שֶׁפֶר
𐤔𐤐𐤓
shepher
H8233 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Shepher refers primarily to beauty, pleasantness, or attractiveness, especially in a physical sense. In its rare biblical attestation, it can describe something aesthetically pleasing, fair, or excellent in form. The term can also denote a state or quality of being lovely or desirable.
Semantic Range
beauty, pleasantness, attractiveness, excellence in form, aesthetic loveliness, poetic fair or goodliness
Root / Etymology
Root: שפר, meaning 'to be beautiful, fair, bright.' The noun שֶׁפֶר derives from this root, carrying the sense of beauty or pleasantness, more concretely expressing the abstract quality denoted by the verb.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Shepher is a rare noun in biblical Hebrew, best attested in poetic or elevated contexts. It stands apart from more frequently used terms for beauty such as יֹפִי (yofi, H3308), which is broader and less marked for nuance. While the root שפר is found in various Semitic languages, indicating widespread association with brightness and beauty, שֶׁפֶר itself appears only a few times (notably Numbers 24:5). In later periods, the root continues to denote beauty or excellence in form in post-biblical and medieval Hebrew. Standard English translations such as 'beauty' usually convey the basic meaning, but the word's poetic register and nuance occasionally elude more prosaic renderings. The word never designates personal names or places, distinguishing it from words like שָׁפָן (shaphan, coney/rock hyrax) or שְׁפוֹן (shphon, hidden). The sense 'goodly' in some English versions carries an archaic connotation and does not clearly express the aesthetic nuance for modern readers. Its contextual use in Numbers alludes to the 'goodliness' or attractiveness of Israelite habitations, employing strong poetic imagery of pleasantness, not mere adequacy or utility.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שָׁפַר; beauty; [idiom] goodly.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שפר (sh-p-r) — to be beautiful, to be fair, to be bright, to improve
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H8208 | שָׁפִיר | Beautiful-Town |
| H8209 | שַׁפִּיר | splendid |
| H8231 | שָׁפַר | she became splendid |
| H8232 | שְׁפַר | he was pleasing |
| H8236 | שִׁפְרָה | Fair-one |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8233-01 |
שָֽׁפֶר | shafer | HNcmsa |
beautiful | beauty | beauty | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8233-01 |
Genesis 49:21 | שָֽׁפֶר | shafer | HNcmsa |
beautiful | beauty | beauty |