- הפך hephek H2016 contrary
- הפך hôphek H2017 perversity
- הפכפך hăphakpak H2019 crooked
- מהפכה mahpêkâh H4114 overthrow
- מהפכת mahpeketh H4115 stocks
- תהפכה tahpukâh H8419 perversity
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 87 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 92 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 3:24
- Exodus 7:15
- Leviticus 13:3
- Deuteronomy 23:5
- Joshua 7:8
- Judges 7:13
- 1 Samuel 4:19
- 2 Samuel 10:3
- 1 Kings 22:34
- 2 Kings 5:26
- 1 Chronicles 19:3
- 2 Chronicles 9:12
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
