Sapphira (Hastings' Dictionary)

The wife of Ananias. She lull dead, like her liusband, at the rebuke of St. Peter, Ac 5'-. bee Anaxias, No. 7. SAPPHIRE (Heb. tsb, LXX <r(£«-0e.po5, Vuls. lapphiiuji) is mentioned eleven times in the UT, once in the Ajiocr. (To 13'°), and once in the NT (Kev 21"). It is one of the stones in the high priest's brtastplate (Ex 28' 39"), and one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21"'), the latter thought arising, no doubt, from Is 54". It was of considerable value (Job 28'", Ezk 28'^).

From it was fashioned the throne of Ezekiel's visions (Ezk 1» 10'; cf. also Ex 24'", where the pavement under the feet of the God of Israel is of 'sapphire'). The consistency with which the VSS adhere to a uniform transliteration of the name is remarkable ; Ezk 28'* is no exception, for altliou<;h t?5 is here seventh in order, and aair- ^fi/joi fifth, this is due to the Greek following the arrangement of Ex 28'^ The etyniology of the Heb. word throws no liglit on the nature of the stone.

Probably tsd is Semitic, but neither of the roots nro or -so tells us anything as to colour or structure. It is, how- ever, dithcult to believe that a sapphire was one of the gems in the high priest's breastplate, for this stone is not easy to engrave, the diamond being the only stone that will scratch it.

A similar objection might be brought aj^aiiist the lapis lazuli [Petrie's identification in SroXES (Peecious)], which was not deemed verj" suitable for engraving because of the hard points in it. But the olijection has not quite so much force in this case ; the lapis lazuli was sometimes engraved. And there are good reasons for thinking that this is the stone referred to in the Bible. Theophrastus (Arr;?.

23) evidently has in view the deep-blue mineral which is 'usually mottled with white, and contains gold- like specks of iron i)yrites,' wljcn he describes the aiiripdpot, ixTTTtp xpi'ff4Ta<r7-05. Pliny (i/A'^ 37, 119), writing of the cyano.i, states: inesi ei aliguando et aureus pulvis qualis sappiris ; by the sappirus ho clearly means the lapis lazuli. And if we identify it with the Heb. Tsc, the requirements of all the biblical i)a-ssages will be fairly met.

Two varieties of lapis lazuli, a natural and an artificial, were known to the ancients. The former came from Cyprus and Scythia, and was ' a silicate and sulphate of calcium, sodium, and aluminium.' The latter was made in Egypt : it was an alkaline silicate, coloured deep -blue with carbonate of copper ; scarabs and signets were made of it, and it was used as a pigment.

If the sapphire of our Bibles does not correspond with the gem now known by this name, it yet re- mains probable that this gem is once mentioned. RVni suggests *rt;)^/iirc in \i\aa%oi jacinth {ii6.Ki.ti0o^) in Key"!'" Middleton {Engraved Gems, p. 132) and King {Antique Gems, p. 46) are in favour of the identification.

Pliny (HN 37, 125) seems at first sight to be against it, for he writes of the fiUgor violaceus of the hyacinthos ; but his view is not really adverse, for the less valuable sapphires are amethyst by artificial light. King (pp. 51, 399) quotes the lines of Marbodus as recognizing with astonishing clearness, considering his date, the fact that sapphires, rubies, and Oriental topazes are all of them varieties of the same mineral, namely, the hyacinth— ' T!

^**^® various kinds the skilled as IJyacintht nuXM^ Virj ini- in colour and unlilic in fame One, like pome^mnatc Howt-rs, a fler., ._ And one Ine yellow citron's hue disp'luya. One charms with palsy blue tlie gazer's eye Like the mild Unt that decks the northern iky.' The best sapphires are now obtained from Ceylon. The Greeks wore these stones as jewels. A few engraved ones have survived, mainly from the age of imperial Home, but the gem was too hard to be much used for this purpose. Cf. art.

Jacinth in vol. ii. J. Taylcic. SARABIAS Neh 8'. (SopajSfat), 1 Es 9*» = Sherebiah, SARAH, also (to On 17") SARAI ('Sarah' means 'princess,' IK 11' al. ; the meaning of ' Sarai ' is doubtful: perhaps [Olsh. Lchrb. § 110; Noldeke, ZDMG, 1886, p. 183, 1888, p. 484 ; Konig, Lehrg. ii. 1, 427] it is an older form of 'Sarah,' formed with the unusual fern. term, -ay).' — 1. The wife of Abraham, first mentioned in On 11^ (.J).

Sarai's parentage is not given : according to 20'^ (E), she was Abraham's half-sister, the daughter of his father, but not the daughter of his mother.f The incidents of her life have already been narrated at some length in connexion with Abraham, Haoar, Isaac, and I.SHMAEL ; so that a risum6 will be sufiicient here. Sarai accompanied Abraham into Can.

aan (12°), and went down with him into Egypt (12"''-": J): it was on this occasion that, feanng lest her beauty might indirectly cost him his life, Abraham passed her oil as his sister, and, being admired before the Pharaoh by his courtiers, she was sent for and taken into his palace. This was in accordance with the custom, described as still prevalent among Oriental princes, of arbitrarily selecting beautiful women to be added to their harems.

J Abraham's timidity and want of candour might have involved him in serious consequences ; but the Pharaoh contented him.self with rebuking him for his untruthfulness, and appointing an escort to conduct both him and Sarai out of the country (v.'O; cf. 18" 3127). From 12^, compared with 17", it appears that Sarai wa.

i at this time at leuaL 05 years of age ; and it has often been won- dered why Abraham should have been in alarm on the ground stated, and why the Pharaoh should have been attracted by her beauty. The difficulty disappears when it is remembereii that the statements about Sarai's age belong to a ditTerent document (P) from the one (J) which narrates the visit to Egypt ; the author of the latter evidently pictured Sarai as still a young woman. (Cf. for similar caaes elsewhere in Genesis, voL ii.

pp. 484 (No. 8), SUSb, bii>). Sarai is next mentioned in ch. 16 (J, except w.'»' '• '"•). Being barren (cf. ll*"), she induces Abraham to take her handm.-iid Hagar as a con- cubine; but when she finds that Hagar 'despises' her, she passionately and unjustlj' casts the blame upon her husband : ' The wrung done to me be upon thee ; J" judge between me and thee.' Abraham, however, declines to interfere ; and bids Sarai herself deal with Hagar as she pleases.

Her harsh treatment of her handmaid compels Hagar to take (light ; and only the voice of J"'8 angel induces her to return, and 'submit' herself to her mistress (see, more fully, Hagar and ISHMAKL). In the existing text of Genesis, the promise of a son for Sarai is first distinctly given in ch. 17 (P), vv.""'. Her name is changed to Sura/t (v.") ; she is to be blessed, and a son is to be bom to her ; Found In certain words in the cognat« languages. See Olsh. and Konig, U.ce.; NOld. Sitr. f.'

r. § 83; Wright, Arab. Gram. i. i 205, Comp. Oram. 13s; Dillni. Aeth. Oram. 12"(j (of. ; 1'20(; $); Barth, Nominalh(M\iii<i. 385. Soycc's doubts (IICM 179) are unfounded. The ex]»Iatuitioii (Jerome and oUIer scholars) 'my princess' is philolngically impossible. The LX.\ gives for Sarai 2!<x^«, and for ^arah ^pen. t CI. SlARRiAiiS, vol. ill. p. 207'> ; W. H. Smith, Kinaliip, 102 1. The tradition (Jos. Ant. I. vi. 6, ai.)

that she was the same person as Isiam has no probability : it can only be reconciled artillcially with 2U'» ; and had the writer of ll^s identilled Sarai vv'iih Iscoh, he would certainly have worded the verve dilTerentty. 1 There Is an incident quoted by Kbers In the 'Tale of the Two Brothers' which partly illustrates this; M< Fetrie't Egi/ptian TaUt, 2nd ser., 1806, pp. 63-66. i04 SARAH •she shall become nations' (cf v.* 3o ) ; k mgs of people, shall be from her' (cf. v.« 3o>' ; and >ee 36»').

Abraham 'laughs' in ^"'^"'^"''ty at t e idea of a son being born to him and Sarah in Uu,r old a^e ; he fixes his hopes upon Ishmael, but ib told that, though Ishmael will become a ' great nation,' the covenant vUl be established ^vlth Isaac (vv.'«-=M. In ch. 18 (J) the promise of a son Isa-'a in given to Abraham ; and ^vhen Sarah, over- hearin.' it, ' laughs' inwardly in incredulity, it is repeated to herself (w.»-) This narrative^ is m reality not the sequel to the one m ch. 1;.

I"" parll U> it: IS""" is clearly written ^v■lthollt Reference to 17"-, and the writer « ev-idently not conscious that a promise of the same kind had already been given. ,. „ o fi,o Ch '>0 (E) describes Sarah's adventure at the court of Abimelech, in Gerar, i.c (Trunibull. Puthe Mini Buhl p. 89) the Wady Jerfir, 70 mUes S. of Gak and 55 miles S.W. of Beersheba. As before {12'»-»') in Egypt, Abraham, m fear on account of his own life (v.")

, passes Sarah off as his Jester : Abimelech takes her, but is warned by God in a dream that she is a married woman ; like Uie Pharaoh (12'«-), tliough in stronger tenns he rebukes Abraham for his deceit (v.^) ; Abraliam excuses (v.") and defends (-■") him^«" ', ^"^'^ Abimelech then makes reparation, both to ADra ham (v »'•) and to Sarah (v.'«), for the injury he harunwittingly done them The narrative is m sub^^tance remarkably similar to those in 1- Abra"am and the P^-^^-"?'*) ?"

d 26-MIsaac and Abimelech) ; it can hardly be <l""bted that al three are variations of the same fundamental theme,-a popular story told of the patriarchs, and attacbed^ometimes to one '-^"d sometimes, at different localities, to another (cf. ABIMELECH, vol. i. p. 9*: Isaac, vol. u. V-J^fi- ,. ^ r. __..7 Isaacs birth is narrated in 21>-' (vv.'«-'« J ; vv. £. ^.yib.-jb-o p). The exclamation in v.» ( God lia'th prepared laughter for me; every one that heareth will laugh over me') i^'"f "!,??

„V Vs^^ explanation of tlie name ' Isaac (cf ._ 1 , " in 1 , 18 in J ; and see Isaac, vol. u. p.. 4So, No. 8); \. the a"ed mother gives expression to her jojous .lupHle at the birtl of a son. Two or three years afterwards (21»), upon occasion of the family-least held to celebrate Isaac's weaning, Sarah s jealousy of her liandmaid is again aroused ; she peremptori y deman<ls the expulsion of both H'^g'^;; fjlt^.^^'^^^i = and Abraham reluctantly complies (21» ).

Ch -d (P) relates the death of Sarah (cf. the allusion of J n^i"'") at the age of 127 years, in ^vinath-arba (yubron), and the purchase by A^'rahani of a cave in the field of Machpelah, 'in front of Mamk ■-, n wtich to bury her (cf. 25'» P, 49". P).

The only otle reference In the OT to Sarah is Is 5P, where she is aUuded to as the mother of the chosen ""sarah is a typical but not an ideal character She is a devoted wife and mother ; but, at the same time, like many another vomaii, impenous hasty in her judgments, and jealo...

: vrrapt up in her husband and her son, she resents the smallest disparagement, or assumption of superiority, on the part of either Hagar or Ishmael and does not rest satisfied till she finds herself in her home "'in^NT Sarah is mentioned Ro i"> 9> iGnlS"), He U" (her faith), 1 P 3» (her conjugal 'obedience fo Abraham, calling him ' lord,' Gn 18 ) ; and the narrative of Sarah and Hagar and of their respec- th-e children, is treated allegorical y, as fore- shadowing the freedom of Christians, the 'children of promisi,' in Gal4'^'-5> (cf.

HagaR, vol. u. ;. 2;*). 2. The daughter of Raguel and wife of lobias, • In Gn 2i«" the very strange syntax of the existing Ileb. text makei it proUble thiS ' o( hi. moOier Sarah •« a glow. SARDIS To 3'-" and oft. [hXX^ippa). See Tobit (BooK OF).