מִשְׂפָּח
𐤌𐤔𐤐𐤇
mispâch
H4939 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A noun denoting slaughter or devastation, especially in the context of violent attack or destruction, sometimes with the nuance of bloodshed. The term can indicate the act or site of violent killing, as well as a sense of devastation or ruin resulting from such slaughter.
Semantic Range
slaughter, massacre, bloodshed, destruction, devastation, ruin as a result of violence
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root סָפַח (safach), which means 'to attach, join, add, bring near, or associate.' The noun מִשְׂפָּח (mispâch) develops from this verbal root, but its actual meaning reflects a specific sense of what is joined or brought upon—namely, slaughter or devastation. This represents a semantic narrowing from the general sense of joining to a specific type of effect—being overtaken or affected (i.e., 'joined') by violence or destruction.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מִשְׂפָּח appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Isaiah 34:2, 34:6), describing the fate of Edom and YHWH’s judgment as involving widespread slaughter or ruin. The word is used primarily in poetic or prophetic contexts, often as a reference to mass killing or devastation, especially as a result of divine judgment. Unlike more common terms for 'slaughter' such as טבח (tebach), which refers more neutrally to slaughtering animals or people, מִשְׂפָּח has a sense of being overtaken by catastrophic violence—thus conveying both active slaughter and its devastating outcome. English translations often render it as 'slaughter,' but the nuance can include the wider effect of ruin or desolation. It is distinct from oppression terms like עָנִי ('affliction,' 'poverty') or לַחַץ ('pressure,' 'oppression') and should not be confused with regular terms for sacrifice or cultic slaughter.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from סָפַח; slaughter; oppression.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ספח (s-p-ḥ) — to join, attach, add, associate
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4555 | מִסְפָּחָה | the attached veils |
| H4556 | מִסְפַּחַת | the spreading skin-attachment |
| H5596 | סָפַח | from attaching oneself |
| H5597 | סַפַּחַת | spreading skin-affliction |
| H5599 | סָפִיחַ | self-added growth |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4939-01 |
מִשְׂפָּ֔ח | misepach | HNcmsa |
bloodshed | devastating slaughter | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4939-01 |
Isaiah 5:7 | מִשְׂפָּ֔ח | misepach | HNcmsa |
bloodshed | devastating slaughter |