שָׁבַר
𐤔𐤁𐤓
shâbar
H7665 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To break, smash, or shatter something physically; to destroy or demolish; in extended or figurative senses, to break the will, spirit, heart, or power, indicating the bringing of suffering, disaster, or a state of despair or defeat. In rare poetic usage, used for bringing forth (as in birth) under the force of breaking. The verb focuses on an act of force which results in the disruption, fragmentation, or destruction of the object in question.
Semantic Range
to break or smash (objects, bones, vessels, gates, weapons); to destroy or demolish (cities, armies, strength); to break someone's will or heart; to crush emotionally or spiritually; to bring to birth (poetic extension); to quench or shatter (hopes, plans, pride); to defeat or subdue; to invalidate or nullify power or hope
Root / Etymology
From the Hebrew root שׁ־ב־ר, which fundamentally means 'to break' or 'to smash.' Formative noun and verb derivations maintain the sense of breaking, crushing, or rendering ineffectual by violent disruption. The root indicates an act of separating an object into pieces, and from this core meaning, semantic extensions such as 'to break the spirit' or 'to destroy power' developed in figurative usage. This is distinct from other roots that mean to tear (קרע) or to grind (דקק).
Historical & Contextual Notes
שָׁבַר appears frequently in both literal and figurative contexts throughout the Hebrew Bible. Literally, it is used of objects broken by force (e.g., vessels, bones, gates, weapons). Figuratively, it is used to describe emotionally crushed individuals ('brokenhearted'), the destruction or defeat of peoples and nations, or the invalidation of plans. The verb is common in both prose and poetry, with a strong preference in the prophets for figurative uses related to judgment, exile, and defeat. In birth imagery (e.g., Isa 66:9), it can signal the rupture associated with labor and the act of bringing forth. The root should not be confused with שָׂבַר ('to hope'), despite occasional overlap in the translation traditions that led to the confusion noted in Strong's. English translations that simply render as 'break' may not capture the full emotional or existential weight when the term is used in figurative contexts, e.g., 'crush the arrogant,' 'break the arm' (meaning power), or 'broken in spirit.' The idiom 'brokenhearted' is one of the most notable semantic extensions, denoting deep anguish or despair. The semantic range highlights the robust force implied by שָׁבַר, as opposed to less violent alternatives such as 'bend' (כָּפַף) or 'split' (בָּקַע).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to burst (literally or figuratively); break (down, off, in pieces, up), broken (-hearted), bring to the birth, crush, destroy, hurt, quench, [idiom] quite, tear, view (by mistake for שָׂבַר).
Bantu Hebrew
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שבר (sh-b-r) — to break, to smash, to shatter
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4866 | מִשְׁבֵּר | in the birth-breaking of |
| H4867 | מִשְׁבָּר | your breaking waves |
| H7666 | שָׁבַר | the grain-dealer |
| H7667 | שֶׁבֶר | in breaking-of |
| H7668 | שֶׁבֶר | in the broken grain |
Word Forms
71 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7665-62 |
וְ/שָׁבַרְתִּ֖י | veshavareti | HC/Vqq1cs |
and I will break | and I shattered | 7 |
H7665-11 |
נִשְׁבַּ֥ר | nishebar | HVNp3ms |
is broken | was shattered | 6 |
H7665-68 |
יִשָּׁבֵ֑ר | yishaver | HVNi3ms |
shall-be-broken | he will be shattered | 6 |
H7665-04 |
אֶשְׁבֹּ֞ר | eshebor | HVqi1cs |
I will break | I will break | 6 |
H7665-49 |
וַ/יְשַׁבֵּ֥ר | vayeshaber | HC/Vpw3ms |
and broke | and he shattered | 5 |
H7665-15 |
נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה | nisheberah | HVNp3fs |
has-been-broken | she was shattered | 5 |
H7665-28 |
שִׁבַּ֥ר | shibar | HVpp3ms |
he broke | he shattered | 5 |
H7665-29 |
שִׁבַּֽרְתָּ | shibareta | HVpp2ms |
you broke | you smashed | 4 |
H7665-31 |
שִׁבְּר֣וּ | shiberu | HVpp3cp |
broke | they shattered | 4 |
H7665-17 |
נִשְׁבְּר֥וּ | nisheberu | HVNp3cp |
have been broken | they were shattered | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
149 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7665-09 |
Genesis 19:9 | לִ/שְׁבֹּ֥ר | lishebor | HR/Vqc |
to break | to break |
H7665-30 |
Exodus 9:25 | שִׁבֵּֽר | shiber | HVpp3ms |
it broke | he shattered |
H7665-40 |
Exodus 12:46 | תִשְׁבְּרוּ | tisheberu | HVqi2mp |
you shall break | you (masculine plural) will break |
H7665-11 |
Exodus 22:9 | נִשְׁבַּ֥ר | nishebar | HVNp3ms |
is hurt | was shattered |
H7665-57 |
Exodus 22:13 | וְ/נִשְׁבַּ֣ר | venishebar | HC/VNp3ms |
and it is broken | and was shattered |
H7665-60 |
Exodus 23:24 | וְ/שַׁבֵּ֥ר | veshaber | HC/Vpa |
breaking | and shattering |
H7665-33 |
Exodus 23:24 | תְּשַׁבֵּ֖ר | teshaber | HVpi2ms |
you shall break | you will shatter |
H7665-49 |
Exodus 32:19 | וַ/יְשַׁבֵּ֥ר | vayeshaber | HC/Vpw3ms |
and broke | and he shattered |
H7665-29 |
Exodus 34:1 | שִׁבַּֽרְתָּ | shibareta | HVpp2ms |
you broke | you smashed |
H7665-35 |
Exodus 34:13 | תְּשַׁבֵּר֑וּ/ן | teshaberun | HVpi2mp/Sn |
you shall smash | you will shatter |