סֵפֶר
çêpher · H5612 · Hebrew · 186 occurrences
Thing
- Scroll, bookScribes257 verses
Meanings
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scroll, book, letter, list, deed, certificate
Written document; made of papyrus or parchment; either as a single sheet or several sheets sewn together and rolled for storage
ExamplesGenesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. On the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.
Exodus 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
Exodus 24:7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it as the people listened; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”
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the Commentary on the Book of Kings
An unknown book containing, probably among other things, accounts relating to the life and reign of King Joash of Judah
Examples2 Chronicles 24:27 As to his sons and the many pronouncements against him and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then his son Amaziah became king in his place.
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The Book of Wars of YHWH
An unknown book referred to in the book of Numbers
ExamplesNumbers 21:14 For that reason it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD, “Waheb in Suphah, And the wadis of the Arnon,
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The Book of Jashar, The Book of the Upright
A book containing, probably among things, the story of the sun and moon standing still during the time of Joshua, and the song that David sang when he heard that Saul and Jonathan had perished on the battle field
ExamplesJoshua 10:13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the Book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to go down for about a whole day.
2 Samuel 1:18 and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the mourning song of the bow; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.
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The Book of the Words of Solomon
A book containing the events of Solomon's reign, including his wisdom
Examples1 Kings 11:41 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?
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The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel
A book containing the events of the reigns of the kings of Israel
Examples1 Kings 14:19 Now as for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
1 Kings 15:31 Now as for the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
1 Kings 16:5 Now as for the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
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The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah
A book containing the events of the reigns of the kings of Judah
Examples1 Kings 14:29 Now as for the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
1 Kings 15:7 Now as for the rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
1 Kings 15:23 Now as for the rest of all the acts of Asa and all his might, and all that he did and the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.
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the Book of the Chronicles
Literally: the chronicles; hence: a book containing the names of the family heads of the tribe of Levi, probably kept in the temple
ExamplesNehemiah 12:23 The sons of Levi, the heads of fathers’ households, were registered in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.
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the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia
A book containing the events of the reigns of the kings of Media and Persia
ExamplesEsther 10:2 And every accomplishment of his authority and power, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai with which the king honored him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?
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The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and Judah
A book containing the events of the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah
Examples1 Chronicles 9:1 So all Israel was enrolled in genealogies; and behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile to Babylon for their infidelity.
2 Chronicles 16:11 Now, the acts of Asa from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
2 Chronicles 25:26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from the first to the last, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
98 occurrences in 19 groups
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 37
- תּוֹרָהlaw, instruction 19
- מֶלֶךְking 10
- מִקְנָהpurchase 5
- בְּרִיתcovenant, treaty 4
- כְּרִיתוּתdivorce 4
- Other words · 11 groups that occur once or twice (13) 13
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
36 occurrences in 14 groups
- זֶהthis 20
- מָצָאto find 3
- צָוָהto give orders 3
- Other words · 11 groups that occur once or twice (13) 13
Named alongside itApposition
10 occurrences in 7 groups
- סֵפֶרbook, scroll, letter 4
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 2
- חָתַםto seal 2
- מָצָאto find 2
- גָּלָהto uncover, to reveal, to go into exile 1
- זֶהthis 1
What it doesIt is the subject
7 occurrences in 5 groups
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 3
- כָּתַבto write down, to write, to inscribe 1
- מוּשׁto give way 1
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 1
- שָׁלַחto send, to send away 1
What is done to itIt is the object
48 occurrences in 12 groups
- שָׁלַחto send, to send away 9
- כָּתַבto write down, to write, to inscribe 8
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 8
- לָקַחto take, to receive 6
- מָצָאto find 4
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 4
- Other words · 5 groups that occur once or twice (6) 6
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- לָמַדto teach, to learn 1
What it is said to bePredicate
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- זֶהthis 1
- הֶםthem 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אֹזֶןear 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
106 occurrences in 6 groups
- עַלon, upon, over, against 120
- בin/on/with 72
- מִןfrom 6
- אֵלto, toward 5
- עִםwith 2
- כlike/as 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
17 occurrences in 4 groups
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 11
- מְגִלָּהscroll 4
- יָדַעto know 1
- מִדְרָשׁstory 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 5 words
- כָּתָב kâthâb · H3791 · record, writing system, script
- סֵפֶר and כָּתָב both denote written documents or scrolls, overlapping in the senses of a register or written material.
- אִגֶּרֶת ʼiggereth · H107 · letter
- אִגֶּרֶת specifically means “letter,” while סֵפֶר covers a broader range (bill, book, scroll, letter); the two overlap where both can mean “letter,” though סֵפֶר has the wider application.
- גִּלָּיוֹן gillâyôwn · H1549 · tablet, mirror
- גִּלָּיוֹן (gillâyôwn, H1549) (2× occurrence, glossed "glass, roll") and סֵפֶר (çêpher, H5612) (186×, glossed "bill, book, evidence, letter, register, scroll") genuinely overlap in the sense of written/inscribed document types—both can denote a scroll or written record.
- מְגִלָּה mᵉgillâh · H4039 · scroll
- מְגִלָּה (“roll, volume”) and סֵפֶר (“scroll, book, letter, register”) both refer to physical written records, specifically scrolls.
- נִשְׁתְּוָן nishtᵉvân · H5406 · letter
- סֵפֶר’s gloss explicitly includes ‘letter’ among its senses, overlapping with נִשְׁתְּוָן (‘letter’); the two are plausible near-synonyms as different words for a written document or letter.
In the other Testament 4 words
- βιβλίον biblíon · G975 · scroll, roll, book
- Greek βιβλίον is the standard rendering for Hebrew סֵפֶר across its full semantic range — written document, scroll, book, letter, or register — representing direct translation equivalence.
- סְפַר çᵉphar · H5609 · book, roll
- סְפַר (çᵉphar, H5609) (Aramaic סְפַר) is the direct Aramaic cognate of סֵפֶר (çêpher, H5612) (Hebrew סֵפֶר), both denoting written documents (books, scrolls, letters); the Aramaic form appears in Daniel and Ezra where Aramaic portions use the native reflex of the Hebrew lemma.
- γράμμα grámma · G1121 · letter, writing, what has been written
- Greek γράμμα (gramma) serves as the standard Septuagint rendering of Hebrew סֵפֶר (sepher), both denoting written documents ranging from letters and scrolls to formal registers and sacred books, with the Greek term additionally encompassing the concept of learning derived from written texts.
- βίβλος bíblos · G976 · scroll, roll, book
- Greek βίβλος corresponds to Hebrew סֵפֶר in the core sense of a written document or book, particularly in contexts referring to scrolls, registers, and official written records; both terms denote physical writing media and their contents across legal, historical, and religious contexts.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Scrolls001003001001014
- Its most common sense, a written scroll, book, or document, covering everything from a certificate of divorce and a letter to the scroll on which the law is written.
- Names of Documents003001005
- The same word used to name specific, identifiable documents, such as the Book of the Covenant, the Book of the Law, and the Book of the Generations of Adam.
Word family 8 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H5612. sepher סֵ֫פֶר185 noun masculineIsa 29:11 missive, document, writing, book…
סֵ֫פֶר185 noun masculineIsa 29:11 missive, document, writing, book (probably ancient loan-word from Assyrian šipru, missive, message DlHWB 683, Tel Amarna šipru, šipirtu, id. WklTA Gloss; √ šâpâru, send, send message or letter DlHWB 683, Wkll.c., whence also sâpiru, writer, and (perhaps) ruler, šapirûtu, rule; see HomAufsätze (1892), 34 BuhlLex 13; perhaps compare Arabic go forth to journey, II. send on a journey Lane1370; Late Hebrew סֵפֶר = Biblical Hebrew; so Aramaic סִיפְרָא ; Christian-Palestinian Aramaic SchwIdioticon 64; Arabic ); — ׳ס absolute 2Sa 11:14 +; construct Exo 24:7 +; suffix סִפְרִי Exo 32:33, סִפְרְךָ Exo 32:33; Psa 139:16; plural סְפָרִים 1Ki 21:8 +; —
1 missive:
a. letter of instruction, written order, commission, or request, usually from king, 2Sa 11:14-15, 1Ki 21:8 (twice in verse); 1Ki 21:9, 1Ki 21:11; 2Ki 5:5-6, (twice in verse); 2Ki 5:7; 2Ki 10:1-2, 2Ki 10:6, 2Ki 10:7; 2Ki 19:14 = Isa 37:14 compare 2Ch 32:17; 2Ki 20:12 = Isa 39:1; = written decree for publication Est 1:22; Est 3:13; Est 8:5; Est 9:20, Est 9:25, Est 9:30 ( = אִגֶּרֶת Est 9:25; Est 9:29, see above), compare הָרֶכֶשׁ רֹכְבֵי בַּסּוּסִים הָרָצִים בְּיִד סְפָרִים וַיִּשְׁלַח Est 8:10. — [ס ׳כָּתַב 2Sa 11:15; 1Ki 21:8; 2Ki 10:1, 2Ki 10:6; 2Ch 32:17; בַּסּ ׳כָּתַב (of specific contents) 2Sa 11:15; 1Ki 21:9, 1Ki 21:11; ׳אֶתהַֿסּ קָרָא 2Ki 5:7 read the letter]. —
b. from prophet Jer 29:1, other influential persons Jer 29:25; Jer 29:29 .
2 legal document, ׳ס כְּרִיתֻת certificate of divorce Deu 24:1, Deu 24:3and (figurative) Jer 3:8; Isa 50:1; ׳ס הַמִּקְנָה deed of purchase Jer 32:11-12, (strike out article), Jer 32:12; Jer 32:14; Jer 32:16, compare ׳בַּסּ Jer 32:10, הַסְּפָרִים Jer 32:14 (si vera lectio; strike out ᵐ5 Gie compare Gf), סֵפֶר Jer 32:16b; Jer 32:44; ׳ס = indictment Job 31:35 (object of כָּתַב; בְּ ׳כָּתַב = sign Jer 32:10, Jer 32:12, Jer 32:44).
3 book, or scroll, in which something is written to preserve it for future use Exo 17:14 (E), Jos 18:9 (JE), 1Sa 10:25; Isa 30:8; Job 19:23 +; in form of roll, compare הַשָּׁמַיִם כַּסֵּפֶר וְנָגֹ֫לוּ Isa 34:4, ׳הַסּ הֶחָתוּם Isa 29:11-12, (see Jeremiah 36, etc., below); particular:
a. book of prophecies Jer 25:13; Jer 30:2 Jer 30:6t. Jeremiah 36; Dan 12:4; ׳ס נַחוּם חֲזוֺן Nah 1:1; י ׳סֵפֶר Isa 34:4; so סֵפֶר מְגִלַּת Jer 36:2, Jer 36:4 (= מְגִלָּה Jer 36:6 Jer 36:6t.; with many columns, דְּלָתוֺת Jer 36:23), Eze 2:9, compare Psa 40:8.
b. geneal. register, תּוֺלְדוֺת ׳ס Gen 5:1 (P), ׳ס הַיַּ֫חַשׂ Neh 7:5.
c. law-book, ׳ס הַבְּרִית Exo 24:7 (E), 2Ki 23:2 2Ch 34:30; 2Ki 23:21; ׳ס הַתּוֺרָה Deu 28:61; Deu 29:20; Deu 30:10; Deu 31:26; Jos 1:8; Jos 8:34 (all D), 2Ki 22:8 2Ch 34:15; 2Ki 22:11; Neh 8:3; ׳ס אֱלֹהִים תּוֺרַת Jos 24:26 (E), Neh 8:8 (reading ׳ס תּוֺרַת, so ᵐ5, compare TalmudNedarim37b), Neh 8:18; Neh 9:3; ׳ס י ׳תּוֺרַת2Ch 17:9; 2Ch 34:14; ׳ס משֶׁה תּוֺרַת Jos 8:31; Jos 23:6 (both D), 2Ki 14:6; Neh 8:1; ׳ס משֶׁה2Ch 25:4; 2Ch 35:12; Neh 13:1.
d. book of poems, ׳ס י ׳מִלְחֲמֹת Num 21:14 (JE), ׳ס הַיָּשָׁר Jos 10:13 (JE), 2Sa 1:18.
e. book concerned with kings, ׳ס שְׁלֹמֹה דֵּבְרֵי 1Ki 11:41, and especially ׳ס וגו לְמַלְכֵי הַיָּמִים ׳דּבְרֵי 1Ki 14:19, 1Ki 14:29 1Ki 14:31t. Kings (18 t. of Israel, 15 t. of Judah), compare Est 10:2 (of Media and Persia); also דָּוִיד ׳ס לַמֶּלֶךְ הַיָּמִים דִּבְרֵי 1Ch 27:24 (reading ׳ס for ᵐ5 מִסְמָּד, KitHpt); ׳ס וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לִיהוּדָה הַמְּלָכִים2Ch 16:11; וְיִשׁ ׳יְהוּדָה ׳ס מַלְכֵי2Ch 25:26; 2Ch 28:26; 2Ch 32:32; ׳ס ׳מ ׳יִשׂ וִיהוּדָה2Ch 27:7; 2Ch 35:27; 2Ch 36:8; ׳ס ׳מ ׳יִשׂ 1Ch 9:1; 2Ch 20:34; ס מִדְרַשׁ ׳הָמְּלָכִים2Ch 24:27; also ׳ס הַיָּמִים דִּבְרֵי Neh 12:23; Est 2:23; ׳ס הַיָּמִים דִּבְרֵי הַזִּכְרֹנוֺת Est 6:1.
f. once בַּסְּפָרִים Dan 9:2 by means of the Scriptures (canonical books) compare Ew Meinh Bev MartiKau.
g. God's record-book, Psa 139:16, ׳ס זִכָּרוֺן Mal 3:16; God's register of living, Exo 32:32-33, (E), ׳ס חַיִּים Psa 69:29; ׳הַסּ Dan 12:1 (citizens of Messianic kingdom).
4 ׳ס = book-learning, especially writing: סֵּפֶר (הַ) יָדַע Isa 29:11-12, (twice in verse) (of abilityto read); so כַּשְׂדִּים וּלְשׁוֺן סֵפֶר לְלַמְּדָם Dan 1:4 to teach them the writing and speech of the Chaldeans (on construction see Ges§ 128a); more Generally בְּכָלסֿ ׳הַשְׂכִּיל וְחָכְמָה Dan 1:17. — [סֵפֶר book is joined with verbs thus: it is written (יִכָּפֶב) Mal 3:16; a thing is written ׳בַּסּ Exo 17:14 20t., ׳עַלסֿ 2Sa 1:18 50t. ( + Jer 36:32; בַדְּיוֺ with ink Jer 36:18), ׳אֶלסֿ Jer 30:2; Jer 51:60; conversely ס מֵעַל ׳דָּרַשׁ Isa 34:16, ס מֵעַל ׳שָׁמַע Jer 36:11; see also ׳בַּסּ וְיֻחָ֑קוּ Job 19:23 inscribe in a book, ׳עָלסֿ חֻקָּהּ Isa 30:8 (|| עַללֿוּחַ כָּתְבָהּ); מִסּ ׳מָחָה blot out of a book Exo 32:32-33, Psa 69:29; אֶתהַֿסּ ׳קָרָא Jer 51:63 read the book, scroll, but usually בְס ׳קָרָא Jer 36:8, Jer 36:10, Jer 36:13; Neh 8:8; Neh 8:18; Neh 9:3; Neh 13:1]. — ׳ס in ס ׳קִרְיַת, see ׳ק
[סִפְרָה] noun feminine book; — suffix בְּסִפְרָתֶ֑ךָ הֲלאֹ Psa 56:9 (compare סֵפֶר 3g); strike out as gloss Bi Che Hup-Now Du. — compare also [סְפֹרָה] below
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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