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•SAPHIR beautiful, a town of Judah (Micah 1:11), identified with es-Suafir, 5 miles south-east of Ashdod.
•SAPPHIRA beautiful, the wife of Ananias (q.v.). She was a partner in his guilt and also in his punishment (Acts 5:1-11).
•SAPPHIRE Associated with diamonds (Exodus 28:18) and emeralds (Ezekiel 28:13); one of the stones in the high priest’s breastplate. It is a precious stone of a sky-blue colour, probably the lapis lazuli, brought from Babylon. The throne of God is described as of the colour of a sapphire (Exodus 24:10; comp. Ezekiel 1:26).
•SARAH princess, the wife and at the same time the half-sister of Abraham (Genesis 11:29; 20:12). This name was given to her at the time that it was announced to Abraham that she should be the mother of the promised child. Her story is from her marriage identified with that of the patriarch till the time of her death. Her death, at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years (the only instance in Scripture where the age of a woman is recorded), was the occasion of Abraham’s purchasing the cave of Machpelah as a family burying-place.
In the allegory of Galatians 4:22-31 she is the type of the “Jerusalem which is above.” She is also mentioned as Sara in Hebrews 11:11 among the Old Testament worthies, who “all died in faith.” (See ABRAHAM.)
•SARAI my princess, the name originally borne by Sarah (Genesis 11:31; 17:15).
•SARDINE STONE (Revelation 4:3, R.V., “sardius;” Hebrews ‘odhem; LXX., Gr. sardion, from a root meaning “red”), a gem of a blood-red colour. It was called “sardius” because obtained from Sardis in Lydia. It is