🔼The name Shepher: Summary
- Meaning
- Beauty, Harmony
- Etymology
- From the verb שפר (shapar), to be pleasing or harmoniously composed.
🔼The name Shepher in the Bible
The name Shepher (or Shapher, as the King James, Darby and Young translations demand) occurs only once in the Bible (or actually twice, but in one text). It's the name of a mountain in or near the desert of Sinai at which Israel camped (Numbers 33:23-24).
🔼Etymology of the name Shepher
The name Shepher is identical to the noun שפר (sheper), meaning beauty or loveliness, from the verb שפר (shapar), meaning to be pleasing:
שפר
The verb שפר (shapar) means to be pleasing, and more specific to be peacefully or harmoniously calm and composed. Noun שפר (sheper) means beauty or loveliness. Noun שפרה (shipra) means fairness or clearness. It's used only once in the Bible, and describes an aspect of the sky. Noun שופר (shopar) or שפר (shopar) denotes a ram's horn made into a trumpet (the regular word for horn, קרן, qeren, also comes from a verb that means to shine). Noun שפרור (shaprur) or שפריר (shaprir) apparently denotes a kind of canopy, under which peace and stability may be achieved.
🔼Shepher meaning
For a meaning of the name Shepher, both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read Beauty. BDB Theological Dictionary does not offer an interpretation of the name Shepher but does confirm that it is identical to the noun שפר (sheper), meaning beauty or loveliness.