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shebanq

שִׁפְחָה šipḥāh – maidservant

Semantic Fields: Servitude   
Author(s): Haposan Cornelius Sinaga
First published: 2026-01-06
Citation: Haposan Cornelius Sinaga, שִׁפְחָה šipḥāh – maidservant,
               Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database (sahd-online.com), 2026 (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Introduction

Grammatical type: noun fem.
Occurrences: 63 HB (31/25/7); 1x Sir.? (Total: 63/64)

  • Torah: Gen 12:16; 16:1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8; 20:14; 24:35; 25:12; 29:24 (2x), 29 (2x); 30:4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 18, 43; 32:6, 23; 33:1, 2, 6; 35:25, 26; Exod 11:5; Lev 19:20; Deut 28:68;

  • Nebiim: 1 Sam 1:18; 8:16; 25:27, 41; 28:21, 22; 2 Sam 14:6, 7, 12, 15, 17, 19; 17:17; 2 Kgs 4:2, 16; 5:26; Isa 14:2; 24:2; Jer 34:9, 10, 11 (2x), 16 (2x); Joel 3:2;

  • Ketubim: Ps 123:2; Prov 30:23; Ruth 2:13 (2x); Eccl/Qoh 2:7; Est 7:4; 2 Chron 28:10;

  • Sira: Sir 41:22Mas, but see Text Doubtful.

Text Doubtful

A.1 The Sira scroll from Masada displays the following line, in which the word שִׁפְחָה is partially reconstructed: מהתעשק עׄ[ם שפ]חׄהׄ לך, ‘be ashamed of exploiting your [serv]ant-girl’. However, the restoration is disputed.

4. Ancient Versions

Septuagint (LXX) and other Greek versions11

  • γυνή, ‘female person’, ‘wife’ (1x): 2 Sam 14:17 (LXXAnt: δούλη);
  • δούλη, ‘female slave, bondswoman’, or ‘submissive and respectful woman: in honorific, self-effacing discourse vis-à-vis a king, as a substitute for the first personal pronoun’ (16-18x): 1 Sam 1:18; 8:16; 25:27; 28:21, 22; 2 Sam 14:6, 7, 12, 15, 17 (only LXXAnt), 19; 2 Kgs 4:2, 16; 5:26 (only LXXAnt); Isa 14:2; Joel 3:2 (2:29); Ruth 2:13 (1st); 2 Chron 28:10;
  • θεράπαινα, ‘female slave’ (2x): Exod 11:5; Isa 24:2;
  • οἰκέτις, ‘female domestic employee’ (2x): Lev 19:20; Prov 30:23;
  • παιδίσκη, ‘female servant’, ‘female counterpart of παῖς’, ‘self-effacing appelation’ (40-41x): Gen 12:16; 16:1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8; 20:14; 24:35; 25:12; 29:24 (2x), 29 (2x); 30:4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 18, 43; 32:6, 23; 33:1, 2, 6; 35:25, 26; Deut 28:68; 1 Sam 25:41; 2 Sam 17:17; 2 Kgs 5:26 (LXXAnt: δούλη); Jer 34:9, 10, 11 (2nd), 16 (2x); Ps 123:2; Ruth 2:13 (2nd); Eccl/Qoh 2:7; Est 7:4;
  • no translation (1x): Jer 34:11 (1st).

Bibliography

For the abbreviations see the List of Abbreviations.

Fernández Marcos & Busto Saiz 1989
Natalio Fernández Marcos, José Ramón Busto Saiz, El texto antioqueno de la Biblia griega, I: 1-2 Samuel (TECC 50), Madrid: Instituto de Filología, C.S.I.C.
Fernández Marcos & Busto Saiz 1992
Natalio Fernández Marcos, José Ramón Busto Saiz, El texto antioqueno de la Biblia griega, II: 1-2 Reyes (TECC 53), Madrid: Instituto de Filología, C.S.I.C.

Notes

  1. The translations of the Greek are based on GELS. For LXXAnt, see Fernández Marcos & Busto Saiz 1989; Fernández Marcos & Busto Saiz 1992. ↩

  2. The translations of the Syriac are based on Sokoloff, SLB. ↩

Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database