Animals

צפרדע Frog

Every verse in which this word stands — 13 places, in canonical order, first appearance to last. These are the places the lexicon carries under this word's own entry, counting every form the text writes it in, which is the number on the list.

Creeping thingGematria 444×13 in TanakhNot kosherFirst appearance:

The tzefardea — the second plague, coming up over Egypt into the houses and the ovens and the kneading-troughs, and remembered twice in Tehillim's psalms of the going out. At Shemot 8:2 the text writes it singular, one frog coming up over the land, and the tradition has read that singular closely. The books name it nowhere else.

Exodus 7:27שמות ז:כז

וְאִם־מָאֵן אַתָּה לְשַׁלֵּחַ הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נֹגֵף אֶת־כָּל־גְּבוּלְךָ בַּֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים

And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs.

Exodus 7:28שמות ז:כח

וְשָׁרַץ הַיְאֹר צְפַרְדְּעִים וְעָלוּ וּבָאוּ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבַחֲדַר מִשְׁכָּבְךָ וְעַל־מִטָּתֶךָ וּבְבֵית עֲבָדֶיךָ וּבְעַמֶּךָ וּבְתַנּוּרֶיךָ וּבְמִשְׁאֲרוֹתֶֽיךָ

And the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs.

Exodus 7:29שמות ז:כט

וּבְכָה וּֽבְעַמְּךָ וּבְכָל־עֲבָדֶיךָ יַעֲלוּ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִֽים

And the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.’

Exodus 8:1שמות ח:א

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה אֱמֹר אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹן נְטֵה אֶת־יָדְךָ בְּמַטֶּךָ עַל־הַנְּהָרֹת עַל־הַיְאֹרִים וְעַל־הָאֲגַמִּים וְהַעַל אֶת־הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִים עַל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם

And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Say unto Aaron: Stretch forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.’

Exodus 8:2שמות ח:ב

וַיֵּט אַהֲרֹן אֶת־יָדוֹ עַל מֵימֵי מִצְרָיִם וַתַּעַל הַצְּפַרְדֵּעַ וַתְּכַס אֶת־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם

And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

Exodus 8:3שמות ח:ג

וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵן הַֽחֲרְטֻמִּים בְּלָטֵיהֶם וַיַּעֲלוּ אֶת־הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִים עַל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם

And the magicians did in like manner with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

Exodus 8:4שמות ח:ד

וַיִּקְרָא פַרְעֹה לְמֹשֶׁה וּֽלְאַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר הַעְתִּירוּ אֶל־יְהוָה וְיָסֵר הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִים מִמֶּנִּי וּמֵֽעַמִּי וַאֲשַׁלְּחָה אֶת־הָעָם וְיִזְבְּחוּ לַיהוָֽה

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said: ‘Entreat the LORD, that He take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice unto the LORD.’

Exodus 8:5שמות ח:ה

וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לְפַרְעֹה הִתְפָּאֵר עָלַי לְמָתַי אַעְתִּיר לְךָ וְלַעֲבָדֶיךָ וּֽלְעַמְּךָ לְהַכְרִית הַֽצֲפַרְדְּעִים מִמְּךָ וּמִבָּתֶּיךָ רַק בַּיְאֹר תִּשָּׁאַֽרְנָה

And Moses said unto Pharaoh: ‘Have thou this glory over me; against what time shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only?’

Exodus 8:7שמות ח:ז

וְסָרוּ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִים מִמְּךָ וּמִבָּתֶּיךָ וּמֵעֲבָדֶיךָ וּמֵעַמֶּךָ רַק בַּיְאֹר תִּשָּׁאַֽרְנָה

And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.’

Exodus 8:8שמות ח:ח

וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן מֵעִם פַּרְעֹה וַיִּצְעַק מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהוָה עַל־דְּבַר הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִים אֲשֶׁר־שָׂם לְפַרְעֹֽה

And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the LORD concerning the frogs, which He had brought upon Pharaoh.

Exodus 8:9שמות ח:ט

וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוָה כִּדְבַר מֹשֶׁה וַיָּמֻתוּ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִים מִן־הַבָּתִּים מִן־הַחֲצֵרֹת וּמִן־הַשָּׂדֹֽת

And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields.

Psalms 78:45תהלים עח:מה

יְשַׁלַּח בָּהֶם עָרֹב וַיֹּאכְלֵם וּצְפַרְדֵּעַ וַתַּשְׁחִיתֵֽם

He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; And frogs, which destroyed them.

Psalms 105:30תהלים קה:ל

שָׁרַץ אַרְצָם צְפַרְדְּעִים בְּחַדְרֵי מַלְכֵיהֶֽם

Their land swarmed with frogs, In the chambers of their kings.

Quick answers

What is the Hebrew word for frog?

Frog in Hebrew is צפרדע, with a gematria of 444 in the standard method.

How many times is the frog mentioned in the Tanakh?

The word stands 13 times in the Tanakh, first at Exodus 7:27.

A spelling is not a word. The corpus never writes צפרדע bare — every one of its places carries a particle or a suffix on the front or the back — so the spelling above is the word's own headword, and the verses listed here are the only door to it.