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רִצְפָּה

𐤓𐤑𐤐𐤄

ritspâh

H7531 noun

SILEX Entry

Root רצפ to pave, to lay down in rows, to arrange

Definition

A stone slab or flagstone, especially one used for flooring; by extension, a pavement or paved surface, and occasionally a heated stone or live coal. The term refers to a flat stone that forms part of a constructed floor or surface, often in public or sacred spaces, and in certain contexts to a glowing or burning coal as a source of heat or fire.

Semantic Range

stone slab, paving stone, tessellated pavement, floor, paved surface, heated stone, live coal

Root / Etymology

From the root רָצַף (r-ts-p), meaning 'to pave, to arrange or join together in a series.' רִצְפָּה is the feminine noun form, indicating an individual paving stone, a completed paved surface, or occasionally a hot stone or coal.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, רִצְפָּה appears in contexts describing physical surfaces and sacred spaces (e.g., the pavement in the temple, Isa 6:6), where it sometimes takes on symbolic significance in prophetic visions. In Isaiah 6:6, the 'live coal' (רִצְפָּה) taken from the altar symbolizes purification and derives from association with heated stones or burning coals used in rituals. During the monarchic and post-exilic periods, paved surfaces were characteristic of palace and temple architecture, suggesting the term connoted both utilitarian and ceremonial flooring. Later Jewish Greek translations (e.g., LXX) sometimes render רִצְפָּה with terms for burning coals or ground surfaces, although the English 'coal' restricts the semantic range compared to its Hebrew usage. Other Hebrew terms for stone (אֶבֶן), pavement (מרצפת), or coal (גֶּחֶלֶת) are more specialized; רִצְפָּה uniquely combines the sense of a laid stone surface with that of a burning stone or coal in cultic contexts, indicating a flexible, context-dependent meaning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of רֶצֶף; a hot stone; also a tessellated pavement; live coal, pavement.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רצפ (r-ts-p) — to pave, to lay in rows, to arrange in sequence

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7531-01 הָ/רִֽצְפָֽה haritsefah HTd/Ncfsa the pavement the paving-stone 3
H7531-04 רִצְפָּ֑ה ritsepah HNcfsa live coal paving-stone 1
H7531-02 רִֽצְפָ֔ה ritsefah HNcfsa pavement paving slab 1
H7531-03 רִֽצְפַ֥ת ritsefat HNcfsc pavement-of paving-stone of 1
H7531-05 וְ/הָ/רִֽצְפָה֙ veharitsefah HC/Td/Ncfsa and-the-pavement and the paving-stone 1
H7531-06 וְ/רִֽצְפָ֔ה veritsefah HC/Ncfsa and a pavement paving-stone 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7531-04 Isaiah 6:6 רִצְפָּ֑ה ritsepah HNcfsa live coal paving-stone
H7531-06 Ezekiel 40:17 וְ/רִֽצְפָ֔ה veritsefah HC/Ncfsa and a pavement paving-stone
H7531-01 Ezekiel 40:17 הָ/רִֽצְפָֽה haritsefah HTd/Ncfsa the pavement the paving-stone
H7531-05 Ezekiel 40:18 וְ/הָ/רִֽצְפָה֙ veharitsefah HC/Td/Ncfsa and-the-pavement and the paving-stone
H7531-01 Ezekiel 40:18 הָ/רִֽצְפָ֖ה haritsefah HTd/Ncfsa the-pavement the paving-stone
H7531-02 Ezekiel 42:3 רִֽצְפָ֔ה ritsefah HNcfsa pavement paving slab
H7531-03 Esther 1:6 רִֽצְפַ֥ת ritsefat HNcfsc pavement-of paving-stone of
H7531-01 2 Chronicles 7:3 הָ/רִֽצְפָה֙ haritsefah HTd/Ncfsa the pavement the paving-stone
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