"Sapphira, wife of Ananias and a member of the Jerusalem church, Acts 5:1*"
Definition and meaning
Sapphira, wife of Ananias and a member of the Jerusalem church, Acts 5:1*
In the original Greek the word is written: Σάπφιρα
Historical context
The Roman Empire provided infrastructure no previous civilization had built — roads, sea routes, a common language in Greek, and relative peace across the Mediterranean. Jewish synagogues existed in every major city, giving Paul a starting point everywhere he traveled. The early church had no buildings, no political power, no social standing — and spread faster than any movement in ancient history.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of sapphira (G4551) across the King James Bible.
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
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Common questions
Strong's G4551 (sapphira) is a Greek word that means: Sapphira, wife of Ananias and a member of the Jerusalem church, Acts 5:1* It appears 1 times in the King James Bible.
The word sapphira (G4551) appears 1 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4551 is sapphira, a Greek word defined as: Sapphira, wife of Ananias and a member of the Jerusalem church, Acts 5:1*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
sapphira is a Greek word found in the New Testament.