B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

We read there
מִפְּנֵי שֵׂיבָה תָּקוּם וְהָדַרְתָּ פְּנֵי זָקֵן
NIV: "Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly"
With שֵׂיבָה being of the biliteral root שׂב, a bone fide member of the root family
דב, זב, טב, סב, צב, שב
צו, תו
דף, זף, טף, יף, סף, צף, שף
typified by צב, or its extended forms צבה and צבא (related to נצב, 'erect') 'swell, enlarge, grow', as in Nu 5:21
אֶת יְרֵכֵךְ נֹפֶלֶת וְאֶת בִּטְנֵךְ צָבָה
KJV: "thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;"
This family of biliteral roots is often used to construct names of living beings of good size and ample body, to wit:
צָב CAB, 'tortoise', as in Lev. 11:29
צבִי CBIY, 'deer', as in Deut. 14:5
צָבוֹעַ CABOA, 'hyena'.
צֶפַע CEPA, 'viper', as in Isaiah 14:29
דוֹב DOB, 'bear', as in 1Sam. 17:34.
שָפָן $APAN, 'coney, rabbit', as in Lev. 11:5.
טָף TAP, 'children, young', as in Esther 3:13.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

One of the extensions of סף is to the very concrete אסף (related to עזב), 'collect, assemble, gather'. Two examples for this act are Proverbs 30:4
מִי אָסַף רוּחַ בְּחָפְנָיו מִי צָרַר מַיִם בַּשִּׂמְלָה
KJV: who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment?
and Gen. 30:23
אָסַף אֱלֹהִים אֶת חֶרְפָּתִי
KJV: "God hath taken away my reproach"
For a concrete example to עזב, 'abandon, desert, forsake, leave', we turn to Gen. 39:13
וַיְהִי כִּרְאוֹתָהּ כִּי עָזַב בִּגְדוֹ בְּיָדָהּ
NIV: "When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand"

A further extension of סף is to the אֲסַפְסוּף = אסף-אסוּף, 'rabble, mob, riffraff', with אסוּף = אס-הוּא-ף, as in Nu. 11:4
וְהָאסַפְסֻף אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבּוֹ
KJV: "And the mixt multitude that was among them"
NIV: "The rabble with them"
Corresponding to אֲסַפְסוּף me might adopt the useful עֲזַבְזוּב.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

To the list of hot and cold blooded growing things we add the growing stationaries.

סָעִיף =סע-היא-ף SAIYP, 'branch', as in Isaiah 27:10
שָׁם יִרְעֶה עֵגֶל וְשָׁם יִרְבָּץ וְכִלָּה סְעִפֶיהָ
NIV: "there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare."

עֶשֶׂב ESEB, 'grass', as in Gen. 1:11

סוּף = ס-הוּא-ף SUP, 'cane, rushes', as in Isaiah 19:6.

אֵזוֹב = אז-הוּא-ב EZOB, 'hyssop', actually, a kind of עשׂוֹב, as in Ex. 12:22.

מִסְפוֹא = מ-היא-ספ-הוּא-א MISPO, 'fodder', as in Gen. 24:32.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

Ah, to the list of animals I should still add the זְאֵב ZEEB, 'wolf', as in Isaiah 11:6. Also possibly the זְבוּב = זב-הוּא-ב (variant of צבוּב CBUB of the root צבב. Also of the roots דבב, יבב, סבב, שבב) ZBUB, 'fly', as in Isaiah 7 :18.

Friends of mine suggest that for 'deplorables' ('forlorn, wretched, neglected, pitiable, dismal') we use in Hebrew עֲלָבְלוּב from the post biblical root עלב, as in והעלבלוּב אשר בתוֹכוֹ.
By association we recall also the opposite post-biblical לבלב LBLB, 'flourish, thrive, prosper'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University