אָסַף
To gather for any purpose; hence, to receive , take away , i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.)
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does אָסַף (asaph) mean in the Bible?
אָסַף (asaph) is a Hebrew word meaning "to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive , take away , i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.)". to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i. It underscores divine initiative in regathering scattered people into covenant community. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant.
Meaning
Gather and remove are semantic poles; death/destruction often means God's gathering away of life.
to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.) BDB: gather Usage: assemble, bring, consume, destroy, felch, gather (in, together, up again), × generally, get (him), lose, put all together, receive, recover (another from leprosy), (be) rereward, × surely, take (away, into, up), × utterly, withdraw.
Why This Word Matters
It underscores divine initiative in regathering scattered people into covenant community. Micah 2:12-13
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 48×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 37×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 4×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 2×
Pual intensive passive — intensive action received by the subject 1×
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Showing 8 of 202 occurrences in the biblical text.
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.