מִצְרַ֫יִם681 H4714
Egypt (the land and nation); Mizraim (son of Ham, ancestor of the Egyptians in the Table of Nations).
Mitsrayim appears over 630 times as the Hebrew name for Egypt — the defining foreign nation in Israel's story, from Joseph's descent to the Exodus to prophetic oracles. The dual-like ending (-ayim) has been debated as possibly reflecting Upper and Lower Egypt, though some scholars see it as a locative form. Spanish Egipto, French Égypte, and German Ägypten all derive from the Greek Aigyptos rather than the Semitic root. In four passages within the Table of Nations (Gen 10:6, 13; 1 Chr 1:8, 11), the same word serves as a personal name — Mizraim, son of Ham — where translations like und-Mizrajim (Ger.) and Y-Mitsráyim (Spa.) reflect the eponymous ancestor rather than the territory.
Senses
1. Egypt (the land) — The geographic and political entity of Egypt — the land, its people, and its government as the defining foreign power in Israel's narrative. Covers all prepositional constructions: dwelling in, coming out of, going down to, and prophetic oracles against Egypt. Uniformly Egipto (Spa.), Égypte (Fra.), Ägypten (Ger.) across 631 occurrences (Gen 37:36; Exod 1:1; Isa 19:1). 631×
AR["مِصْرَ"]·ben["মিশরে", "মিশরের", "মিসরের"]·DE["Ägypten", "Ägyptens", "Ägyptens-ist"]·EN["Egypt"]·FR["Égypte"]·heb["מצרים"]·HI["मिस्र", "मिस्र-का", "मिस्र-के", "मिस्रयिम", "मिस्रयिम-कि"]·ID["Mesir"]·IT["Egitto"]·jav["Mesir"]·KO["애굩의", "애굽에", "애굽의", "이집트의"]·PT["Egito", "Mitsrayim"]·RU["Египет", "Египта"]·ES["Egipto", "Mitsrayim", "Mitzrayim"]·SW["Misri", "ardhi", "ya-Misri"]·TR["Mısır'a", "Mısır'ın", "karşısında"]·urd["مصر", "مصر-کی", "مصر-کے"]
2. Mizraim (son of Ham) — The personal name Mizraim, son of Ham and grandson of Noah, the eponymous ancestor of the Egyptian people in the Table of Nations. Distinguished from the territorial sense by its masculine singular usage and genealogical context. German und-Mizrajim and Spanish Y-Mitsráyim preserve the personal name form (Gen 10:6, 13; 1 Chr 1:8, 11). 4×
AR["وَ-مِصْرايِم", "وَ-مِصْرَايِمُ"]·ben["আর-মিসরয়িম", "ও-মিশরয়িম"]·DE["und-Aegypten", "und-Mizrajim"]·EN["and-Mitsrayim", "and-Mizraim"]·FR["et-Mizraim", "et-Égypte"]·heb["ו-מצרים"]·HI["और-मितस्रयिम", "और-मितस्रयिम-ने", "और-मिस्र"]·ID["Dan-Misraim", "dan-Misraim"]·IT["e-Egitto", "e-Mizraim"]·jav["Lan-Misraim", "lan-Misraim"]·KO["그-와-미스라임", "그리고-미스라임", "그리고-미스라임이"]·PT["E-Mitsrayim", "e-Mitsrayim"]·RU["И-Мицраим", "и-Мицраим"]·ES["Y-Mitsrayim", "Y-Mitsráyim", "y-Mitsrayim", "y-Mitsráyim"]·SW["Na-Misraimu", "Na-Misri", "na-Misraimu", "na-Misri"]·TR["Ve-Mısır", "ve-Mitsrayim", "ve-Mısır"]·urd["اور-مصر", "اور-مصر-نے", "و-مصرایم"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
מִצְרַ֫יִם681 n.pr.terr. et gent.f. Ex 10:7, m. Ex 12:33, mpl. Gn 41:55 etc. (v. infr. 2), Egypt, Egyptians (Ph. מצרם; Assyrian Mŭṣŭr, Muṣru, Miṣir, DlPar 308 SchrCOT Gloss. KGF 246 ff., TelAm. Miṣrî, Wkl TA 39 BezBM 152, and Mas̆rî Wkl l.c.; Arabic مَصْر Cairo, Egypt (Spiro); Min. Miṣru HomA. and A. (1892), 125; v. also EbÄgM 71 ff.; 𝔊 Αἴγυπτος;—deriv. and form dub.; יִם—ַusually regarded as…