What does Ephec mean?

Ephec (אֶפֶס, Strong's H657) is a Hebrew word. Strong's defines it as cessation, i.e. an end (especially of the earth); often used adverb, no further; also the ankle (in the dual), as being the extremity of the leg or foot. The King James Bible translates it as ankle, but (only), end, howbeit, less than nothing, nevertheless (where), no, none (beside), not (any, -withstanding), thing of nought, save(-ing), there, uttermost part, want, without (cause).

What is the Strong's number for Ephec?

The Strong's number for Ephec (אֶפֶס) is H657. It is a Hebrew word from Strong's public-domain dictionary keyed to the King James Bible.

Bible word study

Ephec (Strong’s H657): Meaning in the Bible

Ephec (אֶפֶס) is the Hebrew word numbered H657 in Strong’s concordance of the Bible. Strong’s defines it as cessation, i.e. an end (especially of the earth); often used adverb, no further; also the ankle (in the dual), as being the extremity of the leg or foot. In the King James Bible it is translated ankle, but (only), end, howbeit, less than nothing.

אֶפֶס

ʼepheç · Hebrew

Strong’s H657 · eh'-fes

Original wordאֶפֶס
Transliterationʼepheç
Pronunciationeh'-fes
Part of speechnoun (masculine) (n-m)
Strong’s numberH657
LanguageHebrew

The full Strong’s definition

cessation, i.e. an end (especially of the earth); often used adverb, no further; also the ankle (in the dual), as being the extremity of the leg or foot

Derivation. from H656; (sometimes like H6466)

How the King James Bible translates it

ankle, but (only), end, howbeit, less than nothing, nevertheless (where), no, none (beside), not (any, -withstanding), thing of nought, save(-ing), there, uttermost part, want, without (cause).

Where Ephec appears in the Bible

In the King James Bible’s text tagged with Strong’s numbers, Ephec (H657) stands behind 43 English renderings in 43 verses across 17 of the 66 books. It is most frequent in Isaiah (14), Psalms (6), Numbers (3).

How the King James Bible renders Ephec, by count

ends13 of 43 (30 percent)
no4 of 43 (9 percent)
none3 of 43 (7 percent)
not3 of 43 (7 percent)
nothing3 of 43 (7 percent)
else2 of 43 (5 percent)

Three places to read Ephec

Numbers 13:28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
Psalms 59:13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Counts are made at build time from the King James text tagged with Strong’s numbers (eBible.org, public domain). Verses are read from the stored King James text, never typed.

Why the word matters

Every word the biblical writers chose carries weight. Studying Ephec in the original Hebrew lets you read the passages where it appears more carefully, closer to what the first hearers understood, so the meaning is drawn from the text itself rather than from the English alone.

The lexical data on this page comes from the public-domain Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890), a Hebrew and Greek dictionary keyed to the King James Bible. It is a reference tool, not a settled verdict: no single word decides a doctrine, and meaning is finally shaped by how a word is used in its sentences. Read the passages themselves, prayerfully, and in full.

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