4670. miphtan

Lexicon

miphtan: Threshold

Original Word: מִפְתָּן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: miphtan
Pronunciation: MIF-tan
Phonetic Spelling: (mif-tawn')
Definition: Threshold
Meaning: a stretcher, a sill

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

threshold

From the same as pethen; a stretcher, i.e. A sill -- threshold.

see HEBREW pethen

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as pethen
Definition
threshold
NASB Translation
threshold (8).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מִפְתָּן noun [masculine] threshold (compare Late Hebrew מָּתִין cross-beam; ? Arabic carpenter;); — absolute ׳מ 1 Samuel 5:4; Zephaniah 1:9; construct מִפְתַּן דָּגוֺן 1 Samuel 5:5, הַבַּיִת ׳מ Ezekiel 9:3; Ezekiel 10:4,18; Ezekiel 47:1, הַשַּׁצר ׳מ Ezekiel 46:2.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the root פָּתַן (patan), which means to stretch or spread out.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The corresponding Greek entry in Strong's Concordance is G898 (βαθμός, bathmos), which refers to a step or threshold. While the Greek term emphasizes the physical aspect of a step or threshold, the Hebrew מִפְתָּן carries additional cultural and religious connotations, particularly in the context of ancient Israelite worship and temple practices.

Usage: The word מִפְתָּן is used in the context of architectural elements, particularly referring to the threshold of a door. It is often associated with the entrance to a significant or sacred space.

Context: מִפְתָּן (miptan) appears in the Hebrew Bible in contexts that emphasize the importance of thresholds as transitional spaces. In ancient Near Eastern culture, thresholds were often seen as symbolic boundaries between the outside world and the sanctity of the home or temple. The term is used in passages that highlight the significance of entering or exiting a space, often with religious or ceremonial implications.

For example, in 1 Samuel 5:4-5, the threshold of Dagon's temple is mentioned in the narrative of the Ark of the Covenant being placed in the temple of Dagon. The text states: "But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD. His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold."

This passage illustrates the cultural and religious significance of the threshold, as it becomes a place of divine intervention and a marker of sacred space. The threshold is not merely a physical structure but also a symbol of the boundary between the divine and the mundane.

Forms and Transliterations

הַמִּפְתָּ֔ן הַמִּפְתָּ֖ן המפתן מִפְתַּ֣ן מִפְתַּ֤ן מִפְתַּ֥ן מפתן ham·mip̄·tān hammifTan hammip̄tān mifTan mip̄·tan mip̄tan

Englishman's Concordance

1 Samuel 5:4
HEB: כְּרֻתוֹת֙ אֶל־ הַמִּפְתָּ֔ן רַ֥ק דָּג֖וֹן
NAS: [were] cut off on the threshold; only
KJV: [were] cut off upon the threshold; only [the stump of] Dagon
INT: cut on the threshold but of Dagon

1 Samuel 5:5
HEB: דָּג֛וֹן עַל־ מִפְתַּ֥ן דָּג֖וֹן בְּאַשְׁדּ֑וֹד
NAS: tread on the threshold of Dagon
KJV: tread on the threshold of Dagon
INT: Dagon's on the threshold of Dagon Ashdod

Ezekiel 9:3
HEB: עָלָ֔יו אֶ֖ל מִפְתַּ֣ן הַבָּ֑יִת וַיִּקְרָ֗א
NAS: it had been, to the threshold of the temple.
KJV: from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house.
INT: and to the threshold of the temple called

Ezekiel 10:4
HEB: הַכְּר֔וּב עַ֖ל מִפְתַּ֣ן הַבָּ֑יִת וַיִּמָּלֵ֤א
NAS: up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple,
KJV: from the cherub, [and stood] over the threshold of the house;
INT: the cherub unto the threshold of the temple was filled

Ezekiel 10:18
HEB: יְהוָ֔ה מֵעַ֖ל מִפְתַּ֣ן הַבָּ֑יִת וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֖ד
NAS: departed from the threshold of the temple
KJV: departed from off the threshold of the house,
INT: of the LORD over the threshold of the temple and stood

Ezekiel 46:2
HEB: וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוָ֛ה עַל־ מִפְתַּ֥ן הַשַּׁ֖עַר וְיָצָ֑א
NAS: and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate
KJV: and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate:
INT: shall worship at the threshold of the gate go

Ezekiel 47:1
HEB: יֹצְאִ֗ים מִתַּ֨חַת מִפְתַּ֤ן הַבַּ֙יִת֙ קָדִ֔ימָה
NAS: from under the threshold of the house
KJV: issued out from under the threshold of the house
INT: was flowing under the threshold of the house the east

Zephaniah 1:9
HEB: הַדּוֹלֵ֛ג עַל־ הַמִּפְתָּ֖ן בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא
NAS: who leap on the [temple] threshold, Who fill
KJV: all those that leap on the threshold, which fill
INT: leap on the threshold day Who

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4670
8 Occurrences

ham·mip̄·tān — 2 Occ.
mip̄·tan — 6 Occ.