4708. Mitspeh
Lexical Summary
Mitspeh: Mizpah, Watchtower

Original Word: מִצְפֶה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Mitspeh
Pronunciation: MITS-peh
Phonetic Spelling: (mits-peh')
KJV: Mizpeh, watch tower
NASB: Mizpah, Mizpeh
Word Origin: [the same as H4707 (מִצפֶּה - lookout)]

1. Mitspeh, the name of five places in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Mizpeh, watch tower

The same as mitspeh; Mitspeh, the name of five places in Palestine -- Mizpeh, watch tower. Compare Mitspah.

see HEBREW mitspeh

see HEBREW Mitspah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from tsaphah
Definition
the name of several places in Isr.
NASB Translation
Mizpah (4), Mizpeh (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. מִצְמֶּה proper name, of a location1. ׳הַמּ in Shephelah of Judah Joshua 15:38, Μας(ς)ηφα.

2 מִצְמֵּהמֿוֺאָב 1 Samuel 22:3, Μασσηφα.

3 מִצְמֵּה גִלְעָד Judges 11:29 (twice in verse) (ἡ σκοπιά) probably = ׳רָמַת הַמּ Joshua 13:26 Μας(ση)φα and perhaps מִצְמָּה

2Joshua 11:8; Joshua 18:26 see מִצְמָּה 3,4.

Topical Lexicon
Geographic Overview

“Mizpeh” appears ten times under Strong’s 4708 and designates several elevated sites whose common feature is strategic visibility:
• The Valley of Mizpeh beneath Mount Hermon, where Joshua routed the northern coalition (Joshua 11:8).
• Mizpeh in the Shephelah of Judah (Joshua 15:38).
• Mizpeh of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem (Joshua 18:26; Jeremiah 40).
• Mizpeh (or “Mizpeh-Gilead”) east of the Jordan, associated with Jephthah (Judges 11:29).
• Mizpeh of Moab, beyond the Dead Sea (1 Samuel 22:3).

Strategic Significance of High Ground

Each Mizpeh occupies a height or commands a valley. These natural watchtowers guarded trade corridors, served as rallying points in war, and provided neutral ground for covenant-making. Their geography embodies the biblical theme of vigilance: a place to stand, see, and respond.

Mizpeh in the Conquest

After the miraculous halt of the sun at Gibeon, Israel pressed north. “The LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and pursued them … to the Valley of Mizpeh to the east” (Joshua 11:8). The pursuit into a valley named for watching underscores divine oversight of Israel’s battles; the enemy could not escape the gaze of either the army on the heights or the God who sees all.

Settlement Allotments

In the allotment lists (Joshua 15:38; 18:26) Mizpeh anchors the territorial borders of Judah and Benjamin. Its inclusion authenticated the tribal grants, reminding later readers that the Land was measured beneath God’s watchful eye.

Mizpeh of Gilead: Vow and Victory

“The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah … and he passed through Mizpeh of Gilead” (Judges 11:29). From this lookout the judge advanced, secured victory over Ammon, and tragically vowed concerning his daughter. The episode reveals how spiritual zeal mixed with cultural rashness can mar an otherwise God-given deliverance, calling believers to combine faith with Scriptural discernment.

A Refuge in David’s Exile

Fleeing Saul, David entrusted his parents to “the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time David was in the stronghold” (1 Samuel 22:3). Mizpeh of Moab thus became a sanctuary for the aged, foreshadowing the Messiah who would later find refuge for His own in Gentile regions (Matthew 15:21–28).

Administrative Center after the Fall of Jerusalem

With Jerusalem in ruins, the Babylonian governor Gedaliah established his headquarters at Mizpeh of Benjamin (Jeremiah 40:6). The remnant “returned from all the places to which they had been banished … and gathered an abundance of wine and summer fruit” (Jeremiah 40:12). Yet assassins struck Gedaliah there, triggering further flight to Egypt (Jeremiah 40:13–41:18). Mizpeh therefore became the stage for both hope and heartbreak, illustrating how human rebellion frustrates divine mercy—yet God’s purposes continue.

Theological Themes

1. Watchfulness: The very name urges spiritual alertness (Matthew 26:41; 1 Peter 5:8).
2. Covenant Assembly: Mizpeh is repeatedly a gathering point for decision—whether righteous (deliverance under Jephthah) or treacherous (plot against Gedaliah).
3. Remnant Hope: Post-exilic gatherings at Mizpeh reveal the Lord’s ongoing concern for a faithful few, anticipating the church’s identity as a vigilant remnant awaiting Christ’s return.

Ministry Application

• Leaders must combine zeal with Scripture lest vows made at spiritual heights bring sorrow in the valley.
• Places of past defeat can become centers of renewal when God appoints watchmen (Isaiah 62:6).
• The church, like the remnant at Mizpeh, is called to fruitful labor amid political upheaval, trusting the Lord who watches over His people from the true high tower—“the name of the LORD” (Proverbs 18:10).

Forms and Transliterations
הַמִּצְפָּ֑תָה הַמִּצְפָּֽתָה׃ המצפתה המצפתה׃ וְהַמִּצְפֶּ֖ה וְהַמִּצְפֶּ֥ה וּמִמִּצְפֵּ֣ה והמצפה וממצפה מִצְפֵּ֣ה מִצְפֶּ֖ה מצפה ham·miṣ·pā·ṯāh hammiṣpāṯāh hammitzPatah miṣ·peh miṣ·pêh miṣpeh miṣpêh mitzPeh ū·mim·miṣ·pêh umimitzPeh ūmimmiṣpêh vehammitzPeh wə·ham·miṣ·peh wəhammiṣpeh
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Englishman's Concordance
Joshua 11:8
HEB: וְעַד־ בִּקְעַ֥ת מִצְפֶּ֖ה מִזְרָ֑חָה וַיַּכֻּ֕ם
NAS: and the valley of Mizpeh to the east;
KJV: and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward;
INT: until and the valley of Mizpeh to the east struck

Joshua 15:38
HEB: וְדִלְעָ֥ן וְהַמִּצְפֶּ֖ה וְיָקְתְאֵֽל׃
NAS: and Dilean and Mizpeh and Joktheel,
KJV: And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel,
INT: and Dilean and Mizpeh and Joktheel

Joshua 18:26
HEB: וְהַמִּצְפֶּ֥ה וְהַכְּפִירָ֖ה וְהַמֹּצָֽה׃
NAS: and Mizpeh and Chephirah and Mozah,
KJV: And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,
INT: and Mizpeh and Chephirah and Mozah

Judges 11:29
HEB: וַֽיַּעֲבֹר֙ אֶת־ מִצְפֵּ֣ה גִלְעָ֔ד וּמִמִּצְפֵּ֣ה
NAS: then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead,
KJV: and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead,
INT: and Manasseh through Mizpah of Gilead Mizpah

Judges 11:29
HEB: מִצְפֵּ֣ה גִלְעָ֔ד וּמִמִּצְפֵּ֣ה גִלְעָ֔ד עָבַ֖ר
NAS: of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead
KJV: of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead
INT: Mizpah of Gilead Mizpah of Gilead passed

1 Samuel 22:3
HEB: דָּוִ֛ד מִשָּׁ֖ם מִצְפֵּ֣ה מוֹאָ֑ב וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀
NAS: from there to Mizpah of Moab;
KJV: went thence to Mizpeh of Moab:
INT: and David there to Mizpah of Moab said

Jeremiah 40:6
HEB: בֶן־ אֲחִיקָ֖ם הַמִּצְפָּ֑תָה וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב אִתּוֹ֙
KJV: of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt
INT: the son of Ahikam to Mizpah and stayed for

Jeremiah 40:8
HEB: אֶל־ גְּדַלְיָ֖ה הַמִּצְפָּ֑תָה וְיִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל בֶּן־
KJV: to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael
INT: to Gedaliah to Mizpah Ishmael the son

Jeremiah 40:12
HEB: אֶל־ גְּדַלְיָ֖הוּ הַמִּצְפָּ֑תָה וַיַּאַסְפ֛וּ יַ֥יִן
KJV: to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered
INT: to Gedaliah Mizpah and gathered wine

Jeremiah 40:13
HEB: אֶל־ גְּדַלְיָ֖הוּ הַמִּצְפָּֽתָה׃
KJV: came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
INT: to Gedaliah to Mizpah

10 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4708
10 Occurrences


ham·miṣ·pā·ṯāh — 4 Occ.
miṣ·peh — 3 Occ.
ū·mim·miṣ·pêh — 1 Occ.
wə·ham·miṣ·peh — 2 Occ.

4707
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