Bible Word Study
Σαπφείρη
sappheirē · Sapphira
Σαπφείρη
Sapphira
Definition
Σαπφείρη (Sapphira) is a proper noun referring exclusively to a woman named Sapphira in the New Testament. She was the wife of Ananias and, together, they were early members of the Christian community in Jerusalem (Acts 5:1). The name itself means 'sapphire' or 'beautiful,' but her biblical significance stems entirely from her actions. Sapphira and Ananias conspired to lie to the Holy Spirit by withholding a portion of the proceeds from a property sale while pretending to donate the full amount (Acts 5:2). Her story is inseparable from this single, pivotal event.
Biblical Usage
The word Σαπφείρη is used only once in the New Testament, in Acts 5:1. It is used in the narrative context of the early Jerusalem church's practice of sharing possessions. The usage is solely as a proper name to identify a specific individual involved in a critical event that demonstrated the seriousness of deceit within the new covenant community.
Etymology
Σαπφείρη is a Greek feminine proper name derived from the noun 'σάπφειρος' (sappheiros, G4552), meaning 'sapphire,' a precious blue gemstone. The name was common in the Hellenistic world and signifies 'sapphire' or 'beautiful one,' reflecting a positive attribute. Its Hebrew/Aramaic cognate would be similar in meaning.
Semantic Range
Sapphira's story is theologically significant as a stark lesson on integrity, the fear of God, and the holiness of the early church. Her judgment (Acts 5:5-10) underscores that deceit and testing the Spirit of God within the new covenant community is a grave sin. It highlights that God's presence in the church demands truthfulness and that the Holy Spirit is a person to be honored, not lied to. Understanding that this is a proper name focuses the reader on the historical narrative's sobering warning. In the 1st-century cultural context, the name Sapphira was a normal personal name, not inherently significant. The cultural weight comes from the story's setting within the voluntary communal sharing of the earliest Jerusalem church (Acts 4:32-37). Her act of conspiracy with her husband would have been seen as a profound breach of trust and a direct challenge to the community's unity and the apostles' God-given authority. There are no direct synonyms, as it is a unique proper name. Related conceptually is her husband's name: Ἁνανίας (Ananias, G3670) — her co-conspirator in the narrative of Acts 5.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]