---
title: שְׁפַר — be fair · The Biblical Aramaic dictionary
description: שְׁפַר (lemma:שְׁפַר), a word of Biblical Aramaic, used 3 times: be fair. BDB 1906: vb. be fair, seemly. With 2 verses in Aramaic, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# שְׁפַר

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«שְׁפַר» in the Biblical Aramaic dictionary: **be fair** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 3 times · **Key:** lemma:שְׁפַר · **BDB:** שְׁפַר

### Glosses

it.seemed.good (2); let.it.be.acceptable (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be fair [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/aramaic/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5b0_5c1_5e4_5b7_5e8/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be fair, seemly [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/aramaic/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5b0_5c1_5e4_5b7_5e8/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be fair, seemly (𝔗 Syriac; cf. BH (rare and mostly late); Palm. שפר ל merit well of, SAC117; Cappad. Aramaic שפירא LzbEph 160);— Pf. 3 ms. שׁ׳, c. קֳדָם pers. it seemed good to Dn 3:32; 6:2; Impf. 3 ms. יִשְׁפַּר עַל 4:24 let my counsel be acceptable to thee.

### Jastrow 1903

שְׁפַר: to cleanse, make handsome, pleasant Pa. to make one’s self fair, adorn one’s self [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/aramaic/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5b0_5c1_5e4_5b7_5e8/#m3)

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**The whole Jastrow entry:** Targ. Gen. XXXIV, 18. Targ. Ps. LXIX, 32. Targ. Esth. I, 10; a. fr.—Snh. 11ᵇ ושַׁפְרָא מילתא באנפיי וכ׳ and the thing was pleasing in my sight and \&c.; Y. ib. I, 18ᵈ top; Y. Maas. Sh. V, 56ᶜ top. Ker. 5ᵇ אי שמין וש׳ וכ׳ if it (the cock) gets fat and well-looking, he may know that he will succeed; a. e. to cleanse, make handsome, pleasant. Targ. Y. Gen. IX, 27 (h. text יפת). Targ. Prov. XV, 2. Ib. XVII, 22 (Ms. מְשַׁפֵּיר Pa.); a. e.—Y. Maasr. I, 49ᵃ bot. יַשְׁפַּר אפוי וכ׳, v. כַּרְיָא I. Y. Taan. I, 64ᵇ bot. מַשְׁפַּר תייטרון cleaning the theatre; a. e. to make one’s self fair, adorn one’s self. Targ. Jer. II, 33.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 3 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (2 candidates); Jastrow: headword, part of speech agrees, 0 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (11 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «שְׁפַר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/aramaic/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5b0_5c1_5e4_5b7_5e8/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Daniel 3:32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/DAN.3.32/)

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אָֽתַיָּא֙ וְתִמְהַיָּ֔א דִּ֚י עֲבַ֣ד עִמִּ֔י אֱלָהָ֖א עִלָּאָ֑ה שְׁפַ֥ר קָֽדָמַ֖י לְהַחֲוָיָֽה׃

*Word for word:* the signs and the wonders which he.has.done with me (the) God (the).Most High it.seemed.good before me to declare

*JPS 1917:* It hath seemed good unto me to declare the signs and wonders that God Most High hath wrought toward me.

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[Daniel 6:2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/DAN.6.2/)

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שְׁפַר֙ קֳדָ֣ם דָּרְיָ֔וֶשׁ וַהֲקִים֙ עַל־מַלְכוּתָ֔א לַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֖א מְאָ֣ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֑ין דִּ֥י לֶהֱוֺ֖ן בְּכָל־מַלְכוּתָֽא׃

*Word for word:* it.seemed.good before Darius and he.appointed over the kingdom (et) the satraps one.hundred and twenty who they.will.be over all the kingdom

*JPS 1917:* It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;

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