---
title: שִׁפְחָה — maid · The Tanakh dictionary
description: שִׁפְחָה (8198), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 63 times: maid. BDB 1906: n.f. maid, maid-servant. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# שִׁפְחָה

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«שִׁפְחָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **maid** — 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:** 63 times · **Key:** 8198 · **BDB:** שִׁפְחָה

### Glosses

maidservant (21); the.maidservant (8); female.servants (5)

### Meaning (OSHB)

maid [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/8198/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. maid, maid-servant [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/8198/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. maid, maid-servant (syn. אָמָה, q.v.; orig. = concubine? cf. √);—abs. שׁ׳ Gn 16:1 +; cstr. שִׁפְחַת v 2 +; sf. שִׁפְחָתִי v 2 +, שִׁפְחָתֶ֑ךָ Ru 2:13, etc.; pl. abs. שְׁפָחוֹת 12:16 +; etc.;— lit., maid, maid-servant, as belonging to a mistress Gn 16:1, 3, 6, 8 (PJ) 29:24, 29 (P) ψ 123:2, Pr 30:23; Is 24:2; even where concubine of master (cf. אָמָה) Gn 16:2, 5 (PJ) 25:12; 35:25, 26 (P) 30:4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 18 (all JE); less often ref. to master 29:24, 29 (J), Ru 2:13, of concubine Gn 32:23, cf. 33:1, 2, 6 (all J); marriageable Lv 19:20 (H, cf. Ex 11:5; not elsewhere in legisl.); in gen., especially of menial service (never אָמָה) Ex 11:5 (J) 1 S 25:41 (opp. אָמָה) 2 S 17:17 (‖ עֶבֶד) Gn 12:16; 24:35 (J) 20:14 (E) 30:43 (P) 32:6 (J; coll.) Dt 28:68; 1 S 8:16; 2 K 5:26; Is 14:2; Je 34:9, 10, 11(×2), 16(×2) Jo 3:2; Ec 2:7; 2 Ch 28:10; Est 7:4. fig. in address, שִׁפְתָֽתְךָ, etc., of speaker, in token of humility (v. אָמָה) Ru 2:13 (‖ אָמָה 3:9), 1 S 1:18 (‖ id. v 16), 25:27 (‖ v 24 f.), 28:21, 22; 2 S 14:6, 7, 12, 15, 17, 19 (‖ אָמָה v 15, 16); 2 K 4:2, 16; not toward God; but v. אָמָה.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 58 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «שִׁפְחָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/8198/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Genesis 30:10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.30.10/)

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וַתֵּ֗לֶד זִלְפָּ֛ה שִׁפְחַ֥ת לֵאָ֖ה לְיַעֲקֹ֥ב בֵּֽן׃

*Word for word:* and she.bore Zilpah the.maidservant of.Leah to Jacob a.son

*JPS 1917:* And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Jacob a son.

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[Genesis 35:25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.35.25/)

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וּבְנֵ֤י בִלְהָה֙ שִׁפְחַ֣ת רָחֵ֔ל דָּ֖ן וְנַפְתָּלִֽי׃

*Word for word:* and the.sons of.Bilhah the.maidservant of.Rachel Dan and Naphtali

*JPS 1917:* and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphtali;

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