Hebrew word · H4644
מֹף
mof
Memphis
Memphis, Egyptian Mn-nfr, near modern Cairo. It was the capital of the Old Kingdom and a leading political and religious city in every period. Elsewhere it appears as Nōp (Isa 19:13; Jer 2:16; 44:1; 46:14, 19; Ezek 30:13, 16).
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament.
What it means
Memphis = "haven of the good"
a capital of Lower Egypt located on the western bank of the Nile about 9 miles (15 km) south of Cairo
Another spelling of noph (נֹף, מֹף "Memphis" H5297)
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Memphis, Egyptian Mn-nfr, near modern Cairo. It was the capital of the Old Kingdom and a leading political and religious city in every period. Elsewhere it appears as Nōp (Isa 19:13; Jer 2:16; 44:1; 46:14, 19; Ezek 30:13, 16).
- Against the English
KJV/BSB/WEB 'Memphis' identify it correctly. YLT's 'Moph' keeps the Hebrew form. To a modern reader the name says little, but to an ancient one it meant the city of tombs.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Memphis's necropolis (Saqqara, Dahshur, Giza and Abusir) runs for miles along the desert edge and holds pyramids and burial grounds from three thousand years. Later Jewish refugees did settle in Memphis (Jer 44:1).
Where it appears
Hosea · 1
-
Hosea 9:6 מֹ֣ף Memphis
For even if they flee destruction, Egypt will gather them and Memphis will bury them. Their precious silver will be taken over by thistles, and thorns will overrun their tents.
Here: Memphis, Egypt's ancient capital, surrounded by the largest cemeteries and pyramid-fields in the country. It was famous for its tombs.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.