שָׁפָט
𐤔𐤐𐤈
Shafat
H8202 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Shaphat: a personal name meaning 'he has judged' or 'he exercises judgment.' Used as a proper noun, Shaphat designates several individuals in biblical texts. The name reflects the root idea of legal assessment or authoritative decision-making, applied as a theophoric name (implying that a deity, often implied as YHWH, is the judge).
Semantic Range
personal name ('Shaphat'), 'he has judged,' 'he exercises judgment'; as proper noun, designates specific Israelite individuals; reflects judicial or decision-making authority in its verbal root
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root שפט (Sh-P-T), meaning 'to judge' or 'administer justice.' The form שָׁפָט is likely a Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular form or an active participle (he has judged; one who judges), used here as a proper name.
Historical & Contextual Notes
'Shaphat' appears as the name of at least four individuals in the Hebrew Bible, including the father of the prophet Elisha (1 Kings 19:16). As with other theophoric names, the subject of the verb can be understood as God, though the divine name is not explicitly present. The personal name encapsulates the ideal of divine or authoritative judgment. It is distinct from related terms such as שׁוֹפֵט (shōfēt, 'judge' in the judicial or governing sense, as in the Book of Judges), which denotes the office or individual fulfilling that function. English translations often transliterate the name directly but may obscure the underlying verbal meaning. The rendering 'judge' in earlier English versions is not a literal translation, but rather derives from the underlying verb. Differences in use or nuance across biblical books are minimal for this personal name.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שָׁפַט; judge; Shaphat, the name of four Israelites; Shaphat.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
שפט (Shafat) — to judge, to govern, to decide
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H8199 | שָׁפַט | in his being judged |
| H8200 | שְׁפַט | judging ones |
| H8201 | שֶׁפֶט | in judicial verdicts |
| H8203 | שְׁפַטְיָה | Yah has judged |
| H8204 | שִׁפְטָן | Shiphtan |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8202-01 |
שָׁפָ֖ט | shafat | HNp |
of Shaphat | He has judged | Shafat | 6 |
H8202-02 |
וְ/שָׁפָ֖ט | veshafat | HC/Np |
and Shaphat | and he judged | and Shafat | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8202-01 |
Numbers 13:5 | שָׁפָ֖ט | shafat | HNp |
Shaphat | He has judged | Shafat |
H8202-01 |
1 Kings 19:16 | שָׁפָט֙ | shafat | HNp |
Shaphat | He has judged | Shafat |
H8202-01 |
1 Kings 19:19 | שָׁפָט֙ | shafat | HNp |
of Shaphat | He has judged | Shafat |
H8202-01 |
2 Kings 3:11 | שָׁפָ֔ט | shafat | HNp |
of Shaphat | He has judged | Shafat |
H8202-01 |
2 Kings 6:31 | שָׁפָ֛ט | shafat | HNp |
of Shaphat | He has judged | Shafat |
H8202-02 |
1 Chronicles 3:22 | וְ/שָׁפָ֖ט | veshafat | HC/Np |
and Shaphat | and he judged | and Shafat |
H8202-02 |
1 Chronicles 5:12 | וְ/שָׁפָ֖ט | veshafat | HC/Np |
and Shaphat | and he judged | and Shafat |
H8202-01 |
1 Chronicles 27:29 | שָׁפָ֖ט | shafat | HNp |
Shaphat | He has judged | Shafat |