place · also Sardis
Sepharad
סְפָרַ֑דΣάρδεις
Sepharad, possibly referring to Sardis, was a destination of exiled Jews (Obad. 1:20) and one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation (Rev. 1:11; 3:1, 4).
- verses
- 4
- first named
- Obadiah 1:20
- last named
- Revelation 3:4
- feature
- settlement
- coordinates
- 38.49°N · 28.04°E
Sardis (OpenBible)
The gazetteer records one identification, and no competing one.
Description
Sepharad in the text
Sepharad is mentioned in the Bible as a place where exiled Jews were located (Obad. 1:20). The exact location of Sepharad is uncertain, but many scholars believe it refers to Sardis, an ancient city in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia and later became an important city in the Persian and Roman empires.
In the book of Revelation, Sardis is mentioned as one of the seven churches addressed by Jesus (Rev. 1:11; 3:1, 4). The church in Sardis is rebuked for its spiritual deadness and is called to repent and strengthen what remains (Rev. 3:1-3). However, there were a few faithful believers in Sardis who had not defiled their garments, and they are promised to walk with Jesus in white (Rev. 3:4).
If Sepharad and Sardis are indeed the same place, the reference in Obadiah suggests that a Jewish community existed there, possibly as a result of the Babylonian exile. The mention of Sardis in Revelation highlights the city's significance in early Christian history and the challenges faced by the church in that location.
Relations
Direct connections
Every relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends of an edge always agree. Neither end of one reaches this entity.
Not stated
Nothing stands in a stated relation with this entity.
The pattern
Where Sepharad is named
Every book of the corpus in the order it is read, each as wide as the chapters it holds. A bar is the verses of that book which write the name, and the flat stretches are as much of the answer as the bars.
4 verses across 2 of 66 books; 64 write the name nowhere. Named in Obadiah (1) and Revelation (3).
Read it
Where to read it
Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 4, across 2 books.
Onward
Where this page goes
Nothing in the graph stands one hop from this entity yet. These are the best-connected entities of the same type, so the page still ends somewhere. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.
Sources