shaphat, “to judge,” strong’s H8199

The first occurrence.

And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon you: I have given my maid into your bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: YHVH judge between me and you. Gen 16:5

The primitive root.

Strong’s H8199 שפט shaphat, a primitive root meaning “to pronounce sentence.” The 3-letter root is shin + pey + tet.

shin ש  = two front teeth, thus sharp, press, eat, two, again
pey פ ,ף  = the mouth, thus open, blow, scatter, edge
tet ט  = the basket, thus surround, contain, hold, mud

The story: Pronouncing a word (shin, as spoken words pass through the teeth) with the mouth (pey); i.e., to make a decree, a proclamation, that holds (tet, as a basket holds whatever it contains) i.e., that passes the scrutiny of time and circumstances as a true word.

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