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שִׁפְחָה

𐤔𐤐𐤇𐤄

shiphchâh

H8198 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A female slave or servant, specifically a woman of non-Israelite origin who is owned or possessed as property and serves within a household. The term designates an individual of lower social status, generally distinct from free women (whether Israelite or otherwise), and often functions in legal and social contexts to distinguish between classes of women in ancient Israel. In some settings, may refer to a female in servitude who could be given in marriage, bear children for her mistress (especially in cases of infertility), or transferred through inheritance. The semantic range includes slave girl, handmaid, maidservant, bondwoman, or concubine of lower status than a wife.

Semantic Range

female slave, maidservant, handmaid, bondwoman, concubine of slave status, womanservant

Root / Etymology

From the root שָׁפַח (sh-p-ḥ), meaning 'to spread out, pour out.' The derived noun שִׁפְחָה refers to one who is 'spread out' in the sense of being extended to another household, i.e., a female person placed in service. The suggested connection to מִשְׁפָּחָה (family, clan) is based on the idea of household expansion, though this derivation is debated and not universally accepted.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the patriarchal and monarchic periods, שִׁפְחָה typically indicated a female slave of foreign origin, integrated into an Israelite household to perform domestic duties. She could be differentiated from the אָמָה, another term for female servant/slave, though the distinction is not always clear; some sources suggest שִׁפְחָה emphasizes the woman's foreignness or lower status and her role inside the home, as opposed to labor in the field. A שִׁפְחָה could be given to an Israelite male for procreation if his wife was childless (e.g., Hagar to Abraham, Bilhah to Jacob). In legal texts, she could be subject to manumission, sale, or inheritance and possessed limited rights compared to free women. In post-exilic and later literature, the term continues to indicate servile status, but the legal and social structures around slavery became further regulated. Modern English translations commonly use 'maidservant' or 'handmaid,' but these do not always capture the full dimension of social status and lack of autonomy implied by the Hebrew term, nor do they adequately distinguish between the different classes of servitude in ancient Israelite and Judahite society. The English term 'bondwoman' (KJV) reflects the servility but is less common in modern usage. No anachronistic religious or ethnic labels (such as 'Jew') should be applied when discussing ancient contexts.

Translation Consistency

primary "maidservant" 33 occurrences

Maidservant is a natural, widely used English noun that captures the typical meaning of שִׁפְחָה — a female domestic servant/slave. It keeps the female and household-service sense present in most contexts (handmaid, maidservant, bondwoman) while sounding natural in modern English and allowing consistent inflection across all forms.

Alternatives (17 occurrences):
"female slave of" (7x) "bondwoman" (3x) "slave-woman" (3x) "female slave" (2x) "female slaves" (1x) "bondwomen" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine from an unused root meaning to spread out (as a family; see מִשְׁפָּחָה); a female slave (as a member of the household); (bond-, hand-) maid(-en, -servant), wench, bondwoman, womanservant.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

שׁפח (mishpâchâh) — to join, to gather, to connect (root sense, though not directly attested as a verb)

Root שׁפח to spread out, pour out, extend
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4940 מִשְׁפָּחָה in their clans

Word Forms

20 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8198-10 שִׁפְחָתְ/ךָ֛ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your servant your slave-woman your maidservant 10
H8198-08 שִׁפְחַ֥ת shifechat HNcfsc maidservant female slave of female slave of 7
H8198-18 וּ/שְׁפָחֽוֹת ushefachot HC/Ncfpa and female servants and female slaves and maidservants 6
H8198-19 וְ/לִ/שְׁפָח֖וֹת velishefachot HC/R/Ncfpa and-as-maids and to female slaves and to maidservants 6
H8198-02 הַ/שְּׁפָחֽוֹת hashefachot HTd/Ncfpa maidservants the slave-women the maidservants 5
H8198-13 שִׁפְחָת֑/וֹ shifechato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his female servant his slave-woman his maidservant 5
H8198-07 שִׁפְחָ֥ה shifechah HNcfsa maidservant slave-woman maidservant 4
H8198-09 שִׁפְחָתָ֔/הּ shifechatah HNcfsc/Sp3fs her handmaid/servant her slave-girl her maidservant 3
H8198-12 שִׁפְחָתִ֔/י shifechati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my maid/servant my bondwoman my bondwoman 3
H8198-03 הַ/שִּׁפְחָה֙ hashifechah HTd/Ncfsa of the maidservant the slave-woman the slave-woman 2

Occurrences in Scripture

63 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8198-18 Genesis 12:16 וּ/שְׁפָחֹ֔ת ushefachot HC/Ncfpa and maidservants and female slaves and maidservants
H8198-07 Genesis 16:1 שִׁפְחָ֥ה shifechah HNcfsa maidservant slave-woman maidservant
H8198-12 Genesis 16:2 שִׁפְחָתִ֔/י shifechati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my maid/servant my bondwoman my bondwoman
H8198-09 Genesis 16:3 שִׁפְחָתָ֔/הּ shifechatah HNcfsc/Sp3fs her maidservant her slave-girl her maidservant
H8198-12 Genesis 16:5 שִׁפְחָתִ/י֙ shifechati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my servant my bondwoman my bondwoman
H8198-11 Genesis 16:6 שִׁפְחָתֵ/ךְ֙ shifechatekhe HNcfsc/Sp2fs your maidservant your female slave your female slave
H8198-08 Genesis 16:8 שִׁפְחַ֥ת shifechat HNcfsc servant female slave of female slave of
H8198-18 Genesis 20:14 וּ/שְׁפָחֹ֔ת ushefachot HC/Ncfpa and maidservants and female slaves and maidservants
H8198-18 Genesis 24:35 וּ/שְׁפָחֹ֔ת ushefachot HC/Ncfpa and female servants and female slaves and maidservants
H8198-08 Genesis 25:12 שִׁפְחַ֥ת shifechat HNcfsc the maidservant female slave of female slave of
H8198-13 Genesis 29:24 שִׁפְחָת֑/וֹ shifechato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his servant girl his slave-woman his maidservant
H8198-07 Genesis 29:24 שִׁפְחָֽה shifechah HNcfsa maidservant slave-woman maidservant
H8198-13 Genesis 29:29 שִׁפְחָת֑/וֹ shifechato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his maidservant his slave-woman his maidservant
H8198-05 Genesis 29:29 לְ/שִׁפְחָֽה leshifechah HR/Ncfsa as a maidservant to a female slave to a maidservant
H8198-09 Genesis 30:4 שִׁפְחָתָ֖/הּ shifechatah HNcfsc/Sp3fs her handmaid/servant her slave-girl her maidservant
H8198-08 Genesis 30:7 שִׁפְחַ֣ת shifechat HNcfsc maidservant female slave of female slave of
H8198-09 Genesis 30:9 שִׁפְחָתָ֔/הּ shifechatah HNcfsc/Sp3fs her servant her slave-girl her maidservant
H8198-08 Genesis 30:10 שִׁפְחַ֥ת shifechat HNcfsc maidservant female slave of female slave of
H8198-08 Genesis 30:12 שִׁפְחַ֣ת shifechat HNcfsc servant of female slave of female slave of
H8198-12 Genesis 30:18 שִׁפְחָתִ֖/י shifechati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my maid/servant my bondwoman my bondwoman
H8198-18 Genesis 30:43 וּ/שְׁפָחוֹת֙ ushefachot HC/Ncfpa and female servants and female slaves and maidservants
H8198-20 Genesis 32:6 וְ/שִׁפְחָ֑ה veshifechah HC/Ncfsa and maidservant and a bondwoman and a maidservant
H8198-14 Genesis 32:23 שִׁפְחֹתָ֔י/ו shifechotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms female servants his female slaves his female slaves
H8198-02 Genesis 33:1 הַ/שְּׁפָחֽוֹת hashefachot HTd/Ncfpa maidservants the slave-women the maidservants
H8198-02 Genesis 33:2 הַ/שְּׁפָח֛וֹת hashefachot HTd/Ncfpa the servants the slave-women the maidservants
H8198-02 Genesis 33:6 הַ/שְּׁפָח֛וֹת hashefachot HTd/Ncfpa the maidservants the slave-women the maidservants
H8198-08 Genesis 35:25 שִׁפְחַ֣ת shifechat HNcfsc maidservant female slave of female slave of
H8198-08 Genesis 35:26 שִׁפְחַ֥ת shifechat HNcfsc maid female slave of female slave of
H8198-03 Exodus 11:5 הַ/שִּׁפְחָ֔ה hashifechah HTd/Ncfsa of the maidservant the slave-woman the slave-woman
H8198-07 Leviticus 19:20 שִׁפְחָה֙ shifechah HNcfsa a slave woman slave-woman maidservant
H8198-19 Deuteronomy 28:68 וְ/לִ/שְׁפָח֖וֹת velishefachot HC/R/Ncfpa and-as-maids and to female slaves and to maidservants
H8198-10 1 Samuel 1:18 שִׁפְחָתְ/ךָ֛ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your servant your slave-woman your maidservant
H8198-16 1 Samuel 8:16 שִׁפְח֨וֹתֵי/כֶ֜ם shifechoteykhem HNcfpc/Sp2mp female-servants your bondwomen your bondwomen
H8198-10 1 Samuel 25:27 שִׁפְחָתְ/ךָ֖ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your servant your slave-woman your maidservant
H8198-05 1 Samuel 25:41 לְ/שִׁפְחָ֔ה leshifechah HR/Ncfsa a servant to a female slave to a maidservant
H8198-10 1 Samuel 28:21 שִׁפְחָֽתְ/ךָ֙ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your handmaid your slave-woman your maidservant
H8198-10 1 Samuel 28:22 שִׁפְחָתֶ֔/ךָ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms of your handmaid your slave-woman your maidservant
H8198-17 2 Samuel 14:6 וּ/לְ/שִׁפְחָֽתְ/ךָ֙ uleshifechatekha HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp2ms and to your maidservant and to your female slave and to your female slave
H8198-10 2 Samuel 14:7 שִׁפְחָתֶ֗/ךָ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your servant your slave-woman your maidservant
H8198-10 2 Samuel 14:12 שִׁפְחָתְ/ךָ֛ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your servant your slave-woman your maidservant
H8198-10 2 Samuel 14:15 שִׁפְחָֽתְ/ךָ֙ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your-female-servant your slave-woman your maidservant
H8198-10 2 Samuel 14:17 שִׁפְחָ֣תְ/ךָ֔ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your servant your slave-woman your maidservant
H8198-10 2 Samuel 14:19 שִׁפְחָֽתְ/ךָ֔ shifechatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms of your handmaid your slave-woman your maidservant
H8198-03 2 Samuel 17:17 הַ/שִּׁפְחָה֙ hashifechah HTd/Ncfsa the servant girl the slave-woman the slave-woman
H8198-06 2 Kings 4:2 לְ/שִׁפְחָתְ/ךָ֥ leshifechatekha HR/Ncfsc/Sp2ms your maidservant has to your slave-girl for your maidservant
H8198-01 2 Kings 4:16 בְּ/שִׁפְחָתֶֽ/ךָ beshifechatekha HR/Ncfsc/Sp2ms to your maidservant in your slave-woman to your maidservant
H8198-18 2 Kings 5:26 וּ/שְׁפָחֽוֹת ushefachot HC/Ncfpa and female servants and female slaves and maidservants
H8198-19 Isaiah 14:2 וְ/לִ/שְׁפָח֑וֹת velishefachot HC/R/Ncfpa and handmaids and to female slaves and to maidservants
H8198-04 Isaiah 24:2 כַּ/שִּׁפְחָ֖ה kashifechah HRd/Ncfsa as with the maid as a slave-woman as the slave-woman
H8198-13 Jeremiah 34:9 שִׁפְחָת֛/וֹ shifechato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his female servant his slave-woman his maidservant
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