Original Word: שְׁפִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shphiy
Pronunciation: SHEH-fee
Phonetic Spelling: (shef-ee')
KJV: high place, stick out
NASB: bare heights, bare hill
Word Origin: [from H8192 (שָׁפָה - bare)]

1. bareness
2. (concretely) a bare hill or plain

high place, stick out

From shaphah; bareness; concretely, a bare hill or plain -- high place, stick out.

see HEBREW shaphah

Word Origin
from shaphah
Definition
bareness, a smooth or bare height
NASB Translation
bare heights (8), bare hill (1).

I. שְׁפִי noun masculine bareness, smooth or bare (treeless) height; —

1 bareness, Job 33:21 Kt (see √)

2 bare place, height: שֶׁ֑פִי Numbers 23:3 (E), i.e. an outlook-point; plural שְׁפָיִים Isaiah 41:18; Isaiah 49:9; Jeremiah 3:21, שְׁפָיִם Jeremiah 3:2; Jeremiah 4:("" מִדְבָּר), Jeremiah 7:29; Jeremiah 12:12 (בַּמִּדְבָּד), Jeremiah 14:6.

Sense and Imagery

The word שְׁפִי paints the picture of a treeless ridge or exposed height—land stripped of shelter, soil, and vegetation. Scripture uses the term both literally, to describe stark uplands, and figuratively, to evoke spiritual nakedness, judgment, or the promise of renewal.

First Appearance: Numbers 23:3

Before Balaam utters his first oracle, he withdraws “to a barren height.” The scene underscores the isolation of the pagan seer and contrasts sharply with the God of Israel, who needs no occult vantage-point to reveal His will. The narrative marks the “bare height” as a place where human schemes clash with divine sovereignty, setting the tone for each later usage.

Wisdom Literature: Job 33:21

Job laments a body so emaciated that “his bones, once hidden, now protrude.” The same Hebrew term that elsewhere describes stripped hills here depicts stripped flesh, reinforcing the link between physical desolation and spiritual crisis. Elihu’s speech reminds sufferers that God speaks through extremity, laying a life bare so it may be reclaimed.

Isaiah’s Dual Motif: Judgment and Restoration

Isaiah 41:18 and Isaiah 49:9 pivot from emptiness to abundance. “I will open rivers on barren heights,” the Lord vows, and prisoners will “find pasture on every barren height.” The prophet intentionally redeems the word: the very landscape once parched becomes the showcase of covenant faithfulness. Thus שְׁפִי is not a terminal condition but canvas for divine reversal.

Jeremiah: Lament over the High Places

Jeremiah employs the word more than any other writer, weaving it into a theology of apostasy and grief.
• Jeremiah 3:2 exposes Israel’s idolatry: “Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see.”
• Jeremiah 3:21 hears “weeping and pleading” there, as the people awaken to their betrayal of the covenant.
• Jeremiah 4:11 pictures a scorching wind sweeping down from those same slopes, a harbinger of judgment.
• Jeremiah 7:29, 12:12, and 14:6 escalate from lament to devastation—destroyers, the sword, and dying wildlife occupy the emptied ridges.

The prophet thus traces a tragic progression: sin on the heights, sorrow on the heights, and finally desolation on the heights.

Theological Threads

1. Exposure before God: Whether Balaam, Job, or Judah, all stand uncovered on the “bare place.” Divine encounter strips away illusion.
2. High places and idolatry: The term often overlaps the cultic “high places,” underscoring how illicit worship leaves the worshiper spiritually barren.
3. From curse to blessing: Isaiah proves that God can transform the most depleted terrain; despair is not the final word for those who repent.
4. Judgment is comprehensive: Jeremiah’s repeated use shows that no portion of the land—or life—lies outside the reach of divine discipline.

Ministry Application

• Preaching: Shphi furnishes vivid imagery for sermons on repentance—calling God’s people to abandon “high-place” sins that promise vision yet deliver drought.
• Pastoral care: When believers feel stripped, Job 33:21 and Isaiah 41:18 model honest lament followed by hope in promised refreshment.
• Missions and prayer walks: The motif of God redeeming barren heights encourages intercession over spiritually “dry” regions, trusting Him to release living water.

Typological Echoes

The New Testament often portrays salvation on a hill—Golgotha. The bare, rocky summit where Christ was crucified embodies the pattern: a desolate height becomes the place of ultimate provision. What Isaiah foresaw in agricultural imagery is fulfilled in the cross, where streams of grace begin to flow.

Summary

שְׁפִי is more than a geographical term; it is a theological mirror. It reveals human emptiness, records divine judgment, and ultimately heralds the promise that the Lord “opens rivers on barren heights.” Wherever souls stand exposed, God stands ready to restore.

וְשֻׁפּ֥וּ ושפו שְׁפָיִ֔ם שְׁפָיִ֖ים שְׁפָיִ֖ם שְׁפָיִ֜ם שְׁפָיִ֣ים שְׁפָיִ֣ם שְׁפָיִים֙ שֶֽׁפִי׃ שפי׃ שפיים שפים šə·p̄ā·yim šə·p̄ā·yîm še·p̄î šəp̄āyim šəp̄āyîm šep̄î shefaYim Shefi veshupPu wə·šup·pū wəšuppūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts