Bible Dictionary
Suphah
Suphah was a region mentioned in an ancient song concerning Israel’s victories. Its location is uncertain, though it was traditionally associated with the area southeast of the Dead Sea.
Definition
Suphah was a region in which Vaheb was situated, according to the ancient poetic notice concerning Israel’s victories. It is probably related to Suph, though the identification remains uncertain.
Biblical Usage
Suphah occurs in an ode quoted from the Book of the Wars of the Lord, a collection of poems commemorating the triumphs of God’s people.
Historical Background
It has been associated with the region southeast of the Dead Sea and with Ghor es-Safieh, but the proposed identification is disputed and awaits further exploration.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Num. 21:14, marg.; also R.V.), a place at the south-eastern corner of the Dead Sea, the Ghor es-Safieh. This name is found in an ode quoted from the “Book of the Wars of the Lord,” probably a collection of odes commemorating the triumphs of God’s people (comp. 21:14, 17, 18, 27-30).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>soo'-fa (suphah, for wahebh becuphah; Septuagint reads ten Zoob ephlogise; the King James Version Rea Sea): Suphah is the region in which Vaheb is situated (Nu 21:14). It is probably identical with Suph of De 1:1. Tristram (Land of Moab, 50 f) suggested identification with Ghor es-Safiyeh], a small oasis East of the mud fiats of Es-Sebkhah], South of the Dead Sea; but "the sibilants do not correspond, and Safiyeh is a specifically Arabic term (Wetzstein in Delitzsch, Gen4, 586, note 2) which does not seem to be a likely explanation of Suphah" (Gray, "Nu," ICC, 285 f). This, and other questions of identification, must wait for solution until a more thorough exploration of the whole district has been accomplished.</p><p>W. Ewing</p>