שָׂרָף (sa.raph)
sa.raph
Saraph
N:N-M-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-M-P
Word Overview
The name saraph appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, recorded in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 4:22. It identifies a specific man from the tribe of Judah, listed as the son of Shelah and brother to Er, Laadah, Jokim, and Joash. The text notes that he ruled in Moab, placing him during the period associated with the Exodus and wilderness wanderings.
Etymologically, the name derives from a root meaning "to burn" or "to set on fire." While this same root produces words for fiery serpents or burning seraphim elsewhere in Scripture, here it functions simply as a personal name. The occurrence is isolated, serving primarily to document lineage rather than to convey theological symbolism.
Because the word occurs just once, its significance lies in historical record-keeping. It marks an individual within the complex family structures of Judah who held authority in Moab. Translators typically render it as a proper noun without adding descriptive qualifiers, preserving the distinction between this person and other biblical uses of the burning imagery.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Saraph appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, recorded in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 4:22. It identifies a specific man from the tribe of Judah, listed as the son of Shelah and brother to Er, Laadah, Jokim, and Joash. The text notes that he ruled in Moab, placing him during the period associated with the Exodus and wilderness wanderings.
Etymologically, the name derives from a root meaning "to burn" or "to set on fire." While this same root produces words for fiery serpents or burning seraphim elsewhere in Scripture, here it functions simply as a personal name. The occurrence is isolated, serving primarily to document lineage rather than to convey theological symbolism.
Because the word occurs just once, its significance lies in historical record-keeping. It marks an individual within the complex family structures of Judah who held authority in Moab. Translators typically render it as a proper noun without adding descriptive qualifiers, preserving the distinction between this person and other biblical uses of the burning imagery.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ Saraph1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וְ/שָׂרָ֛ף1×
Key Verses
-
I Chronicles 4:22
and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. These records are ancient.
This verse uniquely identifies Saraph as a ruler in Moab, grounding the name in a specific historical and geographical context rather than using it for symbolic imagery.