כִּשְׂבָּה
𐤊𐤔𐤁𐤄
kisbâh
H3776 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A female lamb or young ewe, especially one that has not yet borne offspring; denotes a young female member of the flock, distinguished from adult female sheep. The term primarily references the age and reproductive status of the animal, emphasizing youth and potential for future breeding.
Semantic Range
female lamb, young ewe, young female sheep, female sacrificial lamb
Root / Etymology
From the root כּ־שׂ־ב (כבשׂ), which fundamentally means 'to subdue, subject, bring under control,' but as a noun refers to a 'lamb' or 'young sheep.' כִּשְׂבָּה is the feminine counterpart to כֶּשֶׂב (keśev, 'young ram'). The ending -ָה marks the feminine in Hebrew nouns.
Historical & Contextual Notes
כִּשְׂבָּה appears infrequently in the Hebrew Bible and is more specialized than other terms for sheep. It specifically marks the animal as both young (not fully mature) and female. The more common term for female sheep is רָחֵל (raḥēl), referring to an adult ewe. In cultic and legal contexts, כִּשְׂבָּה is sometimes listed alongside כֶּשֶׂב and רָחֵל to specify acceptable sacrificial animals by age and sex (e.g., Lev 14:10). English translations generally use 'ewe lamb' or 'female lamb,' though modern readers may not always appreciate the distinction from mature ewes or male lambs. The distinction between כֶשֶׂב and כִּשְׂבָּה underscores the importance of precise terminology in Israelite pastoral and ritual practice. In later periods, this lexical distinction faded from everyday speech as flocks were referred to as a whole. The term does not carry any ethnic, religious, or place-name connotations in the Hebrew Bible.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of כֶּשֶׂב; a young ewe; lamb.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כבשׂ (k-b-s) — to subdue, to subject, lamb, young sheep
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3535 | כִּבְשָׂה | the female lamb |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3776-01 |
כִּשְׂבָּ֛ה | kisebah | HNcfsa |
a lamb | young ewe-lamb | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3776-01 |
Leviticus 5:6 | כִּשְׂבָּ֛ה | kisebah | HNcfsa |
a lamb | young ewe-lamb |