מַרְפֵּשׂ

# Marpés (H4833): A Rare Hebrew Term for Mud The Hebrew word *marpés* appears only once in the biblical text, making it one of the language's hapax legomena—words that occur a single time and thus present unique interpretive challenges. According to the lexical data, it denotes "mud," a substance formed from earth and water. This singular occurrence means that scholars cannot determine its range of meanings or trace semantic development across multiple contexts, as would be possible with more frequently attested vocabulary. The rarity of this term raises questions about its status in biblical Hebrew. It may represent either a specialized or poetic expression for mud that the biblical authors rarely needed, or it could be a word that belonged to a particular register or regional dialect. Without additional contextual examples, lexicographers cannot establish whether *marpés* carried any connotations beyond the literal meaning of mud, or whether it was preferred in specific literary or linguistic contexts. Its single biblical occurrence limits our ability to assess its actual significance or frequency in the broader Hebrew language of antiquity.