Mizraim

Mizraim is the standard Hebrew name for Egypt, derived from a dual form of the root matzor meaning fortress or enclosure, possibly reflecting the two great divisions of Upper and Lower Egypt. In the Table of Nations, Mizraim is listed as a son of Ham and grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:6), representing Egypt as a people descended from the Hamitic line. His sons — Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim — are understood as the ancestor-eponyms of various peoples connected with Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean (Gen. 10:13–14; 1 Chr. 1:11–12). The dual form of the name (Mizrayim in Hebrew) may preserve a memory of Egypt's ancient division into two kingdoms unified under Menes around 3100 BC. The modern Arabic name for Egypt, Misr, preserves a close phonetic echo of the ancient Hebrew designation.