שִׁפְרָה
𐤔𐤐𐤓𐤄
shiphrâh
H8235 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper feminine name: Shiphrah. Name of one of the two midwives mentioned in Exodus 1:15–21 who assisted the Israelite women in Egypt. The primary use in the Hebrew Bible is as a personal name; the literal sense of the word is not directly attested outside of this context. The underlying root connection suggests an association with beauty or fairness, but in the biblical text this is secondary to its function as a name.
Semantic Range
Shiphrah (personal name), by association: brightness, fairness, beauty (in the sense of the root); primarily a proper noun
Root / Etymology
From the root שָׁפַר (sh-p-r), which carries the core sense of 'to be beautiful, fair, or good.' The noun here is a feminine proper name, likely connected in meaning to 'brightness' or 'fairness,' though as a name the etymological meaning is less emphasized in the text.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Shiphrah appears only in Exodus 1:15 and following, and is known as one of the midwives who defied Pharaoh's order to kill male Israelite infants. The name is not used as a common noun but exclusively as a personal name in the biblical record. Early Jewish interpretive traditions and translation traditions sometimes connect the name to the notion of brightness or fairness, based on the root שָׁפַר, but this is not explicit in the narrative. The Septuagint transliterates the name (Σεπφωρα) without translating its etymological sense. English translations always render it as a personal name, 'Shiphrah.' The root שָׁפַר is elsewhere found in the sense 'to be beautiful' or 'to become good/pleasing,' but the noun form is rare outside of personal names. The inclusion in the biblical text likely serves to preserve the identity of a notable Israelite woman from the Exodus narrative.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שָׁפַר; brightness; garnish.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׁפר (sh-p-r) — to be beautiful, to become lovely, to be fair, to improve
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7782 | שׁוֹפָר | with the ram-horn |
| H8234 | שֶׁפֶר | Beautiful-Place |
| H8237 | שַׁפְרוּר | his splendid pavilion |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8235-01 |
שִׁפְרָ֑ה | shiferah | HNcfsa |
beauty | Shiphrah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8235-01 |
Job 26:13 | שִׁפְרָ֑ה | shiferah | HNcfsa |
beauty | Shiphrah |