Word Study for H4662 (מִפְקָד)

miphqâd /mif-kawd'/ Ask about this word

Meaningan appointment, i.e. mandate; concretely, a designated spot; specifically, a census

KJV usageappointed place, commandment, number.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of miphqâd — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word miphqâd, represented by H4662, encapsulates the concepts of appointment, mandate, and designation. Derived from a root meaning to appoint, its definition includes a census, a commandment, or a concretely designated spot. It appears 4 times across 4 unique verses, showing its specific application in different contexts.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H4662 has three distinct meanings. It is used to refer to the final number or tally of a census, as when Joab gave the results of numbering the people to the king (2 Samuel 24:9; 1 Chronicles 21:5). The term also signifies a formal commandment, such as the one issued by King Hezekiah to organize overseers for the house of God 2 Chronicles 31:13. Finally, it denotes a specific, consecrated location, as seen in Ezekiel's vision where a sin offering is to be burned in the appointed place of the house Ezekiel 43:21.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the administrative and authoritative nature of H4662:

H4557 miçpâr (a number): This term is used in conjunction with H4662 in the census accounts to denote the "sum of the number" of the people, emphasizing the numerical result of the commanded census (2 Samuel 24:9; 1 Chronicles 21:5).
H5057 nâgîyd (a commander... ruler): This word for a leader or ruler connects to the authoritative aspect of H4662. A ruler of the house of God is mentioned in the same context where H4662 is used as a "commandment" from the king 2 Chronicles 31:13.
H6496 pâqîyd (a superintendent... overseer): Sharing a common root with H4662, this word describes an appointed official. In 2 Chronicles 31:13, men were appointed as overseers to act upon the king's "commandment" H4662.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H4662 is rooted in its application within contexts of divine order and authority.

Administrative Authority: The use of the word for both a census number and a royal commandment highlights the role of legitimate, God-ordained authority in administering the affairs of the nation and the temple (2 Samuel 24:9; 2 Chronicles 31:13).
Designated Sanctity: By defining a specific "appointed place" for a sacred ritual within the temple grounds, H4662 underscores the principle that holiness is tied to adherence to divinely appointed locations and procedures Ezekiel 43:21.
The Act of Numbering: The word's use as the result of a census connects it to the significant act of numbering the people, a measure of national strength that carried heavy theological weight in the narratives of the monarchy 1 Chronicles 21:5.

Summary

In summary, H4662 is a specific term that moves beyond a general idea of counting or commanding. It signifies a formal, designated outcome—be it a final census tally, a binding directive, or an appointed sacred space. Through its limited but precise usage, miphqâd demonstrates how administrative concepts are employed in Scripture to convey deeper principles of royal authority, structured worship, and holy designation.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 5 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

מִפְקַד
מִּפְקָד

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 4 verses across 4 of the 39 books. 4 books tie for most frequent (1 verse each); never once in the other 35.

2 Samuel

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezekiel

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.