What does מִצְפָּה (miṣĕpāh) mean in the Bible?
מִצְפָּה (miṣĕpāh): A place name meaning "watchpost" or "lookout," reflecting elevated terrain used for surveillance and gathering
Hebrew · H4709
מִצְפָּה
Mitspah , the name of two places in Palestine
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מִצְפָּה H4709
Pronunciation miṣĕpāh
What does מִצְפָּה (miṣĕpāh) mean in the Bible?
מִצְפָּה (miṣĕpāh): A place name meaning "watchpost" or "lookout," reflecting elevated terrain used for surveillance and gathering
Full entry for מִצְפָּה (H4709) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4709?
The BSB source-word alignment has 40 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include at Mizpah (20), Mizpah (6), of Mizpah (4), to Mizpah (4), and Mizpah (2).
Where does מִצְפָּה (miṣĕpāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 31:49. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (14), 1 Samuel (8), Judges (8), Nehemiah (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It at Mizpah 20× Judges 10:17, Judges 11:11, Judges 20:1, Judges 21:1
Mizpah 6× 1 Samuel 7:11, 1 Samuel 7:12, 1 Kings 15:22, Jeremiah 41:6
of Mizpah 4× Joshua 11:3, Nehemiah 3:15, Nehemiah 3:19, Jeremiah 41:10
to Mizpah 4× Judges 11:34, Judges 20:3, 1 Samuel 7:5, 1 Samuel 7:16
and Mizpah 2× 2 Chronicles 16:6, Nehemiah 3:7
in Mizpah 2× Jeremiah 40:10, Jeremiah 41:10
- 1× Jeremiah 41:1
[It was] also [called] Mizpah 1× Genesis 31:49
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 31:49 וְהַמִּצְפָּה֙ to [It was] also [called] Mizpah Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular Joshua 11:3 הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃ to of Mizpah Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular Judges 10:17 בַּמִּצְפָּֽה׃ to at Mizpah Preposition-b, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular Judges 11:11 בַּמִּצְפָּֽה׃פ to at Mizpah Preposition-b, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular Judges 11:34 הַמִּצְפָּה֮ to to Mizpah Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular Judges 20:1 הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃ to at Mizpah Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular Judges 20:3 הַמִּצְפָּ֑ה to to Mizpah Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular Judges 21:1 בַּמִּצְפָּ֖ה to at Mizpah Preposition-b, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular Judges 21:5 הַמִּצְפָּ֛ה to at Mizpah Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular Judges 21:8 הַמִּצְפָּ֑ה to at Mizpah Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 31:49
Aligned rows 40
Books represented 10
Genesis 1 Joshua 1 Judges 8 1 Samuel 8 1 Kings 1 2 Kings 2 2 Chronicles 1 Nehemiah 3 Jeremiah 14 Hosea 1
Source forms
הַמִּצְפָּ֑תָה 5x ham·miṣ·pā·ṯāh 1 Samuel 7:5, Jeremiah 40:6, Jeremiah 40:8, Jeremiah 40:12
בַּמִּצְפָּֽה׃ 4x bam·miṣ·pāh Judges 10:17, 1 Samuel 7:6, 2 Kings 25:25, Jeremiah 41:1
הַמִּצְפָּ֑ה 4x ham·miṣ·pāh Judges 20:3, Judges 21:8, 2 Kings 25:23, Jeremiah 41:14
הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃ 4x ham·miṣ·pāh Joshua 11:3, Judges 20:1, 1 Samuel 10:17, 1 Kings 15:22
בַּמִּצְפָּ֔ה 3x bam·miṣ·pāh Jeremiah 40:10, Jeremiah 41:3, Jeremiah 41:10
הַמִּצְפָּ֔ה 3x ham·miṣ·pāh 1 Samuel 7:11, Jeremiah 41:6, Jeremiah 41:16
וְהַמִּצְפָּ֑ה 2x wə·ham·miṣ·pāh 1 Samuel 7:16, Nehemiah 3:7
בַּמִּצְפָּ֖ה 1x bam·miṣ·pāh Judges 21:1
Parsing patterns
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular 17x Joshua 11:3, Judges 11:34, Judges 20:1, Judges 20:3
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular 11x Judges 10:17, Judges 11:11, Judges 21:1, 1 Samuel 7:6
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular | third person feminine singular 8x 1 Samuel 7:5, 1 Samuel 7:6, 1 Samuel 7:7, Jeremiah 40:6
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular 3x Genesis 31:49, 1 Samuel 7:16, Nehemiah 3:7
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular 1x Hosea 5:1
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. A place name meaning "watchpost" or "lookout," reflecting elevated terrain used for surveillance and gathering
Source Gloss
Mitspah , the name of two places in Palestine
Extended definition
A place name meaning "watchpost" or "lookout," reflecting elevated terrain used for surveillance and gathering
Mitspah. (This seems rather to be only an orthographic variation of 4708 when 'in pause'.)
Word Origins
מִצְפָּה is built from this root:
מִצְפֶּה H4708
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain