Hebrew word · H5603

סָפַן

vesafun

to cover

Passive participle of safan, 'to cover, hide, treasure up'. In building contexts it means covering with timber: roofing with beams, or lining walls and ceilings with boards. BDB gives 'cover, panel'. HALOT gives 'to cover, panel (with wood)'.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to cover, cover in, wainscotted, covered with boards or panelling

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to cover in, panel

1a2) covered, panelled (participle)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Haggai 1:4

Range of meaning

Passive participle of safan, 'to cover, hide, treasure up'. In building contexts it means covering with timber: roofing with beams, or lining walls and ceilings with boards. BDB gives 'cover, panel'. HALOT gives 'to cover, panel (with wood)'.

Against the English

BSB, WEB, NIV and ESV say 'paneled' (decorative interior woodwork). KJV's 'cieled' means 'ceiled', with a lined ceiling. YLT's 'covered' is the most literal. NLT turns it into 'luxurious houses', which settles a disputed question in one direction.

How it drifted

KJV's 'cieled' (from Middle English 'ceil', to line a ceiling, following the Vulgate's 'laqueatis', coffered) is now opaque. 'Paneled' can make modern readers picture either ornamental luxury or something ordinary, while the Hebrew is about timber covering.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Kgs 6:9: Solomon 'covered (wayyispon) the house with beams and planks of cedar' (the temple itself). 1 Kgs 7:3, 7: the royal palace and throne hall 'covered with cedar'. Jer 22:14: Jehoiakim's palace 'paneled with cedar', a symbol of royal self-indulgence. The Greek Septuagint translates the word as koilostathmois, 'with hollowed/coffered ceilings', which suggests ornate work.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 33:21 סָפ֑וּן [was] reserved

    He chose the best land for himself, because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there. He came with the leaders of the people; he administered the LORD’s justice and His ordinances for Israel.”

1 Kings · 3

  1. 1 Kings 6:9 וַיִּסְפֹּ֤ן and he covered

    So Solomon built the temple and finished it, roofing it with beams and planks of cedar.

  2. 1 Kings 7:3 וְסָפֻ֣ן and [it was] paneled

    The house was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the pillars—forty-five beams, fifteen per row.

  3. 1 Kings 7:7 וְסָפ֣וּן and [it was] paneled

    In addition, he built a hall for the throne, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 22:14 וְסָפ֣וּן and paneled

    who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion.

Haggai · 1

  1. Haggai 1:4 סְפוּנִ֑ים covered

    “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”

    Here: 'Covered over' with timber, meaning roofed and/or lined with wooden panels. Either way the houses are finished and under cover. The same verb is used for the cedar work of Solomon's temple and of royal palaces.

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