שׂוֹבֶךְ
𐤔𐤅𐤁𐤊
sôwbek
H7730 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A thicket or dense interwoven growth, especially of branches or brush, with an emphasis on the aspect of intertwining or interlacing. It can refer specifically to a tangled mass of branches (such as a thicket or brushwood), and in some contexts, the concept extends to the architectural sense of latticework or a construction formed by crossing or weaving together rods or branches.
Semantic Range
thicket, tangled brush or undergrowth, interwoven branches, dense vegetation, artificial latticework, interlaced screen
Root / Etymology
From the root סבך (s-b-k), meaning 'to entwine, interweave, tangle.' שׂוֹבֶךְ is a noun formation indicating the result of such action—something that is interlaced or entangled, particularly vegetation or material.
Historical & Contextual Notes
שׂוֹבֶךְ appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible, primarily used in the context of dense natural growth (vegetation), as in references to thickets or tangled brush. The related word סֹבֶךְ is more common and can also refer to an artificial lattice or screen (such as those constructed in the Temple or elsewhere), showing semantic overlap between natural and constructed forms that share the feature of intertwining. In post-biblical Hebrew and later periods, the architectural sense becomes more prominent, referring to latticework. While some English translations use 'thicket' or 'interwoven boughs,' these may not convey the wider potential range, including artificial latticework.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
for סֹבֶךְ; a thicket, i.e. interlaced branches; thick boughs.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
סבך (s-b-k) — to entwine, interweave, tangle
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5440 | סָבַךְ | entwined ones |
| H5441 | סֹבֶךְ | his tangled thicket |
| H5442 | סְבָךְ | in the tangled thicket |
| H5443 | סַבְּכָא | interwoven lyre |
| H5444 | סִבְּכַי | Sibbekai |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7730-01 |
שׂוֹבֶךְ֩ | sovekhe | HNcmsc |
thicket | interwoven thicket of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7730-01 |
2 Samuel 18:9 | שׂוֹבֶךְ֩ | sovekhe | HNcmsc |
thicket | interwoven thicket of |