Original Word: מִפְשָׂעָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: miphsa`ah
Pronunciation: miph-saw-AH
Phonetic Spelling: (mif-saw-aw')
KJV: buttocks
NASB: hips
Word Origin: [from H6585 (פָּשַׂע - step)]

1. a stride, i.e. (by euphemism) the crotch

buttocks

From pasa'; a stride, i.e. (by euphemism) the crotch -- buttocks.

see HEBREW pasa'

Word Origin
from pasa
Definition
hip or buttock
NASB Translation
hips (1).

מִפְשָׂעָה noun feminine stepping-region of body, hip or buttock; ׳עַדהַֿמּ 1 Chronicles 19:4 (= שְׁתוֺתיהֶם "" 2 Samuel 10:4).

מִפְשָׂעָה

Biblical Occurrence

• 1 Chronicles 19:4 – “So Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved them, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.”

Narrative Context

The word appears in the account of David’s emissaries to Hanun, king of the Ammonites. Suspicious of their motives, Hanun humiliates the envoys by disfiguring their beards and truncating their robes “at the hips” (מִפְשָׂעָה), then dismisses them in disgrace. The surrounding chapters record Israel’s subsequent campaigns against Ammon and their Aramean allies, ending in decisive victory (1 Chronicles 19:16-19; 20:1-3). Thus a single insult escalates into an international conflict that serves God’s purpose of expanding David’s dominion and displaying His covenant faithfulness.

Cultural Background

1. Beard and Robe as Honor Symbols – In the Ancient Near East a full beard signified maturity, status, and covenant solidarity; cutting it in half declared the victim socially dead. Likewise, garments reaching the ankles denoted freedom and dignity; exposing the hips or buttocks rendered a person publicly shamed (compare Isaiah 20:4).
2. Shame in an Honor-Based Society – Honor was corporate. By disgracing David’s representatives, Hanun insulted David himself (cf. 2 Samuel 10:1-5). Israel’s militant response reflects the principle that an offense against the king’s messengers is an offense against the king.

Theological Significance

• Kingdom Offense – The episode illustrates the inviolability of the Lord’s anointed and foreshadows messianic themes. Just as contempt for David’s servants brought judgment, disregarding Christ’s ambassadors invites divine retribution (Matthew 10:14-15; 2 Thessalonians 1:6).
• Divine Providence – Hanun’s rash act leads to the subjugation of Ammon and the strengthening of Israel’s borders, displaying the LORD’s ability to turn human hostility into covenant advancement (Genesis 50:20; Psalm 76:10).
• Shame and Vindication – Scripture regularly contrasts human shame with God’s vindication of the righteous (Psalm 25:3; Romans 10:11). The partial disrobing in 1 Chronicles 19:4 prefigures the deeper humiliation of the cross, where Christ bore our shame so that believers might be clothed in His righteousness (Hebrews 12:2; Revelation 3:5).

Prophetic and Christological Echoes

The pattern—shame, suffering, divine intervention, victory—anticipates the gospel narrative. The messengers’ disgrace parallels Christ’s rejection, and David’s ensuing triumph anticipates the Son of David’s ultimate conquest over sin and the nations (Psalm 2:1-12; Revelation 19:11-16).

Practical Applications for Ministry

1. Protecting Honor – Church leaders act as representatives of the King (2 Corinthians 5:20). Congregations should guard the reputation of gospel envoys and respond wisely when believers are publicly ridiculed.
2. Responding to Humiliation – David instructs the shamed men to remain in Jericho until their beards grow back (2 Samuel 10:5), exemplifying pastoral sensitivity: allow wounded servants time and space for restoration before returning to public ministry.
3. Intercession and Action – David combines compassionate care with decisive military action. Likewise, the church must blend mercy toward the afflicted with courageous confrontation of injustice (Micah 6:8).
4. Clothing Imagery – The truncated robe calls believers to consider their spiritual clothing. In Christ we are “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49) and must not allow the world to strip away the testimony of holiness and integrity.

Related Biblical Themes

• Honor and Shame: Genesis 34; Judges 14:19; Proverbs 3:35
• Ambassadors of the King: 2 Chronicles 35:21; Luke 10:16; 2 Corinthians 5:20
• Divine Vindication: Isaiah 54:4; 1 Peter 2:6; Revelation 3:18

See Also

• Parallel Narrative – 2 Samuel 10:4 (use of a cognate term for the same act).
• Prophetic Imagery of Exposure – Isaiah 20:4; Nahum 3:5.

Though מִפְשָׂעָה surfaces only once, its contextual weight is substantial. It concentrates Israel’s theology of honor, shame, and kingly representation, reinforcing the assurance that every affront to the LORD’s servants will be answered by the LORD of hosts, who alone turns disgrace into glory.

הַמִּפְשָׂעָ֑ה המפשעה ham·mip̄·śā·‘āh hammifsaAh hammip̄śā‘āhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts