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מִפְקָד

𐤌𐤐𐤒𐤃

miphqâd

H4662 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פקד to attend to, to muster, to appoint, to number, to visit

Definition

A formal act of assignment, appointment, or enumeration; refers to the process or result of setting, registering, or commanding, as well as to the designated place, assembly point, or group at which such acts occur. Semantic range includes appointment (of a task or duty), muster or enrollment (as in a census or military inspection), the location at which groups are gathered or mustered, and the outcome or record of an enumeration.

Semantic Range

act of appointment, act of enumeration, census, record of numbering, appointed/census site, assembly point, assignment or mandate, designated group, mustering or gathering for military or ritual purposes

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root פקד (p-q-d), which means 'to attend to, muster, appoint, visit, account for.' The noun מִפְקָד (miphqâd) takes the mem-prefix, usually indicating the 'place of' or 'act/result of' the root action, and thus refers to the place or event of mustering, appointment, or numbering.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מִפְקָד appears most frequently in administrative and military contexts. In Numbers and other narrative books, it refers to the act or the result of taking a census among Israelites, particularly for military or organizational purposes (e.g., Numbers 1:3). In Ezekiel 43:21, it denotes a designated spot outside the sacred precinct where certain ritual acts occur, showing the word's semantic flexibility—from an event to a location. The word is rooted in Israelite practices of organization, military order, and social structure, but does not carry the later Judean or Jewish connotations of religious assembly. English translations sometimes narrow its scope to 'census' or 'appointed place,' but the term covers a wider range, encompassing both the act of enumeration and the site or assembly associated with that act. Contrasts with words for general assembly (e.g., קָהָל) or gathering (e.g., עֵדָה), as מִפְקָד is more specific to assignment and enumeration. In post-exilic usage, the word continues to align with organization, appointment, and muster, without significant theological revision.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from פָּקַד; an appointment, i.e. mandate; concretely, a designated spot; specifically, a census; appointed place, commandment, number.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פקד (p-q-d) — attend to, muster, appoint, number, visit

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4663 מִפְקָד the appointed-muster site
H6485 פָּקַד I will appoint
H6486 פְּקֻדָּה their appointed oversight
H6487 פִּקָּדוֹן in an entrusted deposit
H6488 פְּקִדֻת oversight

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4662-02 מִפְקַד mifeqad HNcmsc of the census muster-appointment 2
H4662-01 בְּ/מִפְקַ֣ד bemifeqad HR/Ncmsc by the appointment of at mustering-of 2

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4662-02 2 Samuel 24:9 מִפְקַד mifeqad HNcmsc of the registration muster-appointment
H4662-01 Ezekiel 43:21 בְּ/מִפְקַ֣ד bemifeqad HR/Ncmsc in-appointed-place at mustering-of
H4662-02 1 Chronicles 21:5 מִפְקַד mifeqad HNcmsc of the census muster-appointment
H4662-01 2 Chronicles 31:13 בְּ/מִפְקַד֙ bemifeqad HR/Ncmsc by the appointment of at mustering-of
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