HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H660
אֶפְעֶה
eph.eh — viper
a viper, snake
3 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY
Viper
Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term
How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.
HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H5919
עַכְשׁוּב
akh.shuv — viper
1) asp, viper 1a) asp, viper 1b) perhaps spider
1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H6620
פֶּ֫תֶן
pe.ten — cobra
1) a snake, venomous serpent 1a) perhaps the cobra, adder, or viper
6 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →GREEK · G2191
ἔχιδνα
echidna — snake
ἔχιδνα, -ης, ἡ [in OT (Aq.), Isa.59:5 * ;] a viper: Act.28:3; metaphorically, γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, Mat.3:7 12:34 23:33, Luk.3:7.† (AS)
5 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H6848
צֶ֫פַע
tse.pah — serpent
1) poisonous serpent 1a) a viper snake or adder
5 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H8207
שְׁפִיפֹן
she.phi.phon — horned viper
1) horned snake 2) (CLBL) a serpent, perhaps an adder or horned snake
1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →Historical dictionary entry
In Job 20:16, Isa. 30:6; 59:5, the Heb. word eph’eh is thus rendered. The Hebrew word, however, probably denotes a species of poisonous serpents known by the Arabic name of ‘el ephah. Tristram has identified it with the sand viper, a species of small size common in sandy regions, and frequently found under stones by the shores of the Dead Sea. It is rapid in its movements, and highly poisonous. In the New Testament echidne is used (Matt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33) for any poisonous snake. The viper mentioned in Acts 28:3 was probably the vipera aspis, or the Mediterranean viper. (See ADDER.)
Scripture references
Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.