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סְבָלָה

𐤎𐤁𐤋𐤄

çᵉbâlâh

H5450 noun

SILEX Entry

Root סבל to carry, to bear, to transport

Definition

Load or burden, especially that which is carried or transported; the act or duty of bearing loads, particularly in a context of enforced labor or state-driven work projects. The term most often refers to physical burdens or loads (such as those carried by laborers), but can extend to institutionalized systems of forced labor or corvée.

Semantic Range

load, burden, that which is borne or carried, material assigned to laborers, the system or task of forced labor, corvée

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root סבל (s-b-l), which has the core meaning of 'to carry, to bear, to transport.' The noun סְבָלָה (səbalâh) is a feminine form derived from this root, designating a load, burden, or material to be carried.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, סְבָלָה refers primarily to the physical loads or burdens assigned to laborers, especially in contexts describing forced labor imposed by rulers (notably during the building programs of the United Monarchy, e.g., Solomon). It occurs in passages describing state administration and taxation, where 'the burden' can refer to materials or even the system of corvée labor itself. The related noun סֵבֶל (sēvel) has a similar semantic field but can emphasize the act of bearing or suffering as well as the burden itself. English versions often translate סְבָלָה simply as 'burden,' which may obscure the institutional context of labor and state service in some texts. Over time, the language of burdens also gained metaphorical use (especially for suffering), but סְבָלָה itself is characteristically concrete, rarely metaphorical. Later post-biblical Hebrew expands the notion of סבל to verbal forms meaning 'to tolerate' or 'endure,' but these are not dominant biblical usages.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from סֵבֶל; porterage; burden.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

סבל (s-b-l) — to carry, to bear, to transport

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5445 סָבַל I will bear
H5446 סְבַל being set-up ones
H5447 סֵבֶל in the burden
H5448 סֹבֶל his burden-load
H5449 סַבָּל the load-bearer

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5450-01 בְּ/סִבְלֹתָ֑/ם besivelotam HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp at their burdens in their carried-loads 2
H5450-04 סִבְלֹ֣ת sivelot HNcfpc the burdens of loads of 2
H5450-03 מִ/סִּבְלֹתָֽ/ם misivelotam HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp from their labors from their burdens 1
H5450-02 לְ/סִבְלֹתֵי/כֶֽם lesiveloteykhem HR/Ncfpc/Sp2mp to your labors to your loads 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5450-01 Exodus 1:11 בְּ/סִבְלֹתָ֑/ם besivelotam HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp with their burdens. in their carried-loads
H5450-01 Exodus 2:11 בְּ/סִבְלֹתָ֑/ם besivelotam HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp at their burdens in their carried-loads
H5450-02 Exodus 5:4 לְ/סִבְלֹתֵי/כֶֽם lesiveloteykhem HR/Ncfpc/Sp2mp to your labors to your loads
H5450-03 Exodus 5:5 מִ/סִּבְלֹתָֽ/ם misivelotam HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp from their labors from their burdens
H5450-04 Exodus 6:6 סִבְלֹ֣ת sivelot HNcfpc the burdens of loads of
H5450-04 Exodus 6:7 סִבְל֥וֹת sivelot HNcfpc the burdens of loads of
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