6829. Tsaphon

Lexicon

Tsaphon: North

Original Word: צָפוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Tsaphown
Pronunciation: tsaw-FONE
Phonetic Spelling: (tsaw-fone')
Definition: North
Meaning: Tsaphon

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Zaphon

The same as tsaphown; boreal; Tsaphon, a place in Palestine -- Zaphon.

see HEBREW tsaphown

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from tsaphan
Definition
"north," a place on the E. bank of the Jordan
NASB Translation
Zaphon (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. צָפוֺן proper name, of a location on east bank of Jordan, in tribe of Gad, ׳צ Joshua 13:27 (Σαφαν[ων]), צָפ֫וֺנָה Judges 12:1 (βοῤρἇν, ᵐ5^L Σεφηνα); according to Talmud = modern Amateh, north of Jabbok, GFM Buhl^{Geogr. 259} (who doubts); ‚apuna appears Tel Amarna Wkl^{No. 174}.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the root צָפַן (tsaphan), meaning "to hide" or "to treasure."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • Strong's Greek Number 1427: δώδεκα (dōdeka) • twelve
• Strong's Greek Number 3735: ὄρος (oros) • mountain

Note: The Greek entries listed are not direct translations of Tsaphon but are related in the context of biblical geography and numerology.

Usage: The term Tsaphon is used in the Hebrew Bible to refer to the northern direction or region. It is also associated with Mount Zaphon, a significant geographical and mythological landmark.

Context: Tsaphon, often translated as "north" in English, holds both geographical and symbolic significance in the Hebrew Bible. Geographically, it denotes the northern direction or regions, often in contrast to the south (Negev), east (Kedem), and west (Yam). Symbolically, the north is sometimes associated with mystery and hiddenness, possibly due to its connection with the root word meaning "to hide."

In biblical texts, Tsaphon is also linked to Mount Zaphon, a prominent mountain in ancient Near Eastern mythology, particularly in Ugaritic texts where it is the dwelling place of the god Baal. This mountain, located in modern-day Syria, was considered a divine abode and a place of cosmic significance. In the Hebrew Bible, the imagery of the north and Mount Zaphon can carry connotations of power and divine presence.

For example, in Isaiah 14:13, the ambition of the Babylonian king is described as an attempt to ascend to the "mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north," which may allude to the mythological Mount Zaphon. The north is also a direction from which invaders often came, adding to its ominous and powerful connotations.

Forms and Transliterations

וְצָפ֗וֹן וצפון vetzaFon

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 13:27
HEB: נִמְרָ֜ה וְסֻכּ֣וֹת וְצָפ֗וֹן יֶ֚תֶר מַמְלְכ֗וּת
NAS: and Succoth and Zaphon, the rest
KJV: and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest
INT: and Beth-nimrah and Succoth and Zaphon the rest of the kingdom

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6829
1 Occurrence

wə·ṣā·p̄ō·wn — 1 Occ.