← H3988 H3990 →

מַאֲפֶה

𐤌𐤀𐤐𐤄

maʼăpheh

H3989 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אפה to bake, to cook by dry heat

Definition

A baked product; specifically refers to food items that have been baked, such as bread, cakes, or other baked goods. The term is used collectively or generically for what emerges from baking processes, regardless of specific ingredients or form.

Semantic Range

baked good, baked food, batch of bread or cake, a collection of baked items

Root / Etymology

From the root אָפָה (to bake). מַאֲפֶה is a nominal formation employing the מַ- prefix, common for nouns denoting the place or product of an action, plus the root אפה, thus indicating 'that which is baked' or 'baked product.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, מַאֲפֶה appears infrequently but always denotes generic baked food rather than a specific recipe or type (e.g., Gen 40:17, where it refers to Pharaoh's baked goods). There is no evidence that the term was limited to a particular kind of bread—cakes, loaves, and other baked items could be called מַאֲפֶה. This differentiates it from more specific terms like לֶחֶם (leḥem, usually 'bread') or עֻגוֹת (ʿugot, 'cakes'). The Septuagint typically renders this term using πλακούς or similar words for 'flat cake,' reflecting the translators' context rather than the full generic scope of the Hebrew term. In later periods, as baked goods diversified in form, derived terms in post-biblical Hebrew and cognate languages maintained the generic sense.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אָפָה; something baked, i.e. a batch; baken.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

אפה (ʾ-p-h) — to bake, to cook by dry heat

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H644 אָפָה he baked
H8601 תֻּפִין baked cakes of

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3989-01 מַאֲפֵ֣ה maafeh HNcmsc baked baked product of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3989-01 Leviticus 2:4 מַאֲפֵ֣ה maafeh HNcmsc baked baked product of
← H3988 Hebrew Lexicon H3990 →