Atlas Biblica

    place

    Sephar

    סְפָר

    Sephar was a mountain in the east that marked the boundary of the territory settled by the descendants of Joktan (Gen. 10:30).

    Where the story of Sephar happensWhere the gazetteer locates Sephar, framed to them: Sephar. Each dot is a coordinate from the gazetteer. The coastline is a modern one, simplified; no border, road or settlement of any period is drawn, and no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.Sephar
    Where the gazetteer locates Sephar
    verses
    1
    first named
    Genesis 10:30
    last named
    Genesis 10:30
    feature
    settlement
    coordinates
    14.21°N · 44.40°E
    settlement14.21°N · 44.40°E

    Zafar (OpenBible)

    Scholarship offers 2 identifications for this place. The leading one is shown; the others are recorded in the gazetteer.

    Description

    Sephar in the text

    In the words of STEPBible TIPNR:

    Sephar is mentioned in the Bible as part of the description of the territory settled by the descendants of Joktan, the son of Eber (Gen. 10:30). The text states that the territory extended "from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east." The exact location of Sephar is unknown, but it is described as a mountain in the eastern region. Some scholars suggest that Sephar may be associated with the ancient city of Zafar (or Dhofar) in modern-day Yemen, which was an important center of the incense trade in ancient times. However, this identification remains uncertain due to the limited information provided in the biblical text. The mention of Sephar in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10) highlights the geographical spread of the descendants of Noah's sons and the development of various nations and people groups in the ancient Near East.

    Relations

    Direct connections

    Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.

    Stands in the same events as

    Read it

    Where to read it

    Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — one, across 1 book.

    1. Genesis1 verse

      10:30

    Onward

    Where this page goes

    Nothing in the graph stands one hop from this entity yet. These are the best-connected entities of the same type, so the page still ends somewhere. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.

    ElsewhereJerusalemThe capital of Israel, a holy city for three religionsElsewhereEgyptAncient nation; Israelites enslaved there; plagues and ExodusElsewhereJordanA river and region, significant in Israel's history

    Sources

    What this rests on