The Hebrew chapha means to cover, to overlay (especially with precious metals), or to shield and protect. It is used architecturally for the overlaying of temple furniture and metaphorically for divine protection.
Chapha appears prominently in the construction of the tabernacle and Solomon's temple, where wooden structures were overlaid (chapha) with gold (Exodus 26:29; 1 Kings 6:20). This architectural use carries theological weight: the ordinary is transformed by being covered with what is precious and holy. Metaphorically, God's protection is also described as covering — He shields His people. The same word for covering with gold describes the covering of God's care, suggesting that what God protects becomes precious in His eyes.