מַפָּל
𐤌𐤐𐤋
mappâl
H4651 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A fragment, flake, or portion that is separated from a larger body—most often chaff or refuse resulting from threshing grain; by extension, also any thin, pendulous piece such as a flap. The noun typically denotes something that has fallen off or broken away, especially in the processing of agricultural products, but can refer more broadly to any kind of scrap, fragment, or byproduct.
Semantic Range
flake, fragment, chaff, refuse, scrap, loose piece, pendulous piece, flap
Root / Etymology
From the root נפל (n-p-l), meaning 'to fall' or 'to drop.' The noun מַפָּל (mappâl) is a derivation indicating that which has been 'caused to fall' or 'fallen off' as a separate, subordinate piece. The noun construction signals a product of the falling or separation, emphasizing result rather than action.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מַפָּל occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible and is most commonly encountered in texts referring to agricultural processing, where it designates chaff or waste separated from edible grain. It was also used for flakes or fragments resulting from other processes that produced byproducts, such as metalworking or masonry, though attestations for non-agricultural uses are less prominent. In both early and later biblical Hebrew, the term retained the sense of what is cast off or removed in the process of refinement or manufacturing. English translations often use 'chaff,' 'flake,' or 'refuse,' but these may not convey the full range of physical contexts implied. The root נפל underlies other words related to falling or being cast down, such as נְפִילָה (nephilah, 'fall'), indicating a consistent semantic core of separation as a consequence of falling. The word has little theological import and its technical nuance depends on the context: it is synecdochically related to harvesting and waste, not to moral or ritual impurity.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָפַל; a falling off, i.e. chaff; also something pendulous, i.e. a flap; flake, refuse.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נפל (n-p-l) — to fall, to drop, to be cast down
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4654 | מַפָּלָה | to a collapse |
| H4658 | מַפֶּלֶת | in their downfall |
| H5303 | נְפִיל | the fallen-giants |
| H5307 | נָפַל | I will cause to fall |
| H5308 | נְפַל | falling ones |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4651-02 |
וּ/מַפַּ֥ל | umapal | HC/Ncmsc |
and the refuse | and fallen-off fragment of | 1 |
H4651-01 |
מַפְּלֵ֣י | mapeley | HNcmpc |
rows of | fallen-off fragments of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences