2663. Chapharayim

Lexical Summary

Chapharayim: Chapharayim

Original Word: חֲפָרַיִם
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Chapharayim
Pronunciation: khaf-ar-ah'-yim
Phonetic Spelling: (khaf-aw-rah'-yim)
KJV: Haphraim
Word Origin: [dual of H2660 (חֵפֶר - Hepher)]

1. double pit
2. Chapharajim, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Haphraim

Dual of Chepher; double pit; Chapharajim, a place in Palestine -- Haphraim.

see HEBREW Chepher

Brown-Driver-Briggs

חֲפָרַיִם proper name, of a location in Issachar Joshua 19:19, ᵐ5 Αγειν, A Αφεραειμ, ᵐ5^L Αμφαραιμ; = Egyptian „a-pu-ru-m-â WMM^Asien,170; site dubious, 6 miles north of Legio according to Lag^{Onom. 223, 2nd ed. 241.}

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Location

Joshua 19:19 places חֲפָרַיִם (Hapharaim) in the catalogue of towns allotted to the tribe of Issachar: “Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath” (Berean Standard Bible). This single appearance situates the town among Issachar’s holdings in the fertile reaches of the Jezreel and Harod Valleys, an area framed by Mount Tabor to the north and the Jordan River valley to the east.

Tribal Inheritance Context

Issachar’s inheritance testified to the covenant faithfulness of the Lord, who had pledged land to the descendants of Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21). The enumeration of towns such as Hapharaim underlines the concreteness of that promise. Each named settlement represents both a geographic reality and a spiritual reminder that “not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45).

Historical and Geographic Background

1. Fertile Heartland: The region assigned to Issachar encompassed some of the most productive farmland in ancient Israel. Even a smaller settlement like Hapharaim would have benefited from rich soil, abundant water sources, and trade routes threading the Jezreel Valley.
2. Strategic Importance: The valleys of Issachar linked the coastal plain with the Jordan corridor. Control of towns in this corridor, including Hapharaim, strengthened Israel’s internal cohesion and safeguarded the tribal network from encroaching powers.
3. Suggested Site: While the precise location has not been securely identified, some associate Hapharaim with ruins around modern-day el-Affuleh or nearby mounds, owing to toponymic similarity and proximity to other Issacharian towns listed in Joshua 19.

Theological and Spiritual Lessons

• Covenant Integrity: Hapharaim’s inclusion in Scripture, though brief, witnesses to God’s meticulous fulfillment of His word—every clan, every boundary, every town.
• Collective Identity: The allotment lists remind believers that individual communities matter within the larger people of God. A seemingly minor village like Hapharaim shares in the inheritance equally with more prominent sites.
• Stewardship: Israel was to “drive out all the inhabitants of the land” (Numbers 33:52) and cultivate it for the Lord’s glory. By analogy, believers today are called to steward every sphere entrusted to them, however obscure.
• Memory and Hope: Ancient boundary markers anchored Israel’s memory of redemption. They anticipate the eternal inheritance that “can never perish, spoil, or fade” (1 Peter 1:4), encouraging steadfast trust in God’s future grace.

Ministry Applications

1. Faithfulness in Small Places: Leaders and congregations ministering in out-of-the-way contexts can draw encouragement from Hapharaim, a reminder that God records and values work done beyond the spotlight.
2. Teaching on Promises Fulfilled: Bible classrooms and pulpit ministry can use allotment passages to demonstrate the reliability of Scripture, reinforcing confidence in prophetic promises still awaiting consummation.
3. Community Mapping: Just as Israel mapped its inheritance, churches are wise to map their communities—identifying neighborhoods, institutions, and needs—to ensure comprehensive pastoral care.

Related Scriptures and Themes

Genesis 15:18-21 – Promise of the land

Deuteronomy 11:10-12 – God’s eye on the land

Joshua 14–19 – Distribution of inheritance

Psalm 16:5-6 – “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places”

1 Peter 1:3-5 – A living hope and imperishable inheritance

Conclusion

Though mentioned only once, Hapharaim stands as a testament to the precision of divine faithfulness, the value of every community within God’s plan, and the call to steward one’s allotted portion in anticipation of an unfading inheritance.

Forms and Transliterations

וַחֲפָרַ֥יִם וחפרים vachafaRayim wa·ḥă·p̄ā·ra·yim waḥăp̄ārayim

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 19:19
HEB: וַחֲפָרַ֥יִם וְשִׁיאֹ֖ן וַאֲנָחֲרַֽת׃
NAS: and Hapharaim and Shion and Anaharath,
KJV: And Hapharaim, and Shion,
INT: and Hapharaim and Shion and Anaharath

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2663
1 Occurrence

wa·ḥă·p̄ā·ra·yim — 1 Occ.