5593. Saph

Lexical Summary

Saph: To attach, join, add, gather

Original Word: סַף
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Caph
Pronunciation: sah-fakh'
Phonetic Spelling: (saf)
KJV: Saph
NASB: Saph
Word Origin: [the same as H5592 (סַף - Threshold)]

1. Saph, a Philistine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Saph

The same as caph; Saph, a Philistine -- Saph. Compare Cippay.

see HEBREW caph

see HEBREW Cippay

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as saph
Definition
a Philistine (the same as NH5598)
NASB Translation
Saph (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

III. סַף, סִמַּי proper name, masculine a Philistine, 2 Samuel 21:18 (ᵐ5 τὸν Σεφ(ε); ᵐ5^L τοὺς ἐπισυνηγμένους), = סִמַּי 1 Chronicles 20:4 (ᵐ5 τὸν Σαφουτ, A Σεφφι, ᵐ5^L Σαπφι).

Topical Lexicon

Entry Overview

Saph (Strong’s Hebrew 5593, סַף) is the proper name of a Philistine warrior of giant stature, slain during the reign of King David. His lone occurrence is found in 2 Samuel 21:18, with a parallel reading “Sipai” in 1 Chronicles 20:4. The narratives situate Saph among “the descendants of Rapha,” a term often linked with the Rephaim—men of exceptional size who opposed Israel from the Conquest era onward.

Biblical Setting

2 Samuel 21 records a series of later battles with the Philistines. After the slaying of Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, David’s kingdom still faced recurrent threats from giants related to or originating in Gath. Saph appears in the second of four skirmishes listed. The Berean Standard Bible reads:

“After this, there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob; at that time Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of Rapha” (2 Samuel 21:18).

The Chronicle parallel places the clash at Gezer and names the slain warrior Sipai, yet the essential facts remain identical: a Philistine giant is defeated by one of David’s mighty men, Sibbecai (also spelled Sibbechai).

Historical Context: Philistine Giants

1. Line of Rapha: The term “descendants of Rapha” (lit. “sons of Rapha”) combines Saph with other giants—Isbi-benob, Lahmi (Goliath’s brother), and an unnamed man with “six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot” (2 Samuel 21:20). They represent a remnant of the ancient Rephaim.
2. Geographic Centers: Gath and its environs repeatedly surface as strongholds for giant warriors (1 Samuel 17:4; 2 Samuel 21:22). Archaeology corroborates Philistine settlement in these lowland cities during the Iron Age.
3. Military Climate: David’s campaigns in the late tenth century B.C. sought to neutralize Philistine power and secure Israelite borders. Eliminating legendary fighters like Saph functioned as psychological victories over an enemy that had long leveraged fearsome champions (cf. 1 Samuel 17:11).

Theological Significance

1. Divine Deliverance: Each death of a giant underscores the LORD’s sovereignty over foes deemed unbeatable by human standards. As David earlier proclaimed, “the battle belongs to the LORD” (1 Samuel 17:47).
2. Corporate Participation: Unlike the solitary confrontation between David and Goliath, the later narratives depict David’s warriors taking up the fight. God’s people learn to stand in victory already secured by their anointed king while actively engaging the enemy.
3. Covenant Continuity: The extinction of the Rephaim echoes the dispossession mandated in Deuteronomy 2–3 and Joshua 11:21–22, demonstrating the ongoing fulfillment of God’s promise to give Israel the land “from the Negev to Lebanon.”
4. Foreshadowing Messiah’s Triumph: The crushing of oversized adversaries prefigures Jesus Christ’s ultimate defeat of sin, death, and the devil (Hebrews 2:14). As Saph fell under the sword of Sibbecai, so every hostile power must submit to the Son of David.

Lessons for Ministry

• Faithful Obedience: Sibbecai’s zeal models perseverance among servants who labor in relative obscurity yet share in kingdom victories (cf. 2 Samuel 23:27–28).
• Shared Warfare: Spiritual battles are not the domain of a single hero. Leaders and laity alike must “contend for the faith” (Jude 3), trusting God’s enabling grace.
• Conquering Intimidation: Giants symbolize entrenched strongholds—cultural, moral, or personal—that appear insurmountable. The demise of Saph assures believers that no challenge eclipses God’s power (Ephesians 3:20).
• Generational Impact: Each successive giant eliminated in 2 Samuel 21 diminishes the Philistine threat for future Israelite generations, reminding modern disciples to uproot sin decisively for the sake of those who follow (Psalm 78:6).

Summary

Although mentioned only once, Saph embodies the enduring conflict between the kingdom of God and hostile forces. His downfall through the courage of Sibbecai affirms the certainty of divine victory, encourages communal engagement in spiritual warfare, and foreshadows the complete triumph secured in Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations

סַ֕ף סף saf sap̄

Englishman's Concordance

2 Samuel 21:18
HEB: הַחֻ֣שָׁתִ֔י אֶת־ סַ֕ף אֲשֶׁ֖ר בִּילִדֵ֥י
NAS: struck down Saph, who
KJV: slew Saph, which [was] of the sons
INT: Sibbecai the Hushathite Saph who the descendants

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5593
1 Occurrence

sap̄ — 1 Occ.