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מֹף

𐤌𐤐

Mof

H4644 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain not applicable (proper noun of foreign origin)

Definition

Moph: a proper noun referring to the city of Memphis in Lower Egypt, a major urban and religious center in Egyptian antiquity. In the Hebrew Bible, it denotes the Egyptian city situated on the western bank of the Nile, known for its political importance.

Semantic Range

Memphis, chief city of Lower Egypt; center of Egyptian religion and politics; capital city referred to in the context of Israelite history and prophecy

Root / Etymology

Of Egyptian origin, paralleling the Egyptian name mn-nfr (Men-nefer), the ancient name for Memphis. The Hebrew form מֹף (Moph) reflects an archaic Egyptian pronunciation. The word is not derived from a Hebrew root and does not possess a Hebrew root meaning.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מֹף (Moph) appears only in Hosea 9:6 in the Masoretic Text, whereas the form נֹף (Noph) is more common in later prophetic books (e.g., Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) for Memphis. The distinction in spelling reflects either dialectal variation or different periods of linguistic borrowing from Egyptian. In the context of Hosea, Moph refers specifically to the Egyptian city as a destination or place of exile or judgment for Israelite expatriates. English translations commonly render מֹף as "Memphis," the renowned capital of Lower Egypt, but occasionally substitute generic terms such as "Egypt" or "the city," which do not capture the specificity of the reference. In post-biblical and later periods, the term Memphis is used widely, but in biblical contexts, מֹף (Moph) marks a close engagement with Egypt both geographically and politically during the monarchic and exilic periods. The usage does not denote ethnicity or religious affiliation, but rather the city itself as a locus of Egyptian power and culture.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Egyptian origin; Moph, the capital of Lower Egypt; Memphis. Compare נֹף.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

— (—) — not applicable (proper noun of foreign origin)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H116 אֱדַיִן then
H133 אַדְמָתָא Admatha
H175 אַהֲרוֹן and in Aharon
H1834 דַּמֶּשֶׂק Damascus
H1867 דָּֽרְיָוֵשׁ Darius

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4644-01 מֹ֣ף mof HNp Memphis Moph 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4644-01 Hosea 9:6 מֹ֣ף mof HNp Memphis Moph
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