Lexical Summary shephek: Pouring, outpouring Original Word: שֶׁפֶךְ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance emptying place, e.g. An ash-heapFrom shaphak; an emptying place, e.g. An ash-heap -- are poured out. see HEBREW shaphak NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shaphak Definition (place of) pouring NASB Translation poured (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs שֶׁ֫פֶךְ noun [masculine] place of pouring; — construct הַדֶּשֶׁן ׳שׁ Leviticus 4:12 (twice in verse) (P). Topical Lexicon Word Overview שֶׁפֶךְ designates the “ash heap” or “dump” outside the camp of Israel to which the residue of certain sacrifices was carried and consumed. Occurrences and Translation Leviticus 4:12; Leviticus 6:11 (Hebrew 6:4). The Berean Standard Bible renders the term “ash heap” or “place where the ashes are poured out.” Cultural and Historical Background During the wilderness period the tabernacle stood at the center of Israel’s encampment, symbolizing the holy presence of God. Anything unclean was removed to the perimeter or beyond the camp (Numbers 5:2-4). The ash heap lay “to a clean place outside the camp” (Leviticus 4:12), serving both sanitary and ceremonial purposes. Archaeological parallels from the Ancient Near East confirm the existence of communal dumps beyond city walls, yet Israel’s practice was uniquely tied to covenant worship. Ritual and Ceremonial Context 1. Sin Offering for Priests or the Congregation (Leviticus 4:1-21). After the blood rites at the altar, the remainder of the bull—including hide, flesh, and offal—was removed “to the place where the ashes are poured out, and burn[ed] it on the wood fire on the ash heap” (Leviticus 4:12). The duplication underscores that the ash heap was an extension of the sanctuary’s holiness code: sacred residue was not discarded casually but treated with reverence. Theological Significance Removal to the ash heap portrayed (a) the complete eradication of sin, and (b) the separation required between holiness and impurity. By transporting the sacrifice’s remains to a “clean place,” the text preserves a tension between purity and expiation: sin is carried away, yet the place itself is declared clean because the offering has accomplished atonement. Prophetic and Christological Connections Hebrews 13:11-12 reflects on this ritual: “The bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places… are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to sanctify the people by His own blood.” The ash heap thus anticipates the Messiah’s crucifixion “outside” Jerusalem, emphasizing substitution, removal of guilt, and the believer’s call to follow Him “outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (Hebrews 13:13). Practical and Ministry Applications • Holiness and Separation: Believers are reminded that forgiven sin must not be coddled but cast away (Romans 6:11-13). Related Concepts and Comparative Vocabulary • דֶּשֶׁן (deshen) – “ashes” or “fat ash,” often the material taken to the שֶׁפֶךְ. Summary שֶׁפֶךְ, though mentioned only twice, forms a vital link between ritual purity, atonement, and the foreshadowing of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. The ash heap testifies that sin, once atoned for, is decisively removed, while calling God’s people to lives marked by holiness, service beyond the camp, and gratitude for the One who bore our reproach. Forms and Transliterations שֶׁ֣פֶךְ שֶׁ֥פֶךְ שפך še·p̄eḵ šep̄eḵ ShefechLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 4:12 HEB: טָהוֹר֙ אֶל־ שֶׁ֣פֶךְ הַדֶּ֔שֶׁן וְשָׂרַ֥ף NAS: the ashes are poured out, and burn KJV: where the ashes are poured out, and burn INT: to a clean where are poured the ashes and burn Leviticus 4:12 2 Occurrences |
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