← H8235 H8237 →

שִׁפְרָה

𐤔𐤐𐤓𐤄

Shiferah

H8236 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שפר to be fair, beautiful, bright, pleasing

Definition

Personal name: Shiphrah, one of the two midwives mentioned in Exodus 1:15 who assisted Israelite women in childbirth during the oppression in Egypt. The name may be related to the notion of beauty, fairness, or brightness, as suggested by its root, but is attested only as a proper name in the Tanakh.

Semantic Range

proper name, personal name (specifically an Israelite woman, midwife); possible connotations: beautiful, splendid, bright (in root only)

Root / Etymology

The name שִׁפְרָה (Shiphrâh) is likely derived from the Hebrew root שפר (ש-פ-ר), meaning 'to be fair, beautiful, or bright.' However, as a personal name, its precise etymology is not definitively established and could potentially reflect a familial or cultural aspiration or attribute. The form שִׁפְרָה is feminine and appears as a proper noun.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Shiphrah is mentioned exclusively in Exodus 1:15, alongside Puah, as one of the Hebrew midwives. The narrative situates her during the pre-Exodus period when the Israelites lived in Egypt. Her specific role as a midwife is foregrounded in the text, and the name's meaning—if intended as 'beautiful' or 'splendid'—may symbolically reflect a character trait, yet the narrative offers no explicit allusion to the meaning beyond its function as a name. There is no evidence the term was used as a common noun or adjective in Biblical Hebrew. Later interpretations sometimes read Shiphrah as an ethnic or religious marker (e.g., 'Jewess'), but in the biblical context, she is best identified as an Israelite by descent. The form is not found outside this context in the Hebrew Bible, nor is it used as an appellative or title. English translations consistently transliterate the name, preserving its form but generally omitting discussion of the possible meaning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as שִׁפְרָה; Shiphrah, an Israelitess; Shiphrah.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

שפר (sh-p-r) — to be fair, beautiful, bright, pleasing

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8208 שָׁפִיר Beautiful-Town
H8209 שַׁפִּיר splendid
H8231 שָׁפַר she became splendid
H8232 שְׁפַר he was pleasing
H8233 שֶׁפֶר beauty

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8236-01 שִׁפְרָ֔ה shiferah HNp was Shiphrah, Fair-one 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8236-01 Exodus 1:15 שִׁפְרָ֔ה shiferah HNp was Shiphrah, Fair-one
← H8235 Hebrew Lexicon H8237 →