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שָׁבוּעַ

𐤔𐤁𐤅𐤏

shâbûwaʻ

H7620 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שבע to be seven, to swear (make an oath)

Definition

A unit of seven, especially a period of seven days (week); sometimes, a period of seven years (heptad), depending on context. The term denotes a complete cycle made up of seven units, most commonly referring to the seven-day week, but also used in special contexts to denote a seven-year period, such as in calendrical or prophetic passages.

Semantic Range

unit of seven, week (seven days), heptad (seven years, in prophetic literature), period of seven; cycle of seven

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root שָׁבַע (to be seven, to swear), which itself is based on the numeral שֶׁבַע (seven). The word is a substantive form denoting a quantity of seven, most frequently a week. The fem. form שְׁבֻעָה is built analogously. The denominative sense draws on the idea of 'sevening' as a complete cycle resembling the act of making an oath (swearing), but as a noun it denotes a fixed unit of seven.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, שָׁבוּעַ primarily refers to a seven-day week, an organizational structure for the calendar that distinguishes the Israelite cultic and daily life from some surrounding cultures. In Daniel (especially Daniel 9:24–27), שָׁבוּעַ is used to mean a 'week of years', i.e., a period of seven years, reflecting a symbolic or prophetic usage significant in later Jewish apocalyptic interpretation. The semantic overlap between 'seven' as a numeral, the idea of 'fullness' or 'completion,' and calendrical or ritual cycles (as also with sabbatical years) is notable. English translations generally render the term as 'week', but in certain passages—particularly those with prophetic or symbolic import—'heptad' or 'seven-year period' more precisely reflects the underlying sense. The core idea remains a unit or period defined by the number seven, in contrast to simply the numeral or to oaths governed by related roots.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or שָׁבֻעַ; also (feminine) שְׁבֻעָה; properly, passive participle of שָׁבַע as a denominative of שֶׁבַע; literally, sevened, i.e. a week (specifically, of years); seven, week.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שבע (š-b-ʿ) — to be seven, to swear, sevenness, completeness

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1339 בַּת־שֶׁבַע seven
H3090 יְהוֹשַׁבְעַת YHWH-has-sworn
H7621 שְׁבוּעָה by oath-of
H7637 שְׁבִיעִי in the seventh
H7648 שֹׂבַע to fullness

Word Forms

11 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7620-07 שָׁבֻעֹת֙ shavuot HNcmpa weeks cycles of seven 4
H7620-06 שָׁבֻעִ֨ים shavuim HNcmpa weeks seven-cycles 4
H7620-04 הַ/שָּׁבֻע֖וֹת hashavuot HTd/Ncmpa of Weeks the seven-cycles 2
H7620-08 שְׁבֻ֣עַ shevua HNcmsc the week seven-unit of 2
H7620-10 שְׁבֻע֛וֹת shevuot HNcmpc of seven cycles of seven 2
H7620-02 הַ/שָּׁב֜וּעַ hashavua HTd/Ncmsa of the week the seven-cycle 1
H7620-05 שָׁב֣וּעַ shavua HNcmsa week seven-cycle 1
H7620-09 שְׁבֻעַ֖יִם shevuayim HNcmda two weeks two seven-cycles 1
H7620-11 וְ/שָׁבֻעִ֞ים veshavuim HC/Ncmpa and-weeks and seven-cycles 1
H7620-03 הַ/שָּׁבֻעִים֙ hashavuim HTd/Ncmpa the weeks the seven-cycles 1

Occurrences in Scripture

20 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7620-08 Genesis 29:27 שְׁבֻ֣עַ shevua HNcmsc the week seven-unit of
H7620-08 Genesis 29:28 שְׁבֻ֣עַ shevua HNcmsa week seven-unit of
H7620-07 Exodus 34:22 שָׁבֻעֹת֙ shavuot HNcmpa of-Weeks cycles of seven
H7620-09 Leviticus 12:5 שְׁבֻעַ֖יִם shevuayim HNcmda two weeks two seven-cycles
H7620-01 Numbers 28:26 בְּ/שָׁבֻעֹ֖תֵי/כֶ֑ם beshavuoteykhem HR/Ncmpc/Sp2mp in-your-Weeks in your seven-cycles
H7620-07 Deuteronomy 16:9 שָׁבֻעֹ֖ת shavuot HNcmpa weeks cycles of seven
H7620-07 Deuteronomy 16:9 שָׁבֻעֽוֹת shavuot-2 HNcmpa weeks cycles of seven
H7620-07 Deuteronomy 16:10 שָׁבֻעוֹת֙ shavuot HNcmpa of Weeks cycles of seven
H7620-04 Deuteronomy 16:16 הַ/שָּׁבֻע֖וֹת hashavuot HTd/Ncmpa of Weeks the seven-cycles
H7620-10 Jeremiah 5:24 שְׁבֻע֛וֹת shevuot HNcmpc weeks cycles of seven
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