2350. Chuphami

Lexical Summary

Chuphami: Huphamite

Original Word: חוּפָמִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: Chuwphamiy
Pronunciation: khoo-faw-mee
Phonetic Spelling: (khoo-faw-mee')
KJV: Huphamites
NASB: Huphamites
Word Origin: [patronymically from H2349 (חוּפָם - Hupham)]

1. a Chuphamite or descendant of Chupham

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Huphamites

Patronymically from Chuwpham; a Chuphamite or descendant of Chupham -- Huphamites.

see HEBREW Chuwpham

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from Chupham
Definition
desc. of Hupham
NASB Translation
Huphamites (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

חוּפָמִי adjective, of a people of foregoing, with article = collective noun ׳הַח Numbers 26:39.

I. חוץ (√ of following, meaning unknown).

Topical Lexicon

Name and Identification

Chuphami designates a single Israelite clan within the tribe of Benjamin, descended from Hupham. The term is used once (Numbers 26:39) and marks a specific Benjamite family group in the wilderness census.

Biblical Occurrence

Numbers 26:39: “from Shupham, the Shuphamite clan; and from Hupham, the Huphamite clan.” The listing confirms the Huphamites as part of the second census taken east of the Jordan before Israel entered Canaan.

Genealogical Significance within Benjamin

1. Patriarchal Roots: Hupham appears among Benjamin’s sons in Genesis 46:21, establishing him as a founder of one of the tribe’s ten clans.
2. Later Mentions: Variant spellings (Huppim, Shuppim) surface in 1 Chronicles 7:12 and 8:5, reflecting textual transmission while preserving the line’s continuity.
3. Tribal Contribution: Benjamite clans supplied warriors and leaders (Judges 20; 1 Samuel 9:1–2). Though unnamed individually, Huphamite men were part of this martial tradition and later received territorial inheritance.

Role in the Wilderness Census

The second census counted all males over twenty “able to go to war.” The inclusion of the Huphamites demonstrates:
• Preservation after wilderness judgments, proving God’s covenant faithfulness despite previous rebellions.
• Guarantee of an equitable share in Canaan, since census numbers determined land distribution (Numbers 26:52–56).

Implications for Tribal Allotments

No city is directly tied to the Huphamites, yet their numbers contributed to Benjamin’s allotment surrounding Jerusalem (Joshua 18:11–28). This territory later produced notable figures:
• King Saul, Israel’s first monarch (1 Samuel 9:1–2).
• The apostle Paul, “of the tribe of Benjamin” (Philippians 3:5).

Minor clans like the Huphamites thus undergird pivotal redemptive events.

Theological and Ministry Themes

Covenant Faithfulness: God’s meticulous record of even small families validates His promises to Abraham and Jacob.

Divine Omniscience and Care: Naming obscure clans underscores that “even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30).

Corporate Identity: Every clan served the larger body of Israel, mirroring the church’s unity in diversity (1 Corinthians 12:12–27).

Lessons for the Church Today

1. God values each believer, however little-known.
2. Faithful lineage—physical or spiritual—furthers God’s purposes beyond immediate visibility.
3. Detailed genealogies strengthen confidence in Scripture’s historical reliability and in the God who keeps covenant with His people.

Forms and Transliterations

הַחוּפָמִֽי׃ החופמי׃ ha·ḥū·p̄ā·mî hachufaMi haḥūp̄āmî

Englishman's Concordance

Numbers 26:39
HEB: לְחוּפָ֕ם מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַחוּפָמִֽי׃
NAS: the family of the Huphamites.
KJV: the family of the Huphamites.
INT: of Hupham the family of the Huphamites

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2350
1 Occurrence

ha·ḥū·p̄ā·mî — 1 Occ.