---
title: צָפוֹן — north · The Tanakh dictionary
description: צָפוֹן (6828), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 153 times: north. BDB 1906: n.f. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# צָפוֹן

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«צָפוֹן» in the Tanakh dictionary: **north** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 153 times · **Key:** 6828 · **BDB:** צָפוֹן

### Glosses

northward (47); north (44); of.\[the\].north (30)

### Meaning (OSHB)

north [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6828/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6828/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. Is 43:6 north (as the hidden, dark; cf. Thes LewyFremdw. 188 f.; perhaps Ph. צפל north);—abs. צ׳ Je 25:26 +, צָפֹ֫נָה northward Gn 13:14 +, oftener צָפ֫וֹנָה Je 3:12 +, also צָפ֫וֹנָה = צָפוֹן Je 1:13 + (after preps. and st. cstr.; cf. Ges§ 90 e); cstr. מִצְּפוֹן לְ Jos 8:11 +, also מִצְּפוֹן 19:14 Gi (cf. Benn; van d. H. Baer מִצָּ׳), מִצְּפ֫וֹנָה לְ Ju 21:19; (צ׳ occurs oftenest in Ez \[46 times\], Jos \[25 times\], Je \[25 times\], Dn \[9 times\]);—north (opp. S., E., W.) Gn 13:14; 28:14 (both J), Ex 27:11 (P), +; פְּאַת צ׳ north side Ex 26:20 Jos 15:5 + (v. פֵּאָה); so צֶלַע צ׳ Ex 26:35, רוּחַ הַצּ׳ Ez 42:17, cf. עַל־יֶרֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ צָפ֫וֹנָה 2 K 16:14; גְּבוּל צ׳ Nu 34:7, 9 north boundary; יַרְכְּתֵי צ׳ remote parts of north Is 14:13 (as divine abode), Ez 38:6, 15 + (v. \[יַרְכָה\]); שַׁעַר הַצּ׳ Ez 40:35 +, פֶּתַח צ׳ 42:2; רוּחַ צ׳ Pr 25:23 north wind, and so צ׳ alone Ct 4:16; toward the north is צָפ֫וֹנָה Jos 13:3 + (v. also supr.), and אֶל־צָפוֹן Ec 1:6, אֶל־הַצּ׳ Ez 42:1, אֶל־הַצָּפ֫וֹנָה 8:14, לַצָּפוֹן 40:23, דֶּרֶךְ הַצָּפוֹן v 20, ד׳ צָפ֫וֹנָה 8:5(×2) +, etc.; especially (in Je Ez etc.) of quarter whence invaders were to come, e.g. Assyrian Is 14:31, cf. Zp 2:13, Babylonians Je 6:1, 22; 15:12; 46:20, 24 (עַם־צ׳), 47:2, Ez 26:7, Cyrus against Bab. Is 41:25, cf. Je 50:3, 9, 41; 51:48; more vaguely, Je 1:14, 15 (מַמְלְכוֹת צ׳), 4:6; 10:22; 13:20; 25:9, 26 (מַלְכֵי הַצּ׳); of Gog’s host Ez 38:6, 15; 39:2; נְסִיכֵי צ׳ 32:30 (appar. of nearer \[Aramæan?\] princes); אֶרֶץ צ׳ Je 31:8 is region of Carchemish, but Zc 2:10; 6:6, 8(×2) of Babylon; מֵאֶרֶץ צ׳ (sometimes + other countries) the exiles and dispersed are to return Je 3:18; 16:15 = 23:8; 31:8, cf. Is 43:6; 49:12; מֶלֶךְ הַצּ׳ Dn 11:6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 40 denotes successive Seleucidae.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 67 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (6 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «צָפוֹן» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6828/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 37:22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.37.22/)

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מִ֭צָּפוֹן זָהָ֣ב יֶֽאֱתֶ֑ה עַל־אֱ֝ל֗וֹהַּ נ֣וֹרָא הֽוֹד׃

*Word for word:* from.\[the\] north gold it.comes \[is\].on God awesome majesty

*JPS 1917:* Out of the north cometh golden splendour, about God is terrible majesty.

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[Jeremiah 15:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/JER.15.12/)

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הֲיָרֹ֨עַ בַּרְזֶ֧ל ׀ בַּרְזֶ֛ל מִצָּפ֖וֹן וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃

*Word for word:* will it.break? iron iron from.\[the\] north and bronze

*JPS 1917:* Can iron break iron from the north and brass?

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