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חׇפְנִי

𐤇𐤐𐤍𐤉

Chfeni

H2652 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חפן to take in the hand, to seize, to scoop up

Definition

Proper name: Chophni, the son of Eli, a priest at Shiloh in the time of the Judges; used as a personal name without discernible lexical meaning apart from its likely root.

Semantic Range

Proper name; no common noun uses; refers only to an individual—Chophni, son of Eli, a priest at Shiloh

Root / Etymology

Root is uncertain but traditionally linked to חֹפֶן (ḥofen), meaning 'handful, hollow of the hand.' The name appears to be a theophoric or descriptive personal name, but its precise derivation and significance are unclear. It may denote 'handful' or relate to the physical attribute of the hand, but this is not certain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חׇפְנִי (Chophni) appears only as the personal name of one of Eli's sons (1 Samuel 1–4). There is no evidence it was used as a common noun or byname in the Hebrew Bible. While English tradition often uses 'Hophni,' the original is properly transliterated 'Chophni.' Ancient versions transliterate the name without attempting to interpret it. Later tradition sometimes associates the name with negative characteristics based on the character's narrative, but the name itself is neutral. The rendering 'pugilist' in Strong is speculative and not evidenced in biblical language or ancient sources. The association with 'handful' comes from the root חפן, but there is no evidence the name was intended to denote a particular meaning beyond being a personal name. Like many early Israelite personal names, the exact significance is obscure; it is not theologically loaded or a title.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חֹפֶן; perhaps pugilist; Chophni, an Israelite; Hophni.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חפן (ḥ-p-n) — to take in the hand, to seize, to scoop up

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2651 חֹפֶן in his double-handful

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2652-01 חָפְנִי֙ chafeni HNp Hophni Handful-one 5

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2652-01 1 Samuel 1:3 חָפְנִי֙ chafeni HNp Hophni Handful-one
H2652-01 1 Samuel 2:34 חָפְנִ֖י chafeni HNp Hophni Handful-one
H2652-01 1 Samuel 4:4 חָפְנִ֖י chafeni HNp Hophni Handful-one
H2652-01 1 Samuel 4:11 חָפְנִ֖י chafeni HNp Hophni Handful-one
H2652-01 1 Samuel 4:17 חָפְנִי֙ chafeni HNp Hophni Handful-one
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