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צִפֹּרָה

𐤑𐤐𐤓𐤄

Tsiporah

H6855 noun

SILEX Entry

Root צפר to chirp, to twitter, bird

Definition

A feminine personal name meaning 'bird,' used as the name of Moses' wife, Tsippôrâh. As a lexical unit, it refers specifically to the individual woman of Midianite (Midianite) origin who became Moses' spouse. The underlying semantic sense is drawn from the common noun for 'bird,' but in personal naming the term is used as a proper name rather than a direct reference to the animal.

Semantic Range

bird (root meaning); Tsippôrâh, a Midianite woman's name; wife of Moses (proper noun)

Root / Etymology

From the root צפר (ts-p-r), which at the lexical level relates to birds or small flying creatures. The word צִפֹּרָה is a feminine formation, likely with the heh (-ה) ending, common in feminine nouns and names.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Tsippôrâh is used exclusively as a personal name in the Hebrew Bible, appearing as the Midianite wife of Moses (Exodus 2:21; 4:25; 18:2). The name's formation, with its feminine suffix, reflects a typical Hebrew strategy for naming women using nature or animal terms. While the root meaning relates to birds (צִפוֹר), the use as a name is a separate semantic development. There is no evidence that the name implies 'beauty' or 'gracefulness' beyond the general associations with birds. Ancient translations often render the name phonetically (e.g., Septuagint Sepphora), and medieval and modern English translations often Anglicize as 'Zipporah,' but this does not reflect meaning. Tsippôrâh's ethnic and familial identity as a Midianite woman (not Israelite or Judahite) is significant; she is not depicted as a generic 'wife' but as a specific character in the Moses narrative. The term was never commonly used in biblical times for the animal, but only as a personal name in this instance.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of צִפּוֹר; bird; Tsipporah, Moses' wife; Zipporah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

צפר (ts-p-r) — to chirp, to twitter, bird

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6691 צוֹפַר Tsophar
H6833 צִפּוֹר the chirping bird
H6834 צִפּוֹר Tsippôr
H6841 צְפִיר and he-goats of
H6842 צָפִיר prancing male goat

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6855-01 צִפֹּרָ֥ה tsiporah HNp Zipporah Bird-named Tsippôrâh 3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6855-01 Exodus 2:21 צִפֹּרָ֥ה tsiporah HNp Zipporah Bird-named Tsippôrâh
H6855-01 Exodus 4:25 צִפֹּרָ֜ה tsiporah HNp Zipporah Bird-named Tsippôrâh
H6855-01 Exodus 18:2 צִפֹּרָ֖ה tsiporah HNp Zipporah Bird-named Tsippôrâh
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