Lexical Summary naphah: sieve, sieve-like, region Original Word: נָפָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance border, coast, region, sieve From nuwph in the sense of lifting; a height; also a sieve -- border, coast, region, sieve. see HEBREW nuwph Brown-Driver-Briggs I. [נָפָה] noun feminine sieve or other winnowing implement, Di Du Schwinge, CheHpt fan (as swung); — only construct לַהֲנָפָה גוֺיִם בְּנָ֫פַת שָׁוְא Isaiah 30:28 to swing nations in a sieve of worthlessness. II. [נָפָה] noun feminine height; — only construct in combination נָפַת דּוֺר Joshua 12:23 = דּאֹר ׳נ 1 Kings 4:11, plural construct ׳נָפוֺת ד Joshua 11:2; compare II.דּוֺד, and DiJoshua 11:2; see also [נֶפֶת]. Topical Lexicon Etymology and Range of Meaning נָפָה (naphah) functions both as a common noun (“sieve”) and as a topographical term (“height” or “district”), showing the Hebrew tendency to employ a single root metaphorically in very different settings—one agricultural, the other geographic. The word appears four times in the Old Testament, three times describing the coastal heights around Dor and once describing a tool used for winnowing. Geographical Significance: Naphath Dor Joshua 11:2; 12:23; and 1 Kings 4:11 locate “Naphath Dor” on the western flank of Israel’s northern territory, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The renders Joshua 12:23, “the king of Dor in Naphath-dor.” Archaeology places Dor roughly twenty miles south of modern Haifa; the “heights” behind the port city offered natural fortification and strategic observation points over the Via Maris. After Israel’s conquest, this ridge became part of the tribal inheritance, later administered under Solomon by Ben-Abinadab (1 Kings 4:11). The recurring note that this official had married “Taphath the daughter of Solomon” underscores the region’s importance to the united monarchy: marital alliance and administrative oversight secured a vital trade corridor that linked Israel to Phoenicia and Egypt. Prophetic Imagery: The Sieve of Judgment Isaiah 30:28 shifts the term from geography to agriculture: “to sift the nations in the sieve of destruction”. Farmers shook grain through a coarse sieve to separate chaff from kernels; Isaiah pictures the Lord shaking the Gentile powers so that only what is true remains. By pairing the same root with “vanity” (שָׁוְא), the prophet stresses that every human scheme opposed to Yahweh will fall through the mesh. The imagery harmonizes with passages such as Amos 9:9 and Luke 22:31, where sifting serves as a metaphor for divine testing. Theological Threads 1. Sovereign Control. Whether in the hills above Dor or in the eschatological harvest, נָפָה highlights the Lord’s absolute rule over both land and nations. Ministry Applications • Strategic Stewardship: Just as Solomon stationed a trusted son-in-law over Naphath Dor, church leaders today must guard cultural “gateways”—media, education, commerce—so that covenant values shape public life. Christological and Eschatological Reflections Hebrews 12:26-27 quotes Haggai to show that God will “shake” all created things so that what is unshakable may remain—a New-Testament echo of Isaiah’s sieve. In Jesus Christ the final separation already begins (John 12:31). At His return the process will culminate, validating the dual nuance of נָפָה: the “height” of the redeemed Mount Zion and the “sieve” that removes every trace of chaff (Revelation 14:14-20). Forms and Transliterations בְּנָ֣פַת בנפת וּבְנָפ֥וֹת ובנפות לְנָפַ֥ת לנפת נָ֣פַת נפת bə·nā·p̄aṯ beNafat bənāp̄aṯ lə·nā·p̄aṯ lenaFat lənāp̄aṯ nā·p̄aṯ Nafat nāp̄aṯ ū·ḇə·nā·p̄ō·wṯ ūḇənāp̄ōwṯ uvenaFotLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 11:2 HEB: כִּֽנֲר֖וֹת וּבַשְּׁפֵלָ֑ה וּבְנָפ֥וֹת דּ֖וֹר מִיָּֽם׃ NAS: and in the lowland and on the heights of Dor KJV: and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor INT: of Chinneroth the lowland the heights of Dor the west Joshua 12:23 1 Kings 4:11 Isaiah 30:28 4 Occurrences |
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