What does סָפַר (sāpar) mean in the Bible?
סָפַר (sāpar): Moves from physical marking/tallying to verbal recounting and celebration of significant events or divine acts.
Hebrew · H5608
סָפַר
Properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe , and also to enumerate ; intensively, to recount , i.e. celebrate
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סָפַר H5608
Pronunciation sāpar
What does סָפַר (sāpar) mean in the Bible?
סָפַר (sāpar): Moves from physical marking/tallying to verbal recounting and celebration of significant events or divine acts.
Full entry for סָפַר (H5608) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5608?
The BSB source-word alignment has 159 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the scribe (31), told (5), . . . (3), and told (3), be counted (3).
Where does סָפַר (sāpar) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 15:5. Its strongest book concentrations include Psalms (37), Jeremiah (17), 2 Kings (13), Genesis (13).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It the scribe 31× 2 Kings 18:18, 2 Kings 18:37, 2 Kings 19:2, 2 Kings 22:3
told 5× Genesis 24:66, Genesis 40:9, Genesis 41:8, Judges 6:13
. . . 3× Genesis 15:5, Ezekiel 9:2, Ezekiel 9:3
and told 3× Genesis 37:9, Exodus 24:3, 1 Kings 13:11
be counted 3× 1 Kings 8:5, 2 Chronicles 5:6, Jeremiah 33:22
Declare 3× 1 Chronicles 16:24, Psalms 19:1, Psalms 96:3
to count 3× Genesis 16:10, Genesis 32:12, Job 38:37
and count 2× Genesis 15:5, Job 31:4
and declare 2× Psalms 26:7, Psalms 107:22
and I will declare 2× Psalms 66:16, Psalms 145:6
and scribe 2× Nehemiah 8:9, Nehemiah 12:26
I will proclaim 2× Psalms 2:7, Psalms 22:22
of the scribes 2× 1 Chronicles 2:55, Jeremiah 8:8
recounted 2× Exodus 18:8, Esther 5:11
scribe 2× 2 Kings 12:10, 2 Chronicles 24:11
was telling 2× Judges 7:13, 2 Kings 8:5
was the scribe 2× 2 Samuel 8:17, 2 Samuel 20:25
will declare 2× Psalms 71:15, Isaiah 43:21
you are to count off 2× Leviticus 23:15, Deuteronomy 16:9
you may tell 2× Exodus 10:2, Psalms 48:13
- 1× 2 Chronicles 2:17
[and] count 1× 1 Chronicles 21:2
[and] scribe 1× Ezra 7:11
[David] had numbered 1× 2 Samuel 24:10
[from] 1× Deuteronomy 16:9
[I] can count 1× Psalms 40:5
[If] I were to count them 1× Psalms 139:18
[someone] told you 1× Habakkuk 1:5
[was] the scribe 1× 1 Chronicles 18:16
[were] secretaries 1× 1 Kings 4:3
a scribe 1× Ezra 7:6
an expert 1× Ezra 7:11
and a scribe 1× 1 Chronicles 27:32
and appraised it 1× Job 28:27
and proclaim 1× Psalms 118:17
and recount 1× Psalms 69:26
and reported 1× Joshua 2:23
and retell them 1× Jeremiah 23:32
and tell 1× Psalms 78:6
And they gave this account 1× Numbers 13:27
And they relayed 1× 1 Samuel 11:5
be proclaimed 1× Psalms 88:11
been told 1× Isaiah 52:15
but will declare 1× Psalms 78:4
Can you count 1× Job 39:2
count 1× Psalms 48:12
counted 1× Hosea 1:10
have relayed 1× Psalms 78:3
have taken account 1× Psalms 56:8
have told 1× Psalms 44:1
he must count 1× Ezekiel 44:26
he must count off 1× Leviticus 15:13
He told 1× Genesis 37:10
I can count 1× Psalms 22:17
I may declare 1× Psalms 9:14
I proclaim 1× Psalms 119:13
I recounted 1× Psalms 119:26
I will describe 1× Job 15:17
I will recount 1× Psalms 9:1
I will speak 1× Psalms 73:15
inform 1× Job 12:8
is he who counts 1× Isaiah 33:18
is he who tallies 1× Isaiah 33:18
keeping track of it 1× Genesis 41:49
let us tell 1× Jeremiah 51:10
might be proclaimed 1× Exodus 9:16
numbered 1× 2 Chronicles 2:17
of the marshal’s 1× Judges 5:14
or number 1× 1 Kings 3:8
relate 1× 2 Kings 8:4
retell 1× Jeremiah 23:28
shall count off 1× Leviticus 25:8
she confirmed it 1× 2 Kings 8:6
she must count off 1× Leviticus 15:28
Should He be told 1× Job 37:20
So he conscripted 1× 2 Chronicles 2:2
State your case 1× Isaiah 43:26
Tell 1× Joel 1:3
Tell me your dreams 1× Genesis 40:8
that I may proclaim 1× Psalms 73:28
that they may proclaim 1× Psalms 102:21
The people declare 1× Psalms 75:1
the scribe’s 1× Jeremiah 36:12
They also told 1× 1 Kings 13:11
they can recount 1× Ezekiel 12:16
they speak 1× Psalms 64:5
they tell 1× Jeremiah 23:27
they utter 1× Psalms 59:12
they will declare 1× Psalms 22:30
to recite 1× Psalms 50:16
We told him 1× Genesis 41:12
we will declare 1× Psalms 79:13
were counted 1× 1 Chronicles 23:3
were secretaries 1× 2 Chronicles 34:13
where Jacob told 1× Genesis 29:13
who counted them out 1× Ezra 1:8
will record 1× Psalms 87:6
with a scribe’s 1× Jeremiah 36:23
writer 1× Psalms 45:1
You counted 1× Isaiah 22:10
You shall count off 1× Leviticus 23:16
You would count 1× Job 14:16
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 15:5 וּסְפֹר֙ to and count Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular Genesis 15:5 לִסְפֹּ֣ר to . . . Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Genesis 16:10 יִסָּפֵ֖ר to to count Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 24:66 וַיְסַפֵּ֥ר to told Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 29:13 וַיְסַפֵּ֣ר to where Jacob told Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 32:12 יִסָּפֵ֖ר to to count Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 37:9 וַיְסַפֵּ֥ר to and told Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 37:10 וַיְסַפֵּ֣ר to He told Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 40:8 סַפְּרוּ־ to Tell me your dreams Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural Genesis 40:9 וַיְסַפֵּ֧ר to told Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 15:5
Aligned rows 159
Books represented 24
Genesis 13 Exodus 4 Leviticus 5 Numbers 1 Deuteronomy 2 Joshua 1 Judges 3 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 3 1 Kings 5 2 Kings 13 1 Chronicles 7 2 Chronicles 10 Ezra 4 Nehemiah 7 Esther 2 Job 8 Psalms 37 Isaiah 9 Jeremiah 17 Ezekiel 4 Hosea 1 Joel 1 Habakkuk 1
Source forms
הַסֹּפֵ֔ר 10x has·sō·p̄êr 2 Kings 18:18, 2 Kings 22:3, 2 Kings 22:8, Nehemiah 8:1
הַסֹּפֵ֑ר 4x has·sō·p̄êr Ezra 7:11, Nehemiah 8:13, Jeremiah 36:20, Jeremiah 36:21
הַסּוֹפֵ֗ר 3x has·sō·w·p̄êr 2 Chronicles 34:20, Nehemiah 13:13, Isaiah 37:2
הַסֹּפֵ֗ר 3x has·sō·p̄êr 2 Kings 19:2, 2 Kings 22:12, Nehemiah 8:4
הַסֹּפֵר֙ 3x has·sō·p̄êr 2 Kings 22:9, 2 Kings 22:10, 2 Kings 25:19
וַיְסַפֵּ֨ר 3x way·sap·pêr Genesis 41:8, Esther 5:11, Esther 6:13
יִסָּפֵ֖ר 3x yis·sā·p̄êr Genesis 16:10, Genesis 32:12, 1 Kings 3:8
סִפְּרוּ־ 3x sip·pə·rū- Judges 6:13, Psalms 44:1, Psalms 78:3
Parsing patterns
Article | Noun - masculine singular 37x 2 Kings 18:18, 2 Kings 18:37, 2 Kings 19:2, 2 Kings 22:3
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 11x Genesis 24:66, Genesis 29:13, Genesis 37:9, Genesis 37:10
Noun - masculine singular 6x Judges 5:14, 2 Samuel 8:17, 2 Samuel 20:25, 1 Chronicles 18:16
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural 6x Psalms 59:12, Psalms 64:5, Psalms 69:26, Isaiah 43:21
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 5x Genesis 16:10, Genesis 32:12, 1 Kings 3:8, Jeremiah 33:22
Verb - Piel - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular 5x Psalms 2:7, Psalms 9:1, Psalms 9:14, Psalms 22:22
Noun - masculine plural 4x 1 Kings 4:3, 1 Chronicles 2:55, 2 Chronicles 34:13, Jeremiah 8:8
Noun - masculine singular construct 4x 2 Kings 12:10, 2 Chronicles 24:11, Ezra 7:11, Jeremiah 52:25
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Moves from physical marking/tallying to verbal recounting and celebration of significant events or divine acts.
Strong's H5608
Lexical occurrences 161 verses Word forms 4 forms 74 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe , and also to enumerate ; intensively, to recount , i.e. celebrate
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Moves from physical marking/tallying to verbal recounting and celebration of significant events or divine acts.
properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate BDB: count Usage: commune, (ac-) count; declare, number, penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 74
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 34×
Imperfect Ezek 12:16 · Isa 43:21 · Jer 23:27 · Ps 59:13 · Ps 64:6 · Ps 69:27 · Job 38:37 · Ps 71:15 · Exod 10:2 · Ps 22:18 · Ps 48:14 · Ps 79:13 12×
Perfect Judg 6:13 · Ps 44:2 · Ps 75:2 · Ps 78:3 · Ps 119:13 · Ps 119:26 6×
Cohortative Ps 2:7 · Ps 9:2 · Ps 9:15 · Ps 22:23 · Ps 73:15 5×
Sequential imperfect 1Chr 16:24 · Gen 40:8 · Joel 1:3 · Ps 96:3 · Isa 43:26 5×
Participle active 2Kgs 8:5 · Judg 7:13 · Ps 19:2 · Ps 78:4 4×
Infinitive construct Exod 9:16 1×
Jussive Jer 23:28 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 7×
Imperfect 1Kgs 3:8 · Gen 16:10 · Gen 32:13 · Hos 2:1 · Jer 33:22 · 1Kgs 8:5 · 2Chr 5:6 7×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 14×
Imperfect Deut 16:9 · Job 14:16 · Job 39:2 · Job 31:4 · Ps 87:6 · Ezek 44:26 · Lev 23:16 7×
Perfect 2Sam 24:10 · Isa 22:10 · Ps 56:9 3×
Sequential imperfect 1Chr 21:2 · Ps 48:13 2×
Participle active Isa 33:18 2×
Pual intensive passive — intensive action received by the subject 3×
Imperfect Hab 1:5 · Ps 22:31 2×
Perfect Isa 52:15 1×
Word Origins
סָפַר is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain