Overview
Sepharvaim was an ancient city, likely located in Mesopotamia, whose people were deported by the Assyrians and resettled in Samaria after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 17:24). The city appears in the biblical record primarily during Assyria's military campaigns against Judah under King Hezekiah, when Assyrian messengers mockingly referenced it as evidence of their conquering power.
Key Scriptures
"The king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes" (2 Kings 17:6, ESV). "And the Assyrians brought people from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel" (2 Kings 17:24, ESV). "Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?" (2 Kings 19:13, ESV).
Application
Sepharvaim reminds us that human kingdoms rise and fall, but God's purposes ultimately prevail over earthly powers.