אַפְּתֹם
𐤀𐤐𐤕𐤌
ʼappᵉthôm
H674 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A form of tax, tribute, or revenue collected by a governing authority; typically used in administrative contexts within Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible specifically to refer to imposed payments, often as part of provincial administration under imperial rule.
Semantic Range
state-imposed tribute, revenue, tax, levy, fixed payments to the royal treasury, provincial administrative income
Root / Etymology
From Persian (Old Persian *apatiyām, Middle Persian *aptām), meaning 'tribute' or 'revenue.' The word entered Aramaic as a loanword during the period of Persian imperial administration. The Hebrew form is an Aramaic borrowing; thus it is not connected to a native Hebrew root but is an instance of Persian bureaucratic language in imperial documents.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אַפְּתֹם appears exclusively in the Aramaic section of Ezra (Ezra 4:13, 4:20; 7:24) describing the types of tribute or taxes administered under imperial authorization (particularly under Achaemenid Persian rule). Its use reflects the administrative vocabulary introduced into the Levantine region during the Persian period and refers to a specific category of state-imposed revenue, distinct from more general terms for tribute (מֶס, מס). In these contexts, the term does not denote voluntary offerings, agricultural tithes, or cultic taxes, but mandatory payments levied by governmental authorities. Later translations, including the KJV, sometimes render this word as 'tribute,' 'toll,' or 'custom,' but the technical sense of Persian fiscal administration is primary; this nuance is not always captured in general translations. The word does not appear in pre-exilic Hebrew and is best understood within the administrative context maintained by imperial bureaucracy in post-exilic provinces such as Yehud (Judea).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) of Persian origin; revenue; others at the last; revenue.
Bantu Hebrew
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(loanword; no native Hebrew root) (—) — tribute, assigned revenue, state levy
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H674-01 |
וְ/אַפְּתֹ֥ם | veapetom | AC/Ncmsa |
and the revenue | assigned tribute | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H674-01 |
Ezra 4:13 | וְ/אַפְּתֹ֥ם | veapetom | AC/Ncmsa |
and the revenue | assigned tribute |