← H7616 H7618 →

שָׁבָה

𐤔𐤁𐤄

shâbâh

H7617 verb

SILEX Entry

Root שבה to take captive, to seize, to carry away

Definition

To take captive, seize or carry off persons or property, especially by force or as part of military action. Used primarily in the context of taking people as captives in war or raids, but can also refer to carrying away goods or spoils; the term may also extend to the act of leading away into exile or forced migration after conquest.

Semantic Range

to capture persons in war, to lead away in captivity, to carry off as spoils, to deport, to remove by force, to seize as prisoners of war, to lead away into exile or servitude

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁ־ב־ה (שבה), which carries the sense of seizing, capturing or carrying off. The form שָׁבָה is the standard Qal verb form, representing the action of taking or leading away what is seized. The root meaning (‘to capture, seize, lead away’) is directly reflected in the verb.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שָׁבָה occurs frequently in descriptions of warfare and conflict in the Hebrew Bible, especially in narratives about the conquest of Canaan, incursions by foreign powers, and in prophetic references to exile. It commonly designates the seizing of individuals or groups—most often Israelites/Israelites as victims of foreign aggression, or, occasionally, as actors in taking others captive. In legal and narrative settings, שָׁבָה may apply to men, women, or children; the connotation is almost always involuntary removal or forced movement. In later contexts (exilic and post-exilic), the term is used to describe Israelite and Judahite experiences of captivity by foreign empires, giving rise to related terms for exile and return (e.g., שְׁבוּת, captivity or exile; שָׁבָה can be the basis for describing both the event and the experience of displacement). The English word 'captive' or 'take captive' generally reflects the primary meaning but may fail to capture the connotation of forced displacement and the broader context of war and loss implied in the Hebrew word. שָׁבָה should not be confused with כָּבַשׁ (kabash, 'to subdue') or לָכַד (lakad, 'to capture/fall prey'), though all may be associated in conquest narratives. The usage remains consistent from early to late biblical texts, with some expansion in figurative language.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to transport into captivity; (bring away, carry, carry away, lead, lead away, take) captive(-s), drive (take) away.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

שבה (š-b-h) — to take captive, to seize, to carry away

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7618 שְׁבוּ sparkling gemstone
H7622 שְׁבוּת captivity of
H7628 שְׁבִי in the captivity
H7630 שֹׁבַי Captive-One
H7633 שִׁבְיָה in the captivity

Word Forms

21 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7617-18 וַ/יִּשְׁבּ֧וּ vayishebu HC/Vqw3mp and they took captive and they took captive 9
H7617-11 שֹֽׁבֵי/הֶם֙ shoveyhem HVqrmpc/Sp3mp their captors their capturers 7
H7617-05 נִשְׁבּֽוּ nishebu HVNp3cp had been taken captive were taken captive 5
H7617-08 שָׁב֖וּ shavu HVqp3cp led they took captive 4
H7617-04 נִשְׁבָּ֖ה nishebah HVNp3ms driven away was taken captive 3
H7617-07 שָׁבִ֛יתָ shavita HVqp2ms you have taken captive you took captive 2
H7617-21 וְ/שָׁב֤וּ/ם veshavum HC/Vqq3cp/Sp3mp and their captors carry them and they carried them away captive 2
H7617-16 וַ/יִּ֥שְׁבְּ vayishebe HC/Vqw3ms and took and he took captive 2
H7617-09 שְׁבִיתֶ֖ם shevitem HVqp2mp you-have-taken-captive you took captive 1
H7617-17 וַ/יִּשְׁבֵּ/ם֙ vayishebem HC/Vqw3ms/Sp3mp and carried them captive and he took them captive 1

Occurrences in Scripture

47 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7617-04 Genesis 14:14 נִשְׁבָּ֖ה nishebah HVNp3ms had been taken captive was taken captive
H7617-01 Genesis 31:26 כִּ/שְׁבֻי֖וֹת kishevuyot HR/Vqsfpc like captives like captured women
H7617-08 Genesis 34:29 שָׁב֖וּ shavu HVqp3cp they took captive they took captive
H7617-04 Exodus 22:9 נִשְׁבָּ֖ה nishebah HVNp3ms driven away was taken captive
H7617-16 Numbers 21:1 וַ/יִּ֥שְׁבְּ vayishebe HC/Vqw3ms and took and he took captive
H7617-14 Numbers 24:22 תִּשְׁבֶּֽ/ךָּ tishebekha HVqi3fs/Sp2ms takes-you-captive she takes you captive
H7617-18 Numbers 31:9 וַ/יִּשְׁבּ֧וּ vayishebu HC/Vqw3mp and they took captive and they took captive
H7617-20 Deuteronomy 21:10 וְ/שָׁבִ֥יתָ veshavita HC/Vqq2ms and you take captive and you took captive
H7617-15 Judges 5:12 וּֽ/שֲׁבֵ֥ה ushaveh HC/Vqv2ms and lead away and take captive
H7617-18 1 Samuel 30:2 וַ/יִּשְׁבּ֨וּ vayishebu HC/Vqw3mp and they had taken captive and they took captive
← H7616 Hebrew Lexicon H7618 →