efes · end; only

What it means

efes (אֶפֶס) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “end; only”.

End, limit; as an adverb, "only," "however."

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. The limit: "the far reaches of the earth".
2. Nothing, no one; without.
3. Only, however.
4. The lower part of the leg, next to the foot, where it joins it.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

End, extremity; and what does not exist: nothing. BDB explains it as cessation, end, above all of the earth, and as an adverb, ‘no more, only’. In the dual it designates the ankles, the end of the foot.

• “The ends of the earth” Psalms 2:81 Samuel 2:10Isaiah 52:10
• “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth” Isaiah 45:22Micah 5:4
• “Less than nothing”: the nations and the idols Isaiah 40:17Isaiah 41:29
• “There is nothing besides me” Isaiah 45:6Isaiah 46:9Isaiah 47:8
• “Only”: a restriction Numbers 13:28Deuteronomy 15:4
• Water up to the ankles Ezekiel 47:3

How we translate it

“Ends” 14 times, in the expression “the ends of the earth”; “nothing” 5, “no one” 5 (“I, and no one else”, Isaiah 47:8). As an adverb it is rendered “Only” (Numbers 13:28), “However” (“However, there shall be no needy one among you”, Deuteronomy 15:4) or “without”, and in Ezekiel 47:3, in the dual, “to the ankles”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• ends ×14
• no one ×5
• nothing ×5
• only ×4
• without ×4
• However ×2
• none ×2
• there is no ×2
• ankles ×1
• as nonexistence ×1
• others ×4

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Numbers×3
• Deuteronomy×3
• Judges×1
• 1 Samuel×1
• 2 Samuel×2
• 2 Kings×2
• Job×1
• Psalms×6
• Proverbs×3
• Isaiah×14
• Jeremiah×1
• Ezekiel×1
• Daniel×1
• Amos×2
• Micah×1
• Zephaniah×1
• Zechariah×1

• Numbers 13:28

  Only the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and we also saw the descendants of Anak there.

• Numbers 22:35

  And the angel of YHWH said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

• Numbers 23:13

  And Balak said to him, “Come, please, with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the edge of them and shall not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.”

• Deuteronomy 15:4

  However, there shall be no needy one among you, for YHWH will surely bless you in the land that YHWH your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance to possess it,

• Deuteronomy 32:36

  For YHWH will judge his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their strength is gone and there is no one restrained or left.

• Deuteronomy 33:17

  The firstborn of his bull, splendor is his, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he will gore the peoples, all together, to the ends of the earth. And they are the myriads of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

• Judges 4:9

  She said, “I will certainly go with you; only, the honor will not be yours on the road on which you are going, for into the hand of a woman YHWH will sell Sisera.” Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

• 1 Samuel 2:10

  YHWH: those who contend with him will be shattered; against them he will thunder in the heavens. YHWH will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and lift high the horn of his anointed.”

• 2 Samuel 9:3

  The king said, “Is there no longer any man of the house of Saul, that I may do the loyal love of Elohim with him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan, injured in the feet.”

• 2 Samuel 12:14

  However, because by this thing you have utterly scorned the enemies of YHWH, also the son born to you shall surely die.”

• 2 Kings 14:26

  For YHWH saw the affliction of Israel, very bitter; there was none kept and none left, and there was no helper for Israel.

• Job 7:6

  My days are swifter than a shuttle, and they come to an end without hope.

• Psalms 2:8

  Ask of me, and I will give nations as your inheritance, and as your possession the ends of the earth.

• Psalms 22:27

  All the ends of the earth will remember and return to YHWH, and all the families of the nations will bow down before you.

• Psalms 59:13

  Make an end in fury, make an end, so that they are no more; and let them know that Elohim rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah.

• Psalms 67:7

  May Elohim bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him.

• Psalms 72:8

  And may he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

• Psalms 98:3

  He has remembered his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our Elohim.

• Proverbs 14:28

  In the multitude of people is the majesty of a king, but in the lack of a nation is the ruin of a prince.

• Proverbs 26:20

  Without wood the fire goes out, and where there is no grumbler, strife quiets down.

• Proverbs 30:4

  Who has gone up to the heavens and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in the garment? Who has raised up all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son, if you know?

• Isaiah 5:8

  Woe to those who join house to house, field to field they bring near, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!

• Isaiah 34:12

  Its nobles, and there is no kingdom there that they will proclaim, and all its princes will be nothing.

• Isaiah 40:17

  All the nations are as nothing before him; as less than nothing and emptiness they are regarded by him.

• Isaiah 41:12

  You will seek them and not find them, the men of your strife; they will be as nothing and as nonexistence, the men of your war.

• Isaiah 41:29

  Look, all of them are wickedness; nothing are their works; wind and emptiness are their cast images.

• Isaiah 45:6

  so that they may know from the rising of the sun and from its west that there is nothing besides me; I am YHWH, and there is no other;

• Isaiah 45:14

  Thus says YHWH: “The labor of Egypt and the gain of Cush and the Sabeans, men of stature, will pass over to you and will be yours; they will walk behind you; in chains they will pass over; and to you they will bow down, to you they will pray: ‘Only in you is El, and there is no other; there is no other Elohim.’”

• Isaiah 45:22

  Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am El, and there is no other.

• Isaiah 46:9

  Remember the former things of ages past, for I am El, and there is no other; I am Elohim, and there is nothing like me;

• Isaiah 47:8

  And now hear this, voluptuous one, who sits in security, who says in her heart, ‘I, and no one else; I will not sit as a widow, nor know loss of children.’

• Isaiah 47:10

  And you trusted in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and your knowledge, it led you astray; and you said in your heart, ‘I, and no one else.’

• Isaiah 52:4

  For thus says Adonai YHWH: “To Egypt my people went down at the first to reside as aliens there; and Assyria oppressed them without cause.

• Isaiah 52:10

  YHWH has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our Elohim.

• Isaiah 54:15

  Look, if anyone gathers against you, it is not from me; whoever gathers against you because of you will fall.

• Jeremiah 16:19

  YHWH, my strength and my stronghold and my place to flee in the day of distress, to you nations will come from the ends of the earth and say: “Surely our fathers inherited falsehood, vapor, and there is no profit in them.”

• Ezekiel 47:3

  When the man went out eastward with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water to the ankles.

• Daniel 8:25

  And by his cunning he will make deceit prosper in his hand, and in his heart he will make himself great, and in their ease he will destroy many; and against the Prince of princes he will stand up; but without hand he will be broken.

• Amos 6:10

  And his relative and the one who burns him will pick him up to bring out the bones from the house, and he will say to the one who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” And he will say, “No one.” And he will say, “Hush! For we must not mention the name of YHWH.”

• Amos 9:8

  Look, the eyes of Adonai YHWH are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the ground; except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, declares YHWH.

And 4 more times.