אַשְׁפֹּת
𐤀𐤔𐤐𐤕
ʼashpôth
H830 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Heap or pile of refuse; a mound or collection of materials considered waste, rubbish, or refuse, often found at the margins of settlement areas. Used both of literal piles of household or communal garbage and as a metaphor for places of abjection or social degradation.
Semantic Range
heap of refuse, rubbish pile, garbage heap, dung hill, place for waste disposal, metaphor for social abjection or humiliation
Root / Etymology
The term derives from the root שָׁפָה (shaphah), meaning 'to scrape' or 'to sweep,' with אַשְׁפֹּת (ashpôt) denoting the result of such activity—a place where what has been scraped together is deposited. The form is a plural, indicating either multiple heaps or the collective concept of refuse sites.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Predominantly appearing in the post-exilic books (e.g., Nehemiah 2:13, Neh 3:13–14), אַשְׁפֹּת refers to the refuse or rubbish heaps outside the city walls. These were not merely dung heaps but included any household or community waste—ash, broken pottery, sweepings. Such locations were symbols of social marginalization (cf. Ps 113:7). The English term 'dung hill' narrows the scope unduly; the semantic range is broader: not limited to manure, but all forms of rubbish. In some passages the context is literal (a physical refuse site), but in poetic or wisdom literature the term is used figuratively for the lowest social status or place of humiliation. Earlier biblical usage is rare or unattested, suggesting a concept more prevalent or relevant in later urbanized or post-exilic society. Related but distinct terms such as רִמָּה (refuse, rottenness) and גֵּיא הִנֹּם (valley of Hinnom) may overlap in some semantic territory but carry their own historical and cultic associations.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or אַשְׁפּוֹת; or שְׁפֹת; (contraction) plural of a noun of the same form as אַשְׁפָּה, from שָׁפָה (in the sense of scraping); a heap of rubbish or filth; dung (hill).
Bantu Hebrew
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+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שפה (sh-p-h) — to scrape, to sweep, to collect refuse
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H830-02 |
הָ/אַשְׁפֹּ֑ת | haashepot | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the Ashpot | the refuse-heap | 3 |
H830-04 |
מֵֽ/אַשְׁפֹּת֙ | meashepot | HR/Ncmsa |
from the ash heap | from a refuse-heap | 2 |
H830-03 |
הָ/שֲׁפֽוֹת | hashafot | HTd/Ncmpa |
of the Dung | the refuse-heaps | 1 |
H830-01 |
אַשְׁפַּתּֽוֹת | ashepatot | HNcmpa |
dunghills | refuse heaps | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
7 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H830-04 |
1 Samuel 2:8 | מֵֽ/אַשְׁפֹּת֙ | meashepot | HR/Ncmsa |
from the ash heap | from a refuse-heap |
H830-04 |
Psalms 113:7 | מֵֽ֝/אַשְׁפֹּ֗ת | meashepot | HR/Ncmsa |
from the ash heap | from a refuse-heap |
H830-01 |
Lamentations 4:5 | אַשְׁפַּתּֽוֹת | ashepatot | HNcmpa |
dunghills | refuse heaps |
H830-02 |
Nehemiah 2:13 | הָ/אַשְׁפֹּ֑ת | haashepot | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the dung | the refuse-heap |
H830-03 |
Nehemiah 3:13 | הָ/שֲׁפֽוֹת | hashafot | HTd/Ncmpa |
of the Dung | the refuse-heaps |
H830-02 |
Nehemiah 3:14 | הָ/אַשְׁפּ֗וֹת | haashepot | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the Ashpot | the refuse-heap |
H830-02 |
Nehemiah 12:31 | הָ/אַשְׁפֹּֽת | haashepot | HTd/Ncmsa |
the-Dung-[Gate] | the refuse-heap |