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תִּפְסַח

𐤕𐤐𐤎𐤇

Tifesach

H8607 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פתח to open, to pass through, to spread out, to loosen

Definition

Tiphsach is a proper noun referring to a geographical location, specifically a city or place situated along a river in Mesopotamia, likely recognized for its function as a crossing-site or ford. In the Hebrew Bible, it appears as a border-city marking the extent of certain Israelite domains. While the context suggests a ford or crossing, the name itself functions strictly as a toponym within biblical usage. The semantic range is confined to this single geographic entity.

Semantic Range

Tiphsach (place name), ford, river crossing (implied); refers specifically to a Mesopotamian city, geographical boundary marker in monarchic Israelite context

Root / Etymology

Root: פתח ('to pass over, to open, to pass through'). The form תִּפְסַח (Tiphsach) is likely derived from this root, possibly indicating 'place of crossing' or 'ford.' However, as a place name, it functions as a proper noun, and the specific derivation may not fully reflect the city's identity or history. The association with crossing is inferred, not directly stated in biblical texts. Some suggest a connection to Akkadian or West Semitic place-names, but this remains uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Tiphsach is mentioned in the context of the northern boundary of Solomon's kingdom (1 Kings 4:24) and in 2 Kings 15:16 as a site attacked during an Israelite incursion. In Israelite historical geography, it likely marked a strategic eastern limit, potentially corresponding to the city of Thapsacus on the Euphrates, known from later Assyrian and Classical sources as a major river crossing. The identification is not certain but is widely accepted. Tiphsach was significant strategically as a river crossing and thus appears in descriptions of the maximal territorial extent of Israelite rule. The use of Tiphsach as a toponym does not directly relate to religious, ethnic, or national identity, though it gains importance as a border marker within monarchic Israelite narratives. English translations render it simply as 'Tiphsah' or sometimes as 'Thapsacus'; the meaning as 'ford' is generally not made explicit; the identification as a place of crossing or ford is only inferential based on etymology and later history, not explicit in the biblical narrative.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from פָּסַח; ford; Tiphsach, a place in Mesopotamia; Tipsah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פתח (p-t-ḥ) — to open, to pass through, to spread out, to loosen

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3315 יֶפֶת to Yepheth
H3316 יִפְתָּח to He-Will-Open
H4668 מַפְתֵּחַ the opener
H4669 מִפְתָּח the opening
H5318 נֶפְתּוֹחַ Opening-Spring

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8607-01 מִ/תִּפְסַח֙ mitifesach HR/Np from Tiphsah from Tiphsach 1
H8607-02 תִּפְסַ֨ח tifesach HNp Tiphsah Open-Passage City 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8607-01 1 Kings 5:4 מִ/תִּפְסַח֙ mitifesach HR/Np from Tiphsah from Tiphsach
H8607-02 2 Kings 15:16 תִּפְסַ֨ח tifesach HNp Tiphsah Open-Passage City
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