צֶ֔פַע

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 צֶ֔פַע

   TSE-fa

   an adder or viper
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 יֵ֣צֵא צֶ֔פַע

   ye-TSE TSE-fa

   will come out an adder or viper
3. clause🔊 כִּֽי־מִשֹּׁ֤רֶשׁ נָחָשׁ֙ יֵ֣צֵא צֶ֔פַע וּפִרְי֖וֹ שָׂרָ֥ף מְעוֹפֵֽף׃

   ki-mish-SHO-resh na-KHASH ye-TSE TSE-fa u-fir-YO sa-RAF me-o-FEF

   for from {the} root of a serpent will come out an adder or viper and its fruit a burning one or fiery serpent flying
4. sentence🔊 אַל־תִּשְׂמְחִ֤י פְלֶ֙שֶׁת֙ כֻּלֵּ֔ךְ כִּ֥י נִשְׁבַּ֖ר שֵׁ֣בֶט מַכֵּ֑ךְ כִּֽי־מִשֹּׁ֤רֶשׁ נָחָשׁ֙ יֵ֣צֵא צֶ֔פַע וּפִרְי֖וֹ שָׂרָ֥ף מְעוֹפֵֽף׃

   al-tis-me-KHI pe-LE-shet ku-LEKH KI nish-BA-r SHE-vet ma-KEKH ki-mish-SHO-resh na-KHASH ye-TSE TSE-fa u-fir-YO sa-RAF me-o-FEF

   do not rejoice {feminine singular} Philistia all of you {feminine singular} that or because is broken rod or staff the one striking you {feminine singular} or your striker for from {the} root of a serpent will come out an adder or viper and its fruit a burning one or fiery serpent flying

Exegesis

A second ki {כִּי־ | kî-} with maqqef marks a result clause: miššōreš {מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ | miššōreš} ‘from root’ of the nachash {נָחָשׁ | nāḥāš} ‘serpent’ yields yetze {יֵצֵא | yēṣēʾ} ‘come forth’ a tsepa {צֶפַע | ṣepaʿ} ‘viper’, and upiryo {וּפִרְיוֹ | upiryō} ‘its fruit’ culminates in the piel participle meʿop̄ēp {מְעוֹפֵף | məʿop̄ēp} ‘flying’ saraf {שָׂרָף | śārāp} ‘fiery serpent’. The parallelism and construct chains heighten the progression of threats from rod to viper to flying serpent.

Root and etymology

ṣ-p-ע🔊 צ-פ-עtsade–pe–ayin

“viper”