Senses
1. sapphire (precious stone) — A precious blue gemstone (likely lapis lazuli in ancient usage rather than modern corundum sapphire), prized for its beauty and used in jewelry, priestly breastplate settings, and metaphorical descriptions of divine glory and human beauty. All three clusters represent the same noun סַפִּיר in singular, plural, and prepositional forms -- purely grammatical variation. Cross-lingual evidence is consistent: Arabic يَاقُوت (yaqut, sapphire/precious stone), Swahili 'yakuti samawi' (blue sapphire/heavenly sapphire), Hindi नीलम/नीलमणि (nilam/nilamani, sapphire), Korean 청옥 (cheong-ok, blue jade/sapphire) and 사파이어 (sapaieo, sapphire loanword), Spanish 'zafiro' (sapphire). Found in Exod 24:10, 28:18, 39:11; Job 28:6,16; Song 5:14; Isa 54:11; Lam 4:7; Ezek 1:26, 10:1, 28:13. 11×
AR["الياقوتِ","الْيَاقُوتِ","بِـ-اليَاقُوتِ","سَفيرٌ","سَفِيرٌ","سَفِّيرِيم","صَفِيرٌ","وَ-الياقوتِ","ياقوتٍ","يَاقُوتٌ"]·ben["-নীলমণিতে।","এবং-নীলমণি","নীলকান্তমণি","নীলকান্তমণি-দিয়ে","নীলকান্তমণির","নীলমণি","নীলমণির"]·DE["Saphir","[בספירים]","[וספיר]","[ספיר]","[ספירים]","der-Saphir"]·EN["and-sapphire","sapphire","sapphires","the-sapphire","with-the-sapphires"]·FR["[בספירים]","[ספיר]","de-saphirs.","et-וספיר","le-saphir","saphir","ספיר"]·heb["ב-ספירים","ה-ספיר","ו-ספיר","ספיר","ספירים"]·HI["और-नीलम","नीलम","नीलम-पत्थरोंपर","नीलम-से","नीलमणि"]·ID["batu-nilam","dan-safir","dengan-batu-nilam","safir","safir,"]·IT["[בספירים]","[ספיר]","e-e-sapphire","il-zaffiro","sapphire","sapphires","zaffiro"]·jav["kanthi-nilam","lan-nilam","mawi-sèla-nilam","nilam","nilam,","safir"]·KO["그-사파이어의","그리고-청옥으로","사파이어","사파이어로-","사파이어와","청옥-이었네","청옥과","청옥들-로","청옥의"]·PT["a-safira","com-safiras","e-safira.","safira","safiras"]·RU["и-сапфиром","на-сапфирах","сапфир","сапфира","сапфирами."]·ES["con-zafiros","de-zafiros","el-zafiro","y-zafiro","zafiro"]·SW["kwa-yakuti","kwa-yakuti-samawi","la-yakuti-samawi","na-yakuti-samawi","ya-yakuti-samawi","yakuti","yakuti-samawi"]·TR["lacivert-taşı","safir","safirin","safirlerle","taş","ve-safir"]·urd["اور-نیلم-سے","نیلم","نیلم-سے","نیلم-کا","نیلم-کی","نیلم-کے","نیلموں-سے","یاقوت"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† סַפִּיר n.[m.] sapphire, perhaps also lapis lazuli (cf. Di Ex 24:10 NowArch. i. 131) (NH id., and סַמְפִּירִינוֹן; 𝔗 סַפִרִינוֹן; 𝔖 ܣܰܦܺܝܠܴܐ; loan-word from Skr. çanipriya according to LagGes. Abh. 72 LewyFremdw. 56 cf. Gk. σάπφειρος);—abs. ס׳ Ex 24:10 + 8 times; pl. סַפִּירִים Is 54:11 Ct 5:14;—with other jewels as ornaments of prince Ez 28:13; in high priest’s breastplate Ex 28:18; 39:11;…