Original Word: שָׂפָם
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: sapham
Pronunciation: sah-fahm'
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-fawm')
KJV: beard, (upper) lip
NASB: mustache, mouths
Word Origin: [from H8193 (שָׂפָה שֶׂפֶת - lips)]

1. the beard (as a lip-piece)

beard, upper lip

From saphah; the beard (as a lip-piece) -- beard, (upper) lip.

see HEBREW saphah

Word Origin
from the same as saphah
Definition
mustache
NASB Translation
mouths (1), mustache (4).

שָׂפָם noun [masculine] moustache (compare N Syriac rete; on meaning and form see Thes Ol⁴⁰⁸ Kö^{ii. 73}); — absolute ׳שׂ Micah 3:7 +, suffix שְׂפָמוֺ 2 Samuel 19:25; — moustache: ׳עָשָׂה שׂ 2 Samuel 19:25 (ᵐ5 μύστάξ) i.e. trim it; ׳עָטָה עַלשֿׂ Micah 3:7; Ezekiel 24:17,22; Leviticus 13:45 (P; see I. עטה 1).

שִׂמַּח see III. ספח. מִשְׂמָּח see II. ספח.

ִ˜שׂפְמוֺת 1 Samuel 30:28 see ׳שִׁפ.

שׂפן see ספן. I. שׂפק, שֶׂ֫פֶק see ספק.

Overview

The noun שָׂפָם occurs five times in the Old Testament and denotes the strip of hair on the upper lip—“the moustache.” In every appearance it functions as an outward indicator of an inner condition: ritual impurity, personal neglect, mourning, or profound shame.

Cultural Background

In the Ancient Near East the grooming of facial hair was bound tightly to social status and emotional expression. Assyrian reliefs show carefully trimmed beards and moustaches as marks of dignity. To leave the moustache disheveled, to cover it, or to refrain from trimming signaled either enforced exclusion (as with lepers), voluntary mourning, or a humbled spirit. Israel’s legislation and prophetic speech adopt the same cultural code but yoke it to covenant theology: exterior appearance was meant to mirror the state of the heart before the Lord.

Ritual Purity and Exclusion (Leviticus 13:45)

Concerning the person declared unclean with a skin disease, Moses commands, “He must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’” (Leviticus 13:45). The covering of the שָׂפָם signified separation from healthy society and, more importantly, separation from the sanctuary presence of God. Just as torn garments and unbound hair displayed disorder, the shrouded moustache broadcast the sufferer’s need for cleansing outside the camp. The regulation underlines that sin-defilement affects the whole person—body, appearance, and community standing.

Neglect and Loyalty in a Royal Context (2 Samuel 19:24)

When David returns to Jerusalem after Absalom’s revolt, the crippled Mephibosheth meets him: “He had not cared for his feet or trimmed his moustache or washed his clothes from the day the king departed until the day he returned safely” (2 Samuel 19:24). The untrimmed שָׂפָם signifies intentional neglect, a visible pledge of solidarity with the exiled monarch. For Mephibosheth, personal appearance becomes a living vow; loyalty to the true king overrides normal grooming.

Prophetic Symbolism of Mourning (Ezekiel 24:17; 24:22)

At the death of Ezekiel’s wife—the “delight of your eyes”—the prophet is told, “Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead… do not cover your moustache” (Ezekiel 24:17). Again in verse 22 the exiles are warned, “You will do as I have done; you will not cover your moustache.” The normal sign of mourning (shrouding the upper lip) is forbidden. By withholding this customary gesture, God dramatizes a judgment so severe that grief will be stunned into silence. The absence of the covered שָׂפָם becomes an acted parable forecasting the speechless horror Jerusalem will feel when the temple falls.

Shame and Divine Silence (Micah 3:7)

Micah indicts corrupt seers: “The seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced; they will all cover their mouths, because there is no answer from God” (Micah 3:7). Here the covered שָׂפָם signals not ritual impurity but prophetic humiliation. False visionaries, once vocal, must hide the very organ of utterance, acknowledging that heaven has withdrawn its word. The gesture captures the biblical principle that when revelation is despised, the mouths of pretenders are stopped.

Theological Themes

• External acts reveal internal realities. Whether impurity, grief, loyalty, or disgrace, the moustache becomes a moral billboard.
• God concerns Himself with the whole person. Skin, lips, and grooming habits fall under His lordship; holiness is holistic.
• Silence before God may be required in different contexts—either as reverent submission (Ezekiel) or as shamed exposure (Micah).
• In each passage the ultimate issue is relational: distance from God’s presence, devotion to God’s king, or judgment for rejecting God’s word.

Homiletical and Pastoral Applications

1. Visible conduct should truthfully mirror the heart. Modern believers, while not bound to ancient grooming codes, must cultivate integrity between appearance and confession (James 1:22-24).
2. Church discipline echoes Leviticus: public signals (communion restriction, restoration rites) remind the body that sin isolates and purity reconciles.
3. Ezekiel’s restrained mourning counsels pastors facing tragedy: prophetic witness sometimes demands obedience that supersedes personal emotion, trusting divine wisdom.
4. Micah warns against empty speech in ministry. When Scripture is sidelined, sermons become mere noise; the only fitting act is to “cover the mouth” and return to the Word.

Summary

שָׂפָם, though a small anatomical term, carries significant theological freight. From the quarantined leper to the shamed false prophet, the state of the moustache tracks the state of the soul. Scripture thus weaves everyday customs into its tapestry of redemption, showing that every hair can testify to the holiness, mercy, and justice of the living God.

שְׂפָמ֗וֹ שָׂפָ֔ם שָׂפָ֖ם שָׂפָם֙ שפם שפמו śā·p̄ām saFam śāp̄ām śə·p̄ā·mōw sefaMo śəp̄āmōwInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts