Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Only in Hos. 9:6, Hebrew Moph. In Isa. 19:13; Jer. 2:16; 46:14, 19; Ezek. 30:13, 16, it is mentioned under the name Noph. , of Northern Egypt. From certain remains found half buried in the sand, the site of this ancient city has been discovered near the modern village of Minyet Rahinch, or Mitraheny, about 16 miles above the ancient head of the Delta, and 9 miles south of Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile. It is said to have been founded by Menes, the first king of Egypt, and to have been in circumference about 19 miles.
“There are few remains above ground,” says Manning (The Land of the Pharaohs), “of the splendour of ancient Memphis. The city has utterly disappeared. If any traces yet exist, they are buried beneath the vast mounds of crumbling bricks and broken pottery which meet the eye in every direction. Near the village of Mitraheny is a colossal statue of Rameses the Great. It is apparently one of the two described by Herodotus and Diodorus as standing in front of the temple of Ptah. They were originally 50 feet in height. The one which remains, though mutilated, measures 48 feet.
It is finely carved in limestone, which takes a high polish, and is evidently a portrait. It lies in a pit, which, during the inundation, is filled with water.
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863)
(haven, of the good), a city of ancient Egypt, situated on that western bank of the Nile, about nine miles south of Cairo and five from the great pyramids and the sphinx. It is mentioned by (Isaiah 40:14,19) and Ezekiel, (Ezekiel 30:13,16) under the name of Noph. Though some regard Thebes as the more ancient city, the monuments of Memphis are of higher antiquity than those of Thebus. The city is said to have had a circumference of about 10 miles. The temple of Apis was one of the most noted structures of Memphis.
It stood opposite the southern portico of the temple of Ptah; and Psammetichus, who built that gateway, also erected in front of the sanctuary of Apis a magnificent colonnade, supported by colossal statues or Osiride pillars, such as may still be seen at the temple of Medeenet Habou at Thebes. Herod. ii, 153. Through this colonnade the Apis was led with great pomp upon state occasions. At Memphis was the reputed burial-place of Isis; it has also a temple to that “myriad-named” divinity. Memphis had also its Serapeium, which probably stood in the western quarter of the city.
The sacred cubit until other symbols used in measuring the rise of the Nile were deposited in the temple of Serapis. The Necropolis, adjacent to Memphis, was on a scale of grandeur corresponding with the city itself. The “city of the pyramids” is a title of Memphis in the hieroglyphics upon the monuments. Memphis long held its place as a capital; and for centuries a Memphite dynasty ruled over all Egypt. Lepsius, Bunsen and Brugsch agree in regarding the third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth dynasties of the old empire as Memphite, reaching through a period of about 1000 years.
The city’s overthrow was distinctly predicted by the Hebrew prophets. C. 525). Herodotus informs us that Cambyses, engaged at the opposition he encountered at Memphis, committed many outrages upon the city. The city never recovered from the blow inflicted by Cambyses. The rise of Alexandria hastened its decline. D. 638. At length so complete was the ruin of Memphis that for a long time its very site was lost. Recent explorations have brought to light many of its antiquities.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898) & Schaff's Bible Dictionary
MEM'PHIS (in Hebrew Noph), a city of ancient Egypt, Hos 9:6, situated on the western bank of the Nile. It is mentioned by Isaiah, Isa 19:13. Jeremiah, Jer 2:16; Jer 46:14, Acts 1:19, and Ezekiel. Eze 30:13-16, as Noph. The monuments of Memphis are believed to be of higher antiquity than those of Thebes. " Its site is about 10 miles south of Cairo and 5 miles from the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. From the ancient maps of Ptolemy, it appears that the sea extended about 40 miles farther south than at present.
The deposits of mud carried down annually by the Nile, forming the Delta, have caused the sea to be filled in, so that in the times of the ancient Pharaohs the sea may have extended nearly to Memphis, making that city a seaport, instead of, as now, an inland site. Some infer that its name, Men-Nofer, implies that it was a coast-town, 3000 or 4000 years before Christ. History. — Herodotus dates its foundation from Menes, the first king of Egypt. The city is said to have had a circumference of about 19 miles. The temple of Apis was one of its most noted structures.
This temple stood opposite the southern portico of the temple of Ptah, and Psammetichus, who built that gateway, also erected in front of the sanctuary of Apis a magnificent colonnade supported by colossal statues or Osiride pillars such as may still be seen at the temple of Medeenet Haboo at Thebes. Through this colonnade the Apis was led with great pomp upon state occasions. At Memphis were the reputed burial-place of Isis and a temple. Memphis had also its Serapeum, which probably stood in the western quarter of the city.
The Necropolis, near Memphis, was on a scale of grandeur corresponding with the city itself. At this place as capital for several centuries a Meraphite dynasty ruled over all Egypt, and Lepsius, Bunsen, and Brugsch agree in regarding the third, fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth dynasties of the old empire as Memphite, reaching through a period of about 1000 Sarcophagus in the Serapenm at Memphis containing a Mummy of the Sacred Bull. years. The city's overthrow was predicted Isa 19:13; Jer 46:19. c. 625. The city never recovered from the blow inflicted by Cambyses.
The rise of Alexandria hastened its decline. d. 638. At length so complete was the ruin of Memphis that for a long time its very site was lost. Recent explorations have brought to light many of its antiquities, and specimens of its relics are now in museums in Europe and America. A little village stands upon a portion of the site of ancient Memphis.
Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869)
abode of the good