Lamentations 4:7:9Lam.4.7.W9TAB
סַפִּ֖יר
sapir
“sapphire”
- Transliteration
- sa-PIR
- Extended
- sah-PEER
- IPA
- /sapˈpiːr/
Meaning by language
- English
- sapphire
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Samekh | s as in sit | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Resh | r guttural, like the French r |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
sa-PIR
- clause
ad-MU E-tsem mi-pe-ni-NIM sa-PIR giz-ra-TAM
- sentence
za-KU ne-zi-RE-ha mi-she-LEG tsa-KHU me-kha-LAV ad-MU E-tsem mi-pe-ni-NIM sa-PIR giz-ra-TAM
Exegesis
The noun etsem {עֶ֙צֶם֙ | ʿeṣem} ‘bone/body’ grounds the physical metaphor, while sapir {סַפִּ֖יר | sap-pîr} ‘sapphire’ culminates the imagery, modifying gizratam {גִּזְרָתָֽם | giz-rā-tām} ‘their form.’ The verbless poetic structure highlights ritual purity and bodily radiance through escalating natural and precious imagery.
Root and etymology
ס־פ־ר
“sapphire”
In context — Lamentations 4:7
Her Nazirites were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their body was more ruddy than jewels, and their appearance was like sapphire.
About this coordinate
Lamentations 4:7:9 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 9 of Lamentations 4:7, so the Hebrew word סַפִּ֖יר (sapir) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Lam.4.7.W9, which extends further down to each syllable (Lam.4.7.W9.S1) and character.