זִיף
𐤆𐤉𐤐
Zif
H2128 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The proper noun 'Ziph' refers to (1) a town located in the hill country of southern Judah, southeast of Hebron, and (2) a region or wilderness area near this town; in one instance, it also designates a clan or family member. The primary sense is geographical, denoting a specific locality; occasionally, it serves as a personal or family name derived from that location.
Semantic Range
name of a Judahite town, region (or wilderness) near the town, eponymous ancestor (clan leader or family)
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root זו"ף (z-y-p), the form of which is uncertain but possibly connected to זֶפֶת (zephet, 'pitch, bitumen'), linked to the sense of 'flowing' or 'oozing,' as with pitch. However, the connection is unclear, and the etymology is uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, 'Ziph' most often refers to a town in the territory allotted to the tribe of Judah (Josh 15:24, Josh 15:55) and to the 'Wilderness of Ziph' (מדבר זיף, midbar Ziph), known as a rugged area where David hid from Saul (1 Sam 23:14, 1 Sam 26:2). The Hebrew text makes it clear that this is a place-name, not a generic noun. In one instance (1 Chr 4:16), Ziph is listed as a descendant of Judah, indicating the eponymous ancestor of a clan or family, following the common biblical pattern of naming towns/clans after forebears. Later translation traditions sometimes render 'Ziph' simply as a locality or conflate the name with later English geographic terminology for the region. The identity and precise location of ancient Ziph remains uncertain, but it is regularly associated in biblical and archaeological scholarship with the southern Judean hill country. The term was not used in later Judean or Jewish contexts with a religious nuance. Translating 'Ziph' as anything other than a specific place or name in English obscures its referential specificity in the Hebrew text.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as זֶפֶת; flowing; Ziph, the name of a place in Palestine; also of an Israelite; Ziph.
Bantu Hebrew
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+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
זו"ף (z-w-p) — uncertain; possibly flow, ooze
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2128-02 |
זִ֥יף | zif | HNp |
of Ziph | Ziph | Zif | 8 |
H2128-01 |
וָ/זִ֥יף | vazif | HC/Np |
and Ziph | and Ziph | and Zif | 1 |
H2128-03 |
זִ֖יפָ/ה | zifah | HNp/Sd |
to Ziph | toward Ziph | Zif | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
10 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2128-02 |
Joshua 15:24 | זִ֥יף | zif | HNp |
Ziph | Ziph | Zif |
H2128-01 |
Joshua 15:55 | וָ/זִ֥יף | vazif | HC/Np |
and Ziph | and Ziph | and Zif |
H2128-02 |
1 Samuel 23:14 | זִ֑יף | zif | HNp |
of Ziph | Ziph | Zif |
H2128-02 |
1 Samuel 23:15 | זִ֖יף | zif | HNp |
of Ziph | Ziph | Zif |
H2128-03 |
1 Samuel 23:24 | זִ֖יפָ/ה | zifah | HNp/Sd |
to Ziph | toward Ziph | Zif |
H2128-02 |
1 Samuel 26:2 | זִ֔יף | zif | HNp |
of Ziph | Ziph | Zif |
H2128-02 |
1 Samuel 26:2 | זִֽיף | zif-2 | HNp |
of Ziph | Ziph | Zif |
H2128-02 |
1 Chronicles 2:42 | זִ֑יף | zif | HNp |
Ziph | Ziph | Zif |
H2128-02 |
1 Chronicles 4:16 | זִ֣יף | zif | HNp |
Ziph | Ziph | Zif |
H2128-02 |
2 Chronicles 11:8 | זִֽיף | zif | HNp |
Ziph | Ziph | Zif |