צוּף
Tsuph or Tsophai or Tsiph, the name of an Israelite and of a place in Palestine
Definition
The Hebrew word צוּף (Tsûwph) is primarily used as a proper noun in the Old Testament, referring to both a person and a geographical region. As a personal name, it identifies an ancestor of the prophet Samuel, specifically his great-grandfather (1 Chronicles 6:26, 35). As a place name, it designates a district or land within the territory of Ephraim, where Saul searched for his father's lost donkeys and first encountered Samuel (1 Samuel 9:5). The term appears in variant forms (צוֹפַי/Tsophai and צִיף/Tsiph) in the biblical text, but all refer to this same lineage or location.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively as a proper noun in four Old Testament occurrences, all within historical narratives. It appears in genealogical records in 1 Chronicles 6, tracing Samuel's Levitical lineage through his ancestor Zuph (or Zophai). In 1 Samuel 1:1 and 9:5, it identifies a geographical region, 'the land of Zuph,' which was part of the hill country of Ephraim. This region is the setting for the providential meeting between Saul and Samuel, a key event in Israel's transition to monarchy.
Etymology
The name derives from the root צוּף (H6688), which means 'to flow, drip, or honeycomb,' often associated with honey. Thus, the proper name likely carries connotations of sweetness or abundance. The variant forms (Tsophai, Tsiph) are simply different morphological developments or transcriptional variations of the same core name within the biblical text.
Semantic Range
While primarily a name, its context is theologically significant. Zuph is the ancestral link for Samuel, a pivotal prophet and judge who anointed Israel's first kings. The 'land of Zuph' is the divinely appointed location where God orchestrates the first encounter between Samuel and Saul (1 Samuel 9:15-16). This highlights God's sovereignty in guiding human events and placing key leaders within a specific lineage and geography to fulfill His purposes for Israel.
In ancient Israelite culture, personal names often carried meaningful connotations, derived from common nouns or attributes. A name meaning 'honeycomb' or 'flow' would suggest desirability, sweetness, or prosperity. Furthermore, geographical regions were frequently named after prominent ancestral figures, linking the land's identity directly to family lineage and tribal history, as seen with the 'land of Zuph'.
There are no direct synonyms for this proper noun. It is a unique identifier for a specific person and place.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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