תַּחְפְּנֵיס
𐤕𐤇𐤐𐤍𐤉𐤎
Tachepeneys
H8472 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Tachpenes (תַּחְפְּנֵיס) is a proper name of non-Hebrew (Egyptian) origin, designating a royal Egyptian woman who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a queen or consort within the Egyptian court. The word functions exclusively as a personal name and does not carry an independent lexical meaning within Hebrew; its precise meaning in Egyptian remains uncertain.
Semantic Range
proper name of an Egyptian (royal) woman, specifically a queen or consort in the Egyptian court
Root / Etymology
The name is of Egyptian derivation, possibly related to Egyptian phrase tꜣ-ḥmt-nsw (the king's wife), although definitive identification is debated and etymology remains uncertain. The Hebrew form is a transliteration of the Egyptian, not generated from a Semitic/Hebrew root.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Tachpenes appears only in narratives describing Egyptian court life during the monarchic period (notably in 1 Kings 11:19-20, where she is presented as the queen of the pharaoh and interacts with figures like Hadad the Edomite). The use of this name reflects historical interactions between Israelite and Egyptian elites in the Iron Age. The name is notable for being one of the few explicit Egyptian personal names preserved in the Hebrew Bible and is never used as a common noun. Traditional English translations such as 'Tahpenes' or 'Tachpenes' follow the Hebrew transliteration but do not convey any meaning, nor is there an established meaning in English. The LXX (Septuagint) attempts transliteration but offers little additional etymological help. The form and context distinguish this name from other Egyptian royal designations encountered in contemporary inscriptions.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of Egyptian derivation; Tachpenes, an Egyptian woman; Tahpenes.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
uncertain (unknown) — proper name; Egyptian royal woman
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1085 | בִּלְדַּד | Bildad |
| H1095 | בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר | Belteshatsar |
| H1114 | בִּלְשָׁן | Bilshan |
| H1150 | בִּנְעָא | Bin'a |
| H116 | אֱדַיִן | and then |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8472-02 |
תַּחְפְּנֵ֥יס | tachepeneys | HNp |
Tahpenes | Tachpenes | 2 |
H8472-01 |
תַחְפְּנֵ֔ס | tachepenes | HNp |
Tahpenes | Tachpenes | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8472-02 |
1 Kings 11:19 | תַּחְפְּנֵ֥יס | tachepeneys | HNp |
Tahpenes | Tachpenes |
H8472-02 |
1 Kings 11:20 | תַּחְפְּנֵ֗יס | tachepeneys | HNp |
Tahpenes | Tachpenes |
H8472-01 |
1 Kings 11:20 | תַחְפְּנֵ֔ס | tachepenes | HNp |
Tahpenes | Tachpenes |