Sapphira is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Sapphira was the wife of Ananias, and together they appear in a sobering account in the early church recorded in Acts 5. At that time, the believers in Jerusalem were of one heart and soul, and many sold their possessions and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet for the good of the community. Ananias and Sapphira likewise sold a possession, but they agreed together to keep back part of the price while presenting the remainder as though it were the whole. The source note summarizes their end: both were struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit.
The setting is the newborn church in Jerusalem, a season of remarkable generosity and unity, and also of spiritual seriousness. Their sin was not merely a private financial decision but a deliberate deception, a pretense of full surrender where there was reservation. Acts 5:1 introduces them: “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.” Sapphira’s role is that of a partner in the agreement, and she is named in the King James Bible only once, in this verse.
What Scripture says of her is brief but weighty. She is identified as Ananias’s wife, joined with him in the act, and remembered in connection with the judgment that fell upon them both. The account does not give her background, age, or later legacy; it simply places her within a moment of testing in the church’s earliest days, where honesty before God was treated with utmost seriousness.
The Name
The name Sapphira is generally understood to be of Greek origin, related to the word for “sapphire,” the precious blue stone. Because the New Testament was written in Greek and she is named in a Greek-speaking context, this meaning is commonly accepted. Some note that the name may also carry the sense of “beautiful,” but the gemstone connection is the most widely recognized. Unlike many Hebrew names whose meanings are explicitly tied to covenant or worship, Sapphira’s name is best explained by its Greek form and its association with the jewel, not by a doctrinal statement or prophetic significance.
A Closing Thought
Sapphira’s story is brief and painful, yet it speaks honestly to every generation. She and her husband did not fail because they gave too little; they failed because they pretended to give everything while holding something back. The lesson is not that God demands perfect generosity, but that He desires truth in the inward parts. We are invited to bring our whole selves before Him without pretense, trusting that honesty, even when it reveals weakness, is far safer than a lie dressed as devotion.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: New
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Acts 5:1 — But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,