Word Study for H8222 (שָׂפָם)

sâphâm /saw-fawm'/ Ask about this word

Meaningthe beard (as a lippiece)

KJV usagebeard, (upper) lip.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of sâphâm — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word sâphâm, represented by H8222, refers to the beard or upper lip. Its base definition is "the beard (as a lippiece)". According to usage statistics, it appears 5 times across 5 unique verses, indicating a specific and focused application in the biblical text.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H8222 is consistently associated with outward signs of one's inner state, such as mourning, shame, or ritual uncleanness. For instance, a leper was commanded to "put a covering upon his upper lip" as a sign of his condition Leviticus 13:45. Similarly, covering the lips is an expression of shame and confounding for seers and diviners who have received no answer from God Micah 3:7. Conversely, as a sign of mourning, Mephibosheth had not "trimmed his beard" while the king was away 2 Samuel 19:24. The prophet Ezekiel is commanded to break from this tradition by not covering his lips, as a prophetic sign to the people (Ezekiel 24:17, Ezekiel 24:22).

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the actions associated with the lip or beard:

H5844 ʻâṭâh (to wrap, i.e. cover, veil, cloth, or roll): This action is directly applied to H8222. It describes the act of covering the lips as a sign of uncleanness Leviticus 13:45 or shame Micah 3:7.
H6213 ʻâsâh (to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application): This versatile verb is used to describe trimming or dressing the beard. Mephibosheth had not "dressed" his beard, indicating a state of neglect associated with mourning 2 Samuel 19:24.
H3526 kâbaç (to wash): While not directly acting upon the beard in the text, this word appears in the same context of Mephibosheth's mourning, where he had also not "washed his clothes," highlighting the complete neglect of personal appearance 2 Samuel 19:24.

Theological Significance

The symbolic weight of H8222 is tied to its role as a visible indicator of a person's condition before God and the community.

Sign of Mourning: An untrimmed beard or a covered lip was a conventional sign of grief and sorrow. Mephibosheth's untrimmed beard demonstrates his loyalty and distress 2 Samuel 19:24, while Ezekiel's command not to cover his lips is a deliberate, symbolic break from traditional mourning practices Ezekiel 24:17.
Mark of Uncleanness: The law required a leper to cover his upper lip, physically marking him as unclean and setting him apart from the community Leviticus 13:45.
Expression of Shame: For prophets whose words failed, covering the lips was an outward display of their confounding and the lack of a divine message from God Micah 3:7.

Summary

In summary, H8222 is a term whose significance extends beyond its literal meaning of "beard" or "upper lip." The treatment of the sâphâm—whether covered, uncovered, or untrimmed—serves as a powerful non-verbal sign in scripture. It communicates profound spiritual and emotional states, including ritual uncleanness, deep mourning, and the public shame that comes from divine silence.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 5 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

שָׂפָם
שְׂפָמ

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 5 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Ezekiel (2 verses); never once in the other 35.

Leviticus

2 Samuel

Ezekiel

Micah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.