אֲפֵקָה
𐤀𐤐𐤒𐤄
Afeqah
H664 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun designating a specific populated site or fortified location, typically rendered as 'Aphekah'. In biblical usage, the name identifies a particular town associated with fortification or strategic strength. In some contexts, refers to a site with military or defensive significance.
Semantic Range
proper noun designating a town (Aphekah), fortress, fortified place, stronghold (as used in related nouns)
Root / Etymology
From the root אָפֵק (ʼafek), meaning 'fortress', 'stronghold', or 'enclosure'. The feminine ending -ָה (-ah) indicates the form is a place name, possibly of a feminine grammatical type or a derivative form. There is no evidence it carries a distinct meaning from its masculine counterpart beyond the place-name function.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אֲפֵקָה (ʼĂphêqâh) occurs in Joshua 15:53, specifically naming a town within the territorial allotment of the tribe of Judah in the southern hill country. The name is derived from the common noun for 'fortress', suggesting the site's strategic or defensive role in the ancient landscape. This toponym is comparable to other occurrences of 'Aphek' (אֲפֵק), which designate different fortified cities within the ancient Levant, but אֲפֵקָה refers particularly to the Judahite town. English Bible translations typically render the name as 'Aphekah', but later traditions sometimes merge or confuse it with other Aphek sites. Archaeological attempts to pinpoint the location of Aphekah remain inconclusive. The town's identification as a Judahite site is based on the biblical territorial lists and should not be conflated with other 'Aphek' locations mentioned in military narratives elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of אֲפֵק; fortress; Aphekah, a place in Palestine; Aphekah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אפק (ʾ-p-q) — strength, restraint, enclosure
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H650 | אָפִיק | his streambeds |
| H662 | אָפַק | I restrain myself |
| H663 | אֲפֵק | Stronghold |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H664-01 |
וַ/אֲפֵֽקָה | vaafeqah | HC/Np |
and Aphekah | and Aphekah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H664-01 |
Joshua 15:53 | וַ/אֲפֵֽקָה | vaafeqah | HC/Np |
and Aphekah | and Aphekah |