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שֻׁפִּים

𐤔𐤐𐤉𐤌

Shupim

H8206 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁףף to glide, to move smoothly, to creep (of a serpent)

Definition

Shuppim — a proper masculine name designating an individual among the descendants of Benjamin, listed among the genealogies of the Israelites. As a personal name, its meaning is uncertain but may be associated with the imagery or qualities of a serpent, due to phonetic similarity to other serpent-related words, though the context is personal and genealogical, not zoological. The semantic range includes its use as a personal name, and possibly as a clan or family name within the tribe of Benjamin.

Semantic Range

proper name of an Israelite; head of a clan or family in Benjamin; possibly associated with 'serpent' in root association but not in narrative context

Root / Etymology

Derived from the same root as שְׁפִיפוֹן (shefifon, 'serpent' or 'adder'), itself from the root שָׁפַף (shafaf), meaning 'to glide' or 'to creep.' The exact linguistic derivation of שֻׁפִּים is uncertain and it occurs only as a proper name in the Hebrew Bible. Etymology uncertain beyond this phonetic association.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Shuppim appears in the genealogies of the Israelites as a descendant of Benjamin (Num 26:39; 1 Chr 7:12, 15). The name may reflect a clan or family within the tribe, and its etymological connection to 'serpent' or 'gliding' is speculative and based on phonetic similarity to related terms; in biblical usage, it serves solely as a proper name or referent for a group within Israel. English translations occasionally link it to 'serpent' due to lexicon tradition, but there is no evidence it bore this zoological meaning in personal or tribal identification. The use of the plural form ר (im) in the name is a common Hebrew onomastic feature that can convey collective or familial association. The translation 'serpents' is misleading in narrative and genealogical contexts, as the term does not function as an ordinary noun in biblical Hebrew.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

plural of an unused noun from the same as שְׁפִיפֹן and meaning the same; serpents; Shuppim, an Israelite; Shuppim.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁףף (š-p-p) — to glide, to move smoothly, to creep (as a serpent)

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8206-01 לְ/שֻׁפִּ֤ים leshupim HR/Np to Shuppim to Shuppim to Shupim 1
H8206-02 וּ/לְ/שֻׁפִּ֔ים uleshupim HC/R/Np and for Shuppim and to Shuppim and to Shupim 1
H8206-03 וְ/שֻׁפִּ֤ם veshupim HC/Np and Shuppim and Shuppim and Shupim 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8206-03 1 Chronicles 7:12 וְ/שֻׁפִּ֤ם veshupim HC/Np and Shuppim and Shuppim and Shupim
H8206-02 1 Chronicles 7:15 וּ/לְ/שֻׁפִּ֔ים uleshupim HC/R/Np and for Shuppim and to Shuppim and to Shupim
H8206-01 1 Chronicles 26:16 לְ/שֻׁפִּ֤ים leshupim HR/Np to Shuppim to Shuppim to Shupim
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