לְ/מִשְׁפְּחֹ֣ת
𐤋/𐤌𐤔𐤐𐤇𐤕
lemishepechot
for the families
from שָׁפָה (compare שִׁפְחָה); a family, i.e. circle of relatives; figuratively, a class (of persons), a species (of animals) or sort (of things); by extension a tribe or people; family, kind(-red).
Joshua 21:4 · Word #3
Lexicon H4940
| Lemma | מִשְׁפָּחָה |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤔𐤐𐤇𐤄 |
| Transliteration | mishpâchâh |
| Strong's | H4940 |
| In-context | for the families |
Morphology HR/Ncfpc
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | f — Feminine — Feminine |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
| State | c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word |
SIBI-P1 H4940-09
to the clan-families of
| Root | שׁפח (š-p-ḥ) |
| Core Meanings | branching, spreading out, clan-grouping, extended kinship circle |
| Semantic Range | extended family, clan, lineage group, tribal subdivision, kind or class of beings |
| Conceptual Significance | מִשְׁפָּחָה expresses the fundamental social unit of Israelite identity—larger than the nuclear family yet smaller than the tribe—through which inheritance, covenant membership, land distribution, and communal responsibility were structured. |
| Morphological Notes | Preposition לְ ("to/for/according to") + noun מִשְׁפָּחָה, common feminine plural construct (Ncfpc). The construct form requires a following genitive ("of ..."). |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun is feminine plural in construct form ("families of"), preserving the plural kinship groups inherent in מִשְׁפָּחָה. The prefixed לְ is rendered "to," reflecting the prepositional function, while "clan-families" preserves the sense of extended, branching kin groups tied to the root idea of a spread-out familial circle. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root שׁפח (branching, spreading out, clan-grouping, extended kinship circle)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H4940-01 |
bemishepechotam | in their extended-clans |
H4940-02 |
bemishepechoteyhem | within their spread-out clans |
H8198-01 |
beshifechatekha | with your household-maid |
Word Usage (304 occurrences of H4940)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 8:19 | לְ/מִשְׁפְּחֹ֣תֵי/הֶ֔ם | lemishepechoteyhem | according to their families |
| Genesis 10:5 | לְ/מִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖/ם | lemishepechotam | according to their families |
| Genesis 10:18 | מִשְׁפְּח֖וֹת | mishepechot | families |