Hebrew word · H8222

שָׂפָם

safam

mustache

The moustache, or the upper lip where the moustache grows.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

moustache

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 Leviticus 13:45

Range of meaning

The moustache, or the upper lip where the moustache grows.

Against the English

NASB has 'moustache'. KJV, ESV and WEB have 'upper lip'. BSB and NLT have 'mouth', and NIV 'lower part of their face'. 'Mouth' is acceptable but loses the concrete picture of drawing a cloth up over the lip and beard.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezek 24:17, 22: the prophet is told not to cover his upper lip, that is, not to mourn openly for his wife. Mic 3:7: shamed seers 'cover their lips'. 2 Sam 19:24: Mephibosheth had not trimmed his moustache, a sign of grief, while David was away.

Where it appears

Leviticus · 1

  1. Leviticus 13:45 שָׂפָ֖ם a moustache

    A diseased person must wear torn clothes and let his hair hang loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’

    Here: The moustache or upper-lip area. To wrap it means covering the lower face up to the nose, a known gesture of mourning and shame (Ezek 24:17, 22; Mic 3:7).

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 19:24 שְׂפָמ֗וֹ moustache his

    Then Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, went down to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the day he returned safely.

Ezekiel · 2

  1. Ezekiel 24:17 שָׂפָ֔ם a moustache

    Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.”

  2. Ezekiel 24:22 שָׂפָם֙ a moustache

    Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 3:7 שָׂפָ֖ם a moustache

    Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

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