שָׁפָם
𐤔𐤐𐤌
Shafam
H8223 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name, Shapham, borne by an individual among the descendants of Gad. The name’s lexical meaning is uncertain, but it is likely related to the Hebrew noun for 'rock badger' (שָׁפָן, shaphan) or possibly a similar root denoting sleekness or smoothness, although the formation is distinct and the exact intended meaning by the name-giver is unclear. The term is used only as a proper noun, referring exclusively to a person in tribal genealogies.
Semantic Range
proper noun (personal name, Shapham); possibly relates etymologically to animal names or descriptions of sleekness or smoothness but used exclusively as a personal name in extant biblical contexts
Root / Etymology
Root: שְׁפָן (sh-p-n), with שָׁפָם (shâphâm) as a variant or derived form used as a personal name. The base noun שָׁפָן refers to a 'rock badger' or 'hyrax,' but the specific derivational pattern of שָׁפָם differs from the noun and could represent a parallel formation. Etymology is uncertain beyond its evident relationship to שָׁפָן.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Masoretic Text (1 Chronicles 5:12), שָׁפָם (Shapham) appears as a member of the tribe of Gad, listed among the chiefs during the Israelite settlement east of the Jordan. The name occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible and does not recur elsewhere. Its form closely resembles but is distinct from שָׁפָן, the common noun for the animal 'rock badger.' Some English translations preserve the proper name as 'Shapham,' with little interpretive variation. The use of zoological terms in the creation of personal names is attested in Hebrew, though the rationale for choosing this particular form or its semantic nuance (if any) for the name-bearer is not elaborated in the biblical text. 'Shapham' thus functions only as a personal name without any broader lexical or semantic range in biblical Hebrew. Later traditions and translations offer no additional semantic development; interpretations tying the name to baldness or smoothness are based only on superficial similarity to related roots and cannot be confirmed from available evidence.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
formed like שְׁפָם; baldly; Shapham, an Israelite; Shapham.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שפן (sh-p-n) — smoothness, sleekness, rock badger (hyrax)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3473 | יִשְׁפָּן | He Will Hide |
| H8226 | שָׂפַן | stored-up ones of |
| H8227 | שָׁפָן | the rock-hider |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8223-01 |
וְ/שָׁפָ֖ם | veshafam | HC/Np |
and Shapham | and Shapham | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8223-01 |
1 Chronicles 5:12 | וְ/שָׁפָ֖ם | veshafam | HC/Np |
and Shapham | and Shapham |