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מִסְפֵּד

𐤌𐤎𐤐𐤃

miçpêd

H4553 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A formal or communal expression of grief, mourning, or lamentation, typically performed in response to death or catastrophe. The term denotes not only the act or state of mourning but also specific rituals, ceremonies, or compositions associated with grief, either individually or collectively.

Semantic Range

lamentation, public mourning ceremony, formal dirge or lament, collective expression of grief; occasion or period of mourning; wailing, organized ritual of mourning

Root / Etymology

From the root סָפַד (s-f-d), which fundamentally means 'to lament' or 'to wail.' מִסְפֵּד is a noun formation denoting the expression or event of mourning, rather than the act of lamenting itself. The nominal form shifts the verbal idea to a communal or ritual context.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מִסְפֵּד primarily refers to formal mourning rites or ceremonies, often involving public lamentation for the dead (e.g., 2 Samuel 1:17; Zechariah 12:11). These could include set speeches (dirges), weeping, and other cultural rituals. Usage shifts from more spontaneous acts of mourning in early periods towards more structured, sometimes even professionalized mourning events (cf. 'dirge singers' in later texts). The term is distinct from אֵבֶל ('mourning' as a condition or period) and נְהִי ('loud lament, wailing'). Standard English translations like 'lamentation' or 'mourning' may obscure the specific cultural context of מִסְפֵּד, which is often an event with formal or communal implications. In later Israelite and Judean society, such ceremonies were occasions for collective memory and identity, as well as personal grief.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from סָפַד; a lamentation; lamentation, one mourneth, mourning, wailing.

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

ספד (s-p-d) — to lament, to mourn, to wail

Root ספד to lament, to mourn, to wail
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5594 סָפַד I will publicly mourn

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H4553-04 מִסְפֵּ֛ד miseped HNcmsa lamentation mourning ceremony mourning ceremony 6
H4553-07 וּ/מִסְפֵּ֖ד umiseped HC/Ncmsa and lamentation and lamentation-rite and lamentation 2
H4553-01 הַ/מִּסְפֵּד֙ hamiseped HTd/Ncmsa the mourning the lamentation-rite the mourning 1
H4553-05 מִסְפְּדִ/י֮ misepedi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my mourning my mourning-rite my mourning-rite 1
H4553-06 וּ/לְ/מִסְפֵּ֔ד ulemiseped HC/R/Ncmsa and to mourning and to a lamentation ceremony and to mourning 1
H4553-02 כְּ/מִסְפַּ֥ד kemisepad HR/Ncmsc like the mourning like a mourning-ceremony of like the mourning of 1
H4553-08 וּ/בְ/מִסְפֵּֽד uvemiseped HC/R/Ncmsa and with mourning and in a mourning-ceremony and with mourning 1
H4553-03 מִסְפַּ֖ד misepad HNcmsc lamentation ritual lamentation lamentation 1

Occurrences in Scripture

14 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H4553-04 Genesis 50:10 מִסְפֵּ֛ד miseped HNcmsa a mourning mourning ceremony mourning ceremony
H4553-06 Isaiah 22:12 וּ/לְ/מִסְפֵּ֔ד ulemiseped HC/R/Ncmsa and to mourning and to a lamentation ceremony and to mourning
H4553-03 Jeremiah 6:26 מִסְפַּ֖ד misepad HNcmsc lamentation ritual lamentation lamentation
H4553-04 Jeremiah 48:38 מִסְפֵּ֑ד miseped HNcmsa lamentation mourning ceremony mourning ceremony
H4553-04 Ezekiel 27:31 מִסְפֵּ֥ד miseped HNcmsa lamentation mourning ceremony lamentation
H4553-08 Joel 2:12 וּ/בְ/מִסְפֵּֽד uvemiseped HC/R/Ncmsa and with mourning and in a mourning-ceremony and with mourning
H4553-04 Amos 5:16 מִסְפֵּ֔ד miseped HNcmsa lamentation mourning ceremony mourning ceremony
H4553-07 Amos 5:16 וּ/מִסְפֵּ֖ד umiseped HC/Ncmsa and lamentation and lamentation-rite and lamentation
H4553-04 Amos 5:17 מִסְפֵּ֑ד miseped HNcmsa wailing mourning ceremony mourning ceremony
H4553-04 Micah 1:8 מִסְפֵּד֙ miseped HNcmsa lamentation mourning ceremony mourning ceremony
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