Sepharad standard
es have been made. The Targum of Jonathan identifies with Spain; hence, the Spanish Jews are called Sephardim.
Where is Sepharad in the Bible?
Sepharad's exact location remains uncertain, though scholars generally connect it to "Saparda" mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions, possibly referring to a region in Asia Minor or east of Assyria. The Bible mentions Sepharad only once, in Obadiah 1:20, as a destination where exiled Jews would settle. Some scholars have identified Sepharad with Sardis, a major city in western Asia Minor that later became one of the seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation. Medieval Jewish tradition, particularly reflected in the Targum of Jonathan, identified Sepharad with Spain, a connection that gave rise to the term "Sephardim" for Spanish and Portuguese Jews. While the precise geographical location remains debated among scholars, Sepharad held significance in biblical history as a place of Jewish diaspora settlement.
In Scripture2 biblical books; 1 with study content
- Obadiah
- Revelation
Sepharad
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain)es have been made. The Targum of Jonathan identifies with Spain; hence, the Spanish Jews are called Sephardim. Others (Pusey, etc.) have connected it with the "(Tsparda" of the Behistun Inscription, and some have even identified it with "Sardis." The now generally accepted view is that which connects it with the "Saparda" of the Assyrian inscriptions, though whether this is to be located to the East of Assyria or in Northern Asia Minor is not clear. See Schrader, Cuneiform Inscriptions, II, 145-46; Sayce, HCM, 482-84; articles in DB, HDB, EB, etc.
James Orr
sef-ar-va'-im, se-far-va'-im (cepharwayim: Sephpharouaim, Seppharoudim, Seppharoun, Seppharoumain, Eppharouaim, Sepphareim, the first two being the forms in manuscripts Alexandrinus and Vaticanus respectively, of t