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סִבְּכַי

𐤎𐤁𐤊𐤉

Sibekhay

H5444 noun

SILEX Entry

Root סבך to intertwine, to entangle, be dense/tangled (as a thicket)

Definition

Sibbekai — a proper name designating a prominent Israelite warrior of the Davidic era, described as one of David’s leading military champions. The name potentially bears the connotation of being 'woven' or 'entwined,' connected to the noun for thicket or tangle, but serves as an individual’s name and not an appellative noun.

Semantic Range

proper personal name; no generalized lexical sense; possible metaphorical link to concepts of density, interweaving, tangle (as a thicket)

Root / Etymology

From the root סָבַךְ (s-b-kh), meaning 'to intertwine, entangle, be dense (as a thicket)'; the name likely derives from the noun form signifying a thicket or tangled growth, perhaps metaphorically conveying attributes such as complexity, interconnection, or density. The final -י (yod) is a common theophoric or personal suffix in Hebrew names, though the exact nuance in this name is unclear.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Sibbekai appears as a personal name for a distinguished member of King David’s elite group of warriors, identified as a Hushathite (of the clan/family of Hushah, a Judahite lineage; cf. 2 Samuel 21:18, 1 Chronicles 11:29). There is no evidence that the name was used generically. Later English translations sometimes render the name as 'Sibbechai' or 'Sibbecai.' The underlying root is also found in terms for 'thicket' or 'bush' (e.g., סְבָךְ), leading to the interpretive gloss 'copse-like,' though this sense is not present in the narrative contexts. The name is unique to the Davidic period and does not develop further semantic nuance in later Hebrew literature. English Bibles occasionally conflate the meaning of the name with its root; however, in biblical texts the word functions exclusively as a personal name and carries only secondary descriptive associations from its spelling.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from סָבַךְ; copse-like; Sibbecai, an Israelite; Sibbecai, Sibbechai.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

סבך (s-b-kh) — intertwine, entangle, be dense, thicket

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5440 סָבַךְ entwined ones
H5441 סֹבֶךְ his tangled thicket
H5442 סְבָךְ in the tangled thicket
H5443 סַבְּכָא interwoven lyre
H7730 שׂוֹבֶךְ interwoven thicket of

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5444-01 סִבְּכַי֙ sibekhay HNp Sibbecai Sibbekai 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5444-01 2 Samuel 21:18 סִבְּכַי֙ sibekhay HNp Sibbecai Sibbekai
H5444-01 1 Chronicles 11:29 סִבְּכַי֙ sibekhay HNp Sibbecai Sibbekai
H5444-01 1 Chronicles 20:4 סִבְּכַ֣י sibekhay HNp Sibbechai Sibbekai
H5444-01 1 Chronicles 27:11 סִבְּכַ֥י sibekhay HNp Sibbecai Sibbekai
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