The verb σηπω (sepo) means to rot or be putrid: to be slowly digested by an infection of bacteria and fungi (or poison from a snake) and be reduced to dust. In the classics, this verb occurs mostly in the passive form, and is often used to describe infected and thus rotting flesh, dead or living (hence our English terms septic and sepsis). On occasion, this verb denotes the bite of a certain snake: the noun σηψ (seps) denotes either a putrefying sore or else a kind of serpent whose bite causes terrible thirst. The verb is considered derivative of the noun.

It's formally not clear whether these words are Indo-European or not, but here at Abarim Publications we're rather struck by their similarities to the Hebrew root ספף (sapap), to make or mark a threshold (which something that's rotting has obviously crossed). Verb שוף (shup) means to violate in the sense of illicitly entering one's personal space (or body). This Hebrew verb became associated with the "bruising" assault of the Paradisical snake (Genesis 3:15) or that of proverbial tempestuous darkness (Job 9:17, Psalm 139:11). The noun שפיפן (shepipon) denotes a kind of heel-snapping snake (Genesis 49:17).

Our verb σηπω (sepo) is used in James 5:2 only, but from it derives:

The noun σαπφειρος (sappheiros) means sapphire. It's somewhat similar to σαπρος (sapros), rotten or putrid (see above), but that appears to be entirely accidental. Still, it may have provided creative Koine authors with a welcomed pun: from this word derives the name Sapphira, who, together with her husband Ananias, tried to deceive Peter concerning the sale of a plot of land, and died because of it. This story appears to be deliberately designed to reflect the fall of man (the name Adam derives from אדמה, 'adamah, field or soil), which certainly connects it to the words discussed above.

Our noun ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word canipriya, meaning the same, but it probably ended up in Greek as a transliteration of the Hebrew noun ספיר (sappir), also meaning sapphire. The formation of this Hebrew word may have been helped along by the verb שפר (shapar), to be pleasing or harmoniously composed.

The sapphire serves a small but important role in the Hebrew Bible: see our article on the Hebrew noun ספיר (sappir) for a closer look. In the New Testament, our word occurs in Revelation 21:19 only, in the description of the second of twelve foundation stones of the wall of the New Jerusalem. This arrangement not only mimics the breastplate of the high priest (Exodus 28:21), it also serves to indicate what principles and situations will have been "trodden underfoot" in the Final City (compare Matthew 5:13 to Revelation 21:21, and see Revelation 21:4).