סֵפֶר
𐤎𐤐𐤓
çêpher
H5612 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An inscribed document or written record, typically in the form of a scroll or letter; encompasses any physical or conceptual writing, including legal documents, official records, correspondence, and literary compositions. It can refer either to the object (a written document, book, or scroll) or to the act or product of writing as a record or message.
Semantic Range
written document, scroll, letter, book, record, register, legal document, bill, narrative text, correspondence, evidence, certificate
Root / Etymology
From the root סָפַר (s-p-r), meaning 'to count, to recount, to relate, to write.' The masculine noun סֵפֶר (sefer) derives from this root, signifying the result of recounting or documenting—thus, a 'writing' or 'document.' The feminine form סִפְרָה (sifrāh) is rare and primarily poetic.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, סֵפֶר is most often used to refer to physical documents—contracts, decrees, genealogical records, legal evidence, letters, and literary works. The specific format was typically a strip or roll (scroll) of flexible material such as parchment, papyrus, or leather. In legal or diplomatic usage, a סֵפֶר might be an official decree or treaty record (e.g., 'book of the covenant,' Exodus 24:7), a bill of divorce (סֵפֶר כְּרִיתוּת, Deuteronomy 24:1), or a census or genealogical register. Literary usage includes narrative writings, prophetic scrolls (Isaiah 29:11–12; Jeremiah 36), and poetic works (Psalms). The semantic range in later Hebrew expands to encompass 'book' in the modern sense, but in biblical contexts, codices were unknown; 'book' means 'scroll' or 'written record.' English translations as 'book' can sometimes mislead, and in many cases 'scroll,' 'document,' or 'letter' is more accurate. The feminine form סִפְרָה appears rarely, used poetically or in parallelism for metrical purposes. In some post-exilic and later contexts, סֵפֶר comes to denote authoritative or sacred texts, contributing to the development of the concept of the 'Scriptures.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or (feminine) סִפְרָה; (Psalm 56:8 (אֲבֵדָה)), from סָפַר; properly, writing (the art or a document); by implication, a book; bill, book, evidence, [idiom] learn(-ed) (-ing), letter, register, scroll.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ספר (s-p-r) — to count, to recount, to write, to record, to relate
| 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
18 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5612-14 |
סֵ֔פֶר | sefer | HNcmsc |
the book | written record of | 97 |
H5612-06 |
הַ/סֵּ֔פֶר | hasefer | HTd/Ncmsa |
the book | the written record | 29 |
H5612-03 |
בְּ/סֵ֖פֶר | besefer | HR/Ncmsc |
in the book | in a written record of | 16 |
H5612-02 |
בַּ/סֵּ֔פֶר | basefer | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the book | in the written record | 15 |
H5612-13 |
סְפָרִים֙ | sefarim | HNcmpa |
letters | written records | 12 |
H5612-05 |
הַ/סְּפָרִ֛ים | hasefarim | HTd/Ncmpa |
letters | the written records | 4 |
H5612-01 |
בַּ/סְּפָרִ֖ים | basefarim | HRd/Ncmpa |
in the letters | in the written records | 3 |
H5612-17 |
בַ/סֵּ֛פֶר | vasefer | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the book | in the written record | 2 |
H5612-16 |
וּ/סְפָרִ֣ים | usefarim | HC/Ncmpa |
and letters | written records | 1 |
H5612-07 |
ה/ספר | hsfr | HTd/Ncmsa |
book | the written record | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
188 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5612-14 |
Genesis 5:1 | סֵ֔פֶר | sefer | HNcmsc |
book | written record of |
H5612-02 |
Exodus 17:14 | בַּ/סֵּ֔פֶר | basefer | HRd/Ncmsa |
in a book | in the written record |
H5612-14 |
Exodus 24:7 | סֵ֣פֶר | sefer | HNcmsc |
book | written record of |
H5612-11 |
Exodus 32:32 | מִֽ/סִּפְרְ/ךָ֖ | misiferekha | HR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms |
from Your book | from your recorded document |
H5612-12 |
Exodus 32:33 | מִ/סִּפְרִֽ/י | misiferi | HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
from My book | from my written record |
H5612-02 |
Numbers 5:23 | בַּ/סֵּ֑פֶר | basefer | HRd/Ncmsa |
on a scroll | in the written record |
H5612-03 |
Numbers 21:14 | בְּ/סֵ֖פֶר | besefer | HR/Ncmsc |
in the book | in a written record of |
H5612-14 |
Deuteronomy 17:18 | סֵ֔פֶר | sefer | HNcmsa |
a scroll | written record of |
H5612-14 |
Deuteronomy 24:1 | סֵ֤פֶר | sefer | HNcmsc |
a document | written record of |
H5612-14 |
Deuteronomy 24:3 | סֵ֤פֶר | sefer | HNcmsc |
a-scroll | written record of |