Shephuphan is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Shephuphan was a descendant of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob, and he is named in the tribal genealogies recorded in 1 Chronicles. His only appearance in the King James Bible is in 1 Chronicles 8:5, where he is listed among the sons of a man named Bela: “And Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram.” The passage sits within a larger registry that traces the families and clans of Benjamin, one of the tribes that made up the nation of Israel.
The chapter opens by identifying Benjamin’s sons and then follows the line of Bela, whose descendants are enumerated in the verses that follow. Shephuphan appears in that list alongside his brothers, named as part of the household of Bela. The text records nothing further about him—no deed, no journey, no word, no death. He is simply one link in a family chain, preserved in a record that was compiled to document the tribe’s lineage.
That is the whole of what Scripture says of him. In the narrative of the Bible he neither acts nor speaks; he is remembered only because he belonged to a family and a tribe. Yet his inclusion in the genealogy is not without significance. The Chronicler, writing for a people returning from exile, gathered these names to show that the families of Israel were known, counted, and preserved. Shephuphan’s name survives in that account, a small but real part of the record of Benjamin.
The Name
The name Shephuphan is a Hebrew name of uncertain meaning. It appears in the Hebrew text of 1 Chronicles 8:5 in a form closely related to the name Shephupham, which occurs in the parallel genealogy of Benjamin in Numbers 26:39. Because the name is rare and its root is not clearly agreed upon, no meaning can be stated with confidence. Some have suggested a connection to a root involving a serpent or to a word for a horn or a tooth, but these proposals are not firmly established. It is best to say plainly that the meaning of this name is not clearly recoverable.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be remembered in a history book. Our lives are made up of ordinary days, quiet faithfulness, and names known mainly to family and to God. Shephuphan is a reminder that being counted among the people of God does not require a famous deed. He is listed, and that is enough. The Lord knows those who are His, and He does not lose the names of the humble. If your life seems small and unrecorded, take heart: you are not forgotten by the One who numbers the stars and calls them each by name.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 8:5 — And Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram.