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סְפָר

𐤎𐤐𐤓

Sefar

H5611 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ספר to count, recount, write, record

Definition

Proper name designating a geographic location mentioned in Genesis 10:30, most likely referring to a prominent region or settlement at the eastern edge of the ancient Arabian Peninsula. Its usage is as a toponym, not as a common noun or appellative.

Semantic Range

proper name of a place, toponym referring to a location at the eastern border of Arabia; no broader semantic or figurative usage

Root / Etymology

Likely derived from the root ספר (s-p-r), which broadly means 'to recount, number, write,' but in this proper noun usage, the precise lexical path is uncertain. The place-name's connection to the root is not explicitly clear from the biblical context; etymology is thus uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Genesis 10:30, סְפָר (Sephar) is named as a boundary or region associated with the descendants of Joktan, indicating a location in the territory stretching from Mesha toward the 'mount of the east.' The context places it at the periphery of the ancient Arabian Peninsula, sometimes linked by scholars to the region of modern-day Hadramaut or the area near Zafar, a well-known ancient Yemeni city. Ancient translators and later traditions often rendered the name but did not interpret it beyond its geographic referent. English translations simply transliterate the term (Sephar), lacking nuance regarding its location or historical identity. There is no evidence that the term was used of a broader population or ethnic designation. The correspondence to the root ס-פ-ר may be coincidental in the context of a place-name, and the semantic link (if any) remains obscure. The term appears only in genealogical or geographic listings, not as a descriptive or qualitative term.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as סְפָר; Sephar, a place in Arabia; Sephar.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ספר (s-p-r) — to count, recount, write, record

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4557 מִסְפָּר in counted number of
H4558 מִסְפָּר counted total
H4559 מִסְפֶּרֶת Mispereth
H5601 סַפִּיר in the blue precious stones
H5608 סָפַר I will recount

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5611-01 סְפָ֖רָ/ה sefarah HNp/Sd to Sephar Sephar-ward 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5611-01 Genesis 10:30 סְפָ֖רָ/ה sefarah HNp/Sd to Sephar Sephar-ward
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