Lexical Definition

‎סְפָר‎ Çᵉphâr (sef-awr') Sephar ^N:N--L
the same as ‎סְפָר‎

Sephar.

• § Sephar = "a numbering"
• Sephar, a place in Arabia

1) a place in southern Arabia

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. [‎סְפָר‎] proper name, of a location in South Arabia; — only with ‎ה‎ locative ‎סְפָ֫רָה‎ Gen 10:30, ᵐ5 Σωφηρα; usually indentified with ˆafâr (, pronounced , , according to Thes), ancient city of Himyarite kings (Ptolemy Σαπφαρ μητρόπολις see Sprenger^{Aite Geogr. Arab. § 301 et pass}.), so Thes Tu^{Comm. Gen. 2, 212}, but dubious Glaser^{Skizze ii. 437}, ‎ס‎ = ‎צ‎ improbable Di^{on the passage} Lag^{BN 61}.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Sephar • Boundary of the territory settled by Joktan's descendants

Sephar was a mountain in the east that marked the boundary of the territory settled by the descendants of Joktan (Gen. 10:30).

• A location only mentioned at Gen.10.30;
• only referred to as Sephar סְפָר.
  

Sephar is mentioned in the Bible as part of the description of the territory settled by the descendants of Joktan, the son of Eber (Gen. 10:30). The text states that the territory extended "from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east." The exact location of Sephar is unknown, but it is described as a mountain in the eastern region. Some scholars suggest that Sephar may be associated with the ancient city of Zafar (or Dhofar) in modern-day Yemen, which was an important center of the incense trade in ancient times. However, this identification remains uncertain due to the limited information provided in the biblical text. The mention of Sephar in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10) highlights the geographical spread of the descendants of Noah's sons and the development of various nations and people groups in the ancient Near East.

All entries for Sephar: סְפָר