Protos

Who was Zippor in the Bible?

Moabite, during the years in Egypt and the wilderness

Zippor was the father of Balak, the king of Moab who opposed the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness. Zippor appears in 7 verses across 3 books of the Bible.

What does the Bible say about Zippor?

Zippor was the father of Balak, the king of Moab who opposed the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness. He is mentioned several times in the account of Balak's attempts to curse Israel through the prophet Balaam (Numbers 22-24). Zippor's name, which means "bird" or "sparrow," is consistently used in conjunction with Balak's name, emphasizing his role as the king's father. Although little is known about Zippor's life, his son Balak's actions suggest that he may have shared the same hostility towards the Israelites. In Jos.24.9 and Jdg.11.25, Zippor is mentioned in the context of recounting Israel's past conflicts with Moab, further highlighting the significance of his son's opposition to Israel. Some scholars speculate that Zippor may have been the "former king of Moab" mentioned in Num.21.26, but this is not explicitly stated in the text.

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Zippor appear in the Bible?

Zippor is referenced in 7 verses across 3 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Numbers 5Judges 1Joshua 1

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Zippor.

BalakMoabBalaamAmoritesMidian

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Zippor?

Zippor appears in 7 verses across 3 books, most often in Numbers, which accounts for 5 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Zippor?

Numbers, Judges, Joshua.

Where can I read every verse about Zippor?

This page lists 7 of them. Protos carries all 7, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Numbers with Zippor explained on the verse.

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