Sapphira

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

("sapphire" or "beautiful".) Three hours only elapsed between Ananias' death and her lie (she being unaware of her husband's doom) and death (Acts 5:1; Acts 5:7-10). (See ANANIAS.)

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Sapphi'ra. See Ananias.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

See Ananias 1.

Holman Bible Dictionary

Ananias

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Acts 5:1-11

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

SAPPHIRA . See Ananias, No. 1.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

See Ananias.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

See ANANIAS.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Σαπφείρη , a sapphire stone, or beautiful), The wife of Ananias, and his accomplice in the sin for which he died (Acts 5, 1-10). A.D. 30. Unaware of the judgment which had befallen her husband, she entered the place about three hours after, probably to look for him; and, being there interrogated by Peter, repeated and persisted in the "lie unto the Holy Ghost" which had destroyed her husband; on which the grieved apostle made known to her his doom, and pronounced her own" Behold, the feet of them who have buried thy husband are at the door and shall carry thee out." On hearing these awful words, she fell dead at his feet. The cool obstinacy of Sapphira in answering as she did the questions which were probably designed to awaken her conscience deepens the shade of the foul crime common to her and her husband, and has suggested to many the probability that the plot was of her devising, and that, like another Eve, she drew her husband into it. The interval of three hours that elapsed between the two deaths, Sapphira's ignorance of what had happened to her husband, and the predictive language of Peter towards her are decisive evidences as to the supernatural character of the whole transaction. The history of Sapphira's death thus supplements that of Ananias, which might otherwise have been attributed to natural causes. (See Ananias).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Sapphi´ra, the wife of Ananias, and his accomplice in the sin for which he died . Unaware of the judgment which had befallen her husband, she entered the place about three hours after, probably to look for him; and being there interrogated by Peter, repeated and persisted in the 'lie unto the Holy Ghost,' which had destroyed her husband; on which the grieved apostle made known to her his doom, and pronounced her own—'Behold, the feet of those who have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.' On hearing these awful words, she fell dead at his feet [ANANIAS].

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sa - fı̄´ra ( שׁפּירא , shappı̄rā'  ; Aramaic for either "beautiful" or "sapphire"; Σαπφείρα , Sappheı́ra ): Wife of Ananias ( Acts 5:1-10 ). See Ananias , (1).