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Hebrew verb · H2963

טָרַף

taraphtaw-raf'

to tear

25 uses in the Hebrew text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key

Concordance spelling: ṭâraph

Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's H2963is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.

  • 12 of 39
    Old Testament books
  • 23
    spellings

The definition in full

Strong's key (1890) · H2963

to pluck off or pull to pieces; causatively to supply with food (as in morsels)

The King James renders it: catch, [idiom] without doubt, feed, ravin, rend in pieces, [idiom] surely, tear (in pieces).

James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.

Summary

taraph is rendered "to tear". It stands 25 times in the Hebrew text, across twelve books.

  • Five of the uses stand in Genesis, more than in any other book.
  • Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.Genesis 37:33His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
  • The Greek text spells it twenty-three different ways.

The first use

His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

Genesis 37:33טָרֹ֥ף

The first use, in the order of the Old Testament's books.

Where the word stands

The word stands in twelve of the 39 Old Testament books.

The other 27 Old Testament books never use the word.

What the word means

Each meaning, and the words it is translated by

How the Greek text is glossed, word by word

  • tearing4
  • certainly to tear3
  • he has been torn to pieces2
  • to tear2
  • and he tears1
  • and it tears1
  • and it tore1
  • he has torn to pieces1
  • he should tear to pieces1
  • he will be torn in pieces1
  • I should tear to pieces1
  • I will tear to pieces1

and 6 more, 25 uses in all

The words built on the same word-part

Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.

טָרַדtaradto pursueUses2
טָרַחtarachto burdenUses1

The words it stands beside

All 25, in canonical order

Every use, in order

Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.

23 spellings and their grammar

STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.

How it is spelled

  • טָרֹ֥ף2
  • לִטְרָף־2
  • אֶ֝טְרֹ֗ף1
  • אֶטְרֹף֙1
  • הַ֝טְרִיפֵ֗נִי1
  • וְטָרַ֥ף1
  • וְטָרַ֖ף1
  • וַיִּטְרֹ֤ף1
  • טָרָ֖ף1
  • טָרֹ֣ף1
  • טֹרֵ֥ף1
  • טֹֽרֵ֥ף1

and 11 more spellings in the ledger below.

The grammar of each form

  • verb · simple (qal), participle · masculine singular4HVqrmsa
  • preposition + verb · simple (qal), infinitive (“to…”)3HR/Vqcc
  • verb · simple (qal), infinitive absolute3HVqaa
  • verb · passive or reflexive (niphal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singular2HVNi3ms
  • verb · intensive passive (pual), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person masculine singular2HVPp3ms
  • verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 1st person common singular2HVqi1cs
  • verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singular2HVqi3ms
  • verb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person masculine singular2HVqp3ms
  • conjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person masculine singular1HC/Vqp3ms
  • Hc/Vqq3ms1Hc/Vqq3ms
  • Hc/Vqw3ms1Hc/Vqw3ms
  • verb · causative (hiphil), command · 2nd person masculine singular + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singular1HVhv2ms/Sp1bs

Genesis

five uses
  • His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

    Genesis 37:33

    • טָרֹ֥ףtarofverb · simple (qal), infinitive absolutetagged: certainly to tear
    • טֹרַ֖ףtorafverb · intensive passive (pual), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: he has been torn to pieces
  • When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since.

    Genesis 44:28

    • טָרֹ֣ףtarofverb · simple (qal), infinitive absolutetagged: certainly to tear
    • טֹרָ֑ףtorafverb · intensive passive (pual), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: he has been torn to pieces
  • Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

    Genesis 49:27

    • יִטְרָ֔ףyitrafverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: it tears to pieces

Exodus

two uses
  • If the animal was torn to pieces, he shall bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for the torn carcass.

    Exodus 22:13

    • טָרֹ֥ףtarofverb · simple (qal), infinitive absolutetagged: certainly to tear
    • יִטָּרֵ֖ףyitarefverb · passive or reflexive (niphal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: it will be torn in pieces

Deuteronomy

one use
  • Concerning Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges the domain of Gad! He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or a head.

    Deuteronomy 33:20

    • וְטָרַ֥ףvetarafconjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: and he tears

Job

two uses
  • His anger has torn me and opposed me; He gnashes His teeth at me. My adversary pierces me with His eyes.

    Job 16:9

    • טָרַ֨ף׀tarafverb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: it has torn
  • You who tear yourself in anger—should the earth be forsaken on your account, or the rocks be moved from their place?

    Job 18:4

    • טֹֽרֵ֥ףtorefverb · simple (qal), participle · masculine singulartagged: O tears

Psalms

four uses
  • or they will shred my soul like a lion and tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

    Psalms 7:2

    • יִטְרֹ֣ףyitrofverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: he should tear to pieces
  • like a lion greedy for prey, like a young lion lurking in ambush.

    Psalms 17:12

    • לִטְר֑וֹףlitrofpreposition + verb · simple (qal), infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to tear to pieces
  • They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul.

    Psalms 22:13

    • טֹרֵ֥ףtorefverb · simple (qal), participle · masculine singulartagged: tearing
  • Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:

    Psalms 50:22

    • אֶ֝טְרֹ֗ףʾetrofverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 1st person common singulartagged: I should tear to pieces

Proverbs

one use
  • Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.

    Proverbs 30:8

    • הַ֝טְרִיפֵ֗נִיhatrifeniverb · causative (hiphil), command · 2nd person masculine singular + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singulartagged: let devour me

Jeremiah

one use
  • Therefore a lion from the forest will strike them down, a wolf from the desert will ravage them. A leopard will lie in wait near their cities, and everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces. For their rebellious acts are many, and their unfaithful deeds are numerous.

    Jeremiah 5:6

    • יִטָּרֵ֑ףyitarefverb · passive or reflexive (niphal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: he will be torn in pieces

Ezekiel

four uses
  • She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

    Ezekiel 19:3

    • לִטְרָף־litrof-preposition + verb · simple (qal), infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to tear
  • He prowled among the lions, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

    Ezekiel 19:6

    • לִטְרָף־litrof-preposition + verb · simple (qal), infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to tear
  • The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.

    Ezekiel 22:25

    • טֹ֣רֵֽףtorefverb · simple (qal), participle · masculine singulartagged: tearing
  • Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.

    Ezekiel 22:27

    • טֹ֣רְפֵיtorefeiverb · simple (qal), participle · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”)tagged: tearing

Hosea

two uses
  • For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them to pieces and then go away. I will carry them off where no one can rescue them.

    Hosea 5:14

    • אֶטְרֹף֙ʾetrofverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 1st person common singulartagged: I will tear to pieces
  • Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.

    Hosea 6:1

    • טָרָ֖ףtarafverb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: he has torn to pieces

Amos

one use
  • This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Edom, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled all compassion; his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed incessantly.

    Amos 1:11

    • וַיִּטְרֹ֤ףvaiyitrofHc/Vqw3mstagged: and it tore

Micah

one use
  • Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, with no one to rescue them.

    Micah 5:8

    • וְטָרַ֖ףvetarafHc/Vqq3mstagged: and it tears

Nahum

one use
  • The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.

    Nahum 2:12

    • טֹרֵף֙torefverb · simple (qal), participle · masculine singulartagged: tearing

The letters

Gematria 289· 1,009 mispar gadol

Where it leads

How the numbers are counted

Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.

Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.

The words it stands beside are the nouns, verbs and adjectives immediately before or after it, counted in every verse where the word stands. The article, the conjunctions and the prepositions are left out, because they stand beside every word.

The family is read from the lexicon by the stem the two words share, with the accents off, and a person or a place named on the stem is left out.

Hebrew and Greek text, word tagging and grammar: STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org), Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0. Their grammar codes are written out in English here and shown as tagged beside each one.

Meaning and senses: STEP Bible TBESH gloss (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary key: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890, public domain). English verse text: Berean Standard Bible (public domain, 2023).

Revised 2026-09-05. Every cited work, the sources registry →