הַ/מִּצְפָּ֑ה

𐤄/𐤌𐤑𐤐𐤄

hamitsepah

Mizpah

feminine of מִצְפֶּה; Mitspah, the name of two places in Palestine; Mitspah. (This seems rather to be only an orthographic variation of מִצְפֶּה when 'in pause'.)

H4709

Judges 21:8 · Word #11

Lexicon H4709

Lemmaמִצְפָּה
Lemma (Paleo)𐤌𐤑𐤐𐤄
TransliterationMitspâh
Strong'sH4709
In-contextMizpah

Morphology HTd/Np All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype p — Proper Name — Proper name

SIBI-P1 H4709-02

the Watchtower

Rootצפה (ts-p-h)
Core Meaningsto look out, watch, keep watch, observe, spy
Semantic Rangewatchtower, lookout point, watch-height; as a proper noun, the name of several Israelite towns situated on elevated vantage points
Conceptual SignificancePlaces named Mizpah were typically elevated sites used for gathering, covenant-making, or military assembly, reflecting the root idea of watchfulness and oversight. The name evokes themes of vigilance, divine observation, and communal accountability before יהוה.
Morphological NotesFeminine singular noun functioning as a proper place name; prefixed with the definite article (הַ). Likely derived from the noun מִצְפֶּה (“watchtower, lookout”), from the root צפה.
Rendering RationaleThe noun מִצְפָּה derives from the root צפה (“to watch, look out”) and denotes a lookout place or watch-height. The morphology (HTd/Np) indicates a feminine singular proper noun with the definite article, so the rendering preserves both its singular feminine form and the prefixed "the" as "the Watchtower."

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root צפה (to look out, watch, keep watch, observe, spy)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H6822-01 atsapeh I will keenly keep watch
H4709-01 bamitsepah in the Watchtower (Mizpah)
H6822-02 hametsapeh the one who keeps watch

Word Usage (36 occurrences of H4709)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 31:49 וְ/הַ/מִּצְפָּה֙ vehamitsepah and Mizpah
Joshua 11:3 הַ/מִּצְפָּֽה hamitsepah of Mizpah
Judges 10:17 בַּ/מִּצְפָּֽה bamitsepah in Mizpah