H5603 H5603
To cover, panel, or ceiling with wood; to store or treasure up
The verb סָפַן primarily describes the architectural act of covering or paneling a structure with wood, especially cedar. Solomon 'covered the house with beams' (1 Kgs 6:9), and his palace rooms were paneled in cedar (1 Kgs 7:3, 7). Jeremiah condemns the king who says 'I will build myself a spacious house with paneled rooms' (Jer 22:14), and Haggai asks whether the people should dwell in 'paneled houses' while the temple lies desolate (Hag 1:4). A single distinctive occurrence in Moses' blessing (Deut 33:21) uses the word in the sense of something 'reserved' or 'stored up.'
Senses
1. to cover, panel, ceiling (Qal passive participle) — To cover, panel, or ceiling a building with wood — the core architectural sense appearing in Qal active and passive forms. Spanish 'cubierto' and 'artesonadas' (coffered/paneled) and French 'couvrit' consistently point to roofing and paneling with timber. All five occurrences relate to construction: Solomon's temple (1 Kgs 6:9), his palace (1 Kgs 7:3, 7), Jehoiakim's cedar-paneled rooms (Jer 22:14), and the people's own paneled houses contrasted with the ruined temple (Hag 1:4). 5×
AR["الْمُغَطَّاةِ", "وَ-سَقَفَ", "وَ-مَسْقُوفٌ", "وَ-مُسَقَّفًا"]·ben["আচ্ছাদিত", "এবং-ছাদ-দিলেন", "এবং-ছাদ-দেওয়া", "ও-মুড়ানো"]·DE["[וספון]", "[ספונים]", "und-bedeckte", "und-er-bedeckte"]·EN["and-covered", "and-he-covered", "and-paneled", "paneled"]·FR["[וספון]", "et-couvrit", "et-il-couvrit", "plafond"]·heb["ו-ספון", "ו-ספן", "ספונים"]·HI["और-छाया", "और-छाया-हुआ", "छतों-वाले।"]·ID["berlapis-kayu", "dan-dilangiti", "dan-ia-menutup", "dan-tertutup"]·IT["[וספון]", "e-coprì", "e-egli-coprì", "soffittato"]·jav["kang-rinengga", "lan-dipun-tutup", "lan-dipun-tutupi", "lan-nutupi"]·KO["그리고-그가-덮었다", "그리고-덮은", "그리고-덮인", "그리고-입힌", "덮은"]·PT["E-revestido", "e-cobriu", "e-revestido", "revestidas"]·RU["и-обшит", "и-перекрыл", "и-перекрыт", "и-покрыт", "обшитых"]·ES["Y-cubierto", "artesonadas", "y-cubierto", "y-revestido", "y-techoó"]·SW["Na-ilifunikwa", "kwa-mierezi", "na-kufunika", "nyumba", "zilizopambwa"]·TR["kaplı", "ve-kapladı", "ve-kaplı"]·urd["اور-اُس نے چھتا", "اور-چھت-لگائے", "اور-چھتا", "چھت-والے"]
2. to store, reserve, treasure up — To store, reserve, or treasure up — a metaphorical extension where what is 'covered' becomes what is 'kept hidden in store.' In Deut 33:21 the leader's portion was 'reserved' (sapun), applying the covering image to the idea of something set aside and guarded. The multilingual glosses sharply diverge from the architectural cluster: English gives 'reserved,' Spanish 'reservada,' confirming a distinct semantic space of safekeeping rather than physical paneling. 1×
AR["مَحْفُوظٌ"]·ben["গোপন"]·DE["reserved"]·EN["reserved"]·FR["reserved"]·heb["ספון"]·HI["छिपाया-हुआ"]·ID["disimpan"]·IT["reserved"]·jav["kasimpen"]·KO["감춰져-있다"]·PT["reservada"]·RU["сокрыт"]·ES["está-reservada"]·SW["limehifadhiwa"]·TR["gizli"]·urd["چھپا-ہوا-تھا"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [סָפַן once, erron., שׂ׳] vb. cover, cover in, panel (NH סָפַן is respect, care for; Ph. מספנת roof, Lzb330; Aramaic סְפַן Ithpe. be covered, overlaid; Assyrian sapânu (sometimes šapânu !), cover, overwhelm Dl508; sapannu, concealment, obscurity, depth (of sea); Ethiopic ሰፈነ invalescere, percrebescere, praevalere, Di406);— Qal Impf. 3 ms. וַיִּסְפֹּן אֶת־הַבַּיִת גֵּבִים 1 K 6:9 and he covered…