Original Word: תֻּפִין
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tuphiyn
Pronunciation: too-fee-neem
Phonetic Spelling: (too-feen')
KJV: baked piece
NASB: baked
Word Origin: [from H644 (אָפָה - baked)]

1. cookery
2. (concretely) a cake

baked piece

From 'aphah; cookery, i.e. (concretely) a cake -- baked piece.

see HEBREW 'aphah

Word Origin
perhaps from aphah
Definition
perhaps baked pieces
NASB Translation
baked (1).

[תֻּפִינִים] noun [masculine]

plural doubtful word; AV RV baken pieces (Thes from √ אפה bake); — only construct תֻּפִינֵי מִנְחַת מִּתִּים Leviticus 6:14; text probably corrupt; read תְּפֻתֶּנָּה (√ פתת), thou shalt break it into a meal-offering of pieces, Mei^{ZWTh vi.60 f.} (ᵑ6), Di^{on the passage}.

I. תפל (√ of following; Late Hebrew תָּפַל ᵑ7 אִתַּמַּל, in Midrash explanation of Deuteronomy 1:1; on 2 Samuel 22:27 תִּתַּמָּ֑ל see מָּתַל; Late Hebrew תָּפֵל unsalted, of fish, תִּפְלָה = Biblical Hebrew; Arabic is spit, spittle).

Single Old Testament Occurrence

תֻּפִין (Strong’s 8601) appears once, in Leviticus 6:21, describing how the priest’s continual grain offering is to be “well-baked” before it is broken in pieces and lifted up to the LORD.

Culinary Setting within the Grain Offering

Three cooking techniques are named for grain offerings: baking in an oven, frying in a pan, and griddling. תֻּפִין narrows the last category, indicating dough that has been completely baked through on the flat plate. The bread is therefore firm enough to be “broken in pieces,” allowing the priest to elevate every fragment as wholly devoted to God. The term thus safeguards the requirement that no portion of this daily priestly offering be eaten (Leviticus 6:23).

Function within Priestly Ordination and Daily Worship

Leviticus 6:20–22 sets תֻּפִין inside the inauguration rite of Aaronic ministry:
• A tenth of an ephah of flour, half in the morning and half at night, is to be offered.
• Oil is mingled, symbolizing the Spirit’s suffusion.
• The loaf is completely consumed on the altar, signifying the priesthood’s total consecration.

The completed baking (תֻּפִין) underlines the finality of that consecration. Nothing partially formed is acceptable; everything must endure holy fire.

Typological Foreshadowing of Christ and the Gospel

The priestly griddle-bread anticipates the flawless obedience of the greater High Priest. Jesus Christ’s life was “tested by fire” (compare Hebrews 4:15) and found perfect. As the grain offering contained no leaven, so the Savior was without sin. Its being wholly burned points ahead to the self-giving of Christ, who “offered Himself unblemished to God” (Hebrews 9:14). The breaking in pieces prefigures the distribution of His benefits to the people of God (Matthew 26:26).

Relation to Other Cooking Terms in Leviticus

• מַחֲבַת (machabat, “griddle”) locates the utensil.
• תֻּפִין defines the state of the food on that utensil.
• אָפָה (aphah, “to bake”) is the broader verb, applied to ovens as well.

By specifying תֻּפִין, Scripture differentiates between partially cooked dough and a finished loaf, highlighting the necessity of bringing a completed product to the altar.

Historical Reception in Israel’s Worship

Second-Temple sources indicate continued morning-and-evening grain offerings by the high priest, though later practice shifted from a family duty of Aaron’s sons (Leviticus 6:22) to a rotation among priests. Rabbinic tradition records meticulous concern that the bread be completely baked, echoing the ancient command. Early Christian commentators drew on the image when teaching about wholehearted devotion.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Wholehearted Consecration – Like the fully baked loaf, ministry today must present nothing half-formed to God (Romans 12:1).
2. Daily Faithfulness – The morning-evening schedule reminds believers to begin and end each day in surrendered worship (Psalm 92:1–2).
3. Shared Blessing – Though the priest’s loaf was burned, later grain offerings were eaten by others (Leviticus 7:9–10). Completed devotion becomes nourishment for the community.
4. Christ-Centered Proclamation – Preachers can draw on תֻּפִין to illustrate the finished work of Christ, whose perfection alone satisfies divine holiness.

תֻּפִינֵי֙ תפיני tu·p̄î·nê tufiNei tup̄înêInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts