Bible Dictionary
SHAPHIR
Shaphir was one of the towns named in Micah’s prophetic announcement of judgment. It was probably located in southwestern Palestine, though its exact site is uncertain.
Definition
Shaphir was one of the towns named in Micah’s prophetic announcement of judgment. The name means “glittering,” and the town was probably located in southwestern Palestine, although its exact site remains uncertain.
Biblical Usage
Shaphir appears among the towns addressed in Micah 1:10-15 in a message associated with coming judgment.
Historical Background
Its association with Gath, Achzib, and Mareshah suggests southwestern Palestine. Proposed identifications include the villages es-Suafir southeast of Ashdod and Tell ec-Cafi, though the latter has also been suggested for Gath.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>sha'-fer (shaphir, "glittering"; kalos; the King James Version Saphir): One of a group of towns mentioned in Mic 1:10-15. From the association with Gath, Achzib (of Judah) and Mareshah, it would seem that the places mentioned were in Southwestern Palestine. According to Eusebius, in Onomasticon, there was a Sapheir, "in the hill country" (from a confusion with Shamir (Jos 15:48), where Septuagint A has Sapheir) between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon. The name probably survives in that of three villages called es-Suafir, in the plain, some 3 1/2 miles Southeast of Ashdod (PEF, II, 413, Sh XV). Cheyne (EB, col. 4282) suggests the white "glittering" hill Tell ec-Cafi, at the entrance to the Wady ec-Sunt, which was known to the Crusaders as Blanchegarde, but this site seems a more probable one for GATH (which see).</p><p>E. W. G. Masterman</p>