Greek word · G4551

Σαπφείρη

sappheirē

Sapphira

A woman's name, most likely from Aramaic שַׁפִּירָא (shappira), "beautiful, fine, good". It may also echo the Greek σάπφειρος, "sapphire" or lapis lazuli.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Σαπφείρα, -ης (see B1., § 3, 4), ἡ

(Aram. שַׁפִּירָא)

Sapphia: Acts 5:1.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Acts 5:1

Range of meaning

A woman's name, most likely from Aramaic שַׁפִּירָא (shappira), "beautiful, fine, good". It may also echo the Greek σάπφειρος, "sapphire" or lapis lazuli.

Against the English

Transliterated in all versions. Her meaning-laden name is invisible in English.

Used elsewhere in the period

The name appears on a Jerusalem-area ossuary of the period, in both Aramaic/Hebrew and Greek lettering (as catalogued in Tal Ilan's Lexicon of Jewish Names in Late Antiquity). That shows it was a real local name, not one invented for the story; it does not identify this woman.

Similar words

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 5:1 Σαπφίρῃ Sapphira

    Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.

    Here: A woman's name, most likely from Aramaic *shappira*, "beautiful" or "fine" (possibly also linked with the gem sapphire). The name is attested among Jews of the period.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.