Mid 19th century; earliest use found in The North American Review. From Hebrew Miṣpāh, the name of the cairn erected by Laban and Jacob as a sign of their association, a wordplay (interpretable as ‘outlook-point’; compare Hebrew miṣpeh watchtower) on the verb ṣapāh to watch, used in their agreement ‘The Lord watch (Hebrew yiṣēp) between me and thee’ (i.e. to ensure the keeping of the covenant) (Genesis 31:49).