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שְׁבִי

𐤔𐤁𐤉

shᵉbîy

H7628 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שבה to take captive,to capture,to deport

Definition

State or condition of being taken captive, especially as prisoners of war; the act of taking or being in exile following defeat. The term can denote both the event of capture/exile and those experiencing it (captives). In some cases, it extends to the objects or persons taken as 'booty' in warfare. As an abstract noun, it refers to the concept of exile or captivity; as a concrete noun, it often denotes actual captives or prisoners.

Semantic Range

captivity, exile, the state of being captive, the event of capture, captives, prisoners, those taken in war, booty (when referring to persons or things captured); sometimes metaphorical for national suffering or alienation

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁבה (sh-b-h), meaning 'to capture, take captive, deport.' The noun שְׁבִי is a nominal formation (usually regarded as a masculine noun, occasionally with collective or abstract sense) referring to the state, process, or outcome of being taken captive or exiled. Distinct from the derived noun שְׁבוּת (shevut), which can also mean captivity or fortune/return from captivity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שְׁבִי first appears in contexts relating to warfare in early and monarchic Israelite texts, chiefly describing the fate of combatants and populations captured by an opposing force. In these uses, it frequently has a collective or abstract sense: the captivity or the captives. In exilic and post-exilic literature, especially in prophetic and psalmic texts, שְׁבִי becomes a metaphor for the larger national experience of exile, reflecting both historical deportations (such as by the Neo-Assyrian or Babylonian empires) and the hope for restoration. The English 'captivity' or 'exile' adequately translates the word's basic sense, but in some passages, 'booty' or 'prisoners' is more specifically intended. Medieval and later Jewish exegesis sometimes contrasted שְׁבִי (focus on people) with שְׁלוּלָה (shalalah, 'spoil/booty' focused on property). The translation 'Jewish exile' or 'Jewish captives' is anachronistic for pre-exilic contexts, as the people referenced are Israelites or Judahites, and not all later 'captives/exiles' are Judeans. The nuance between individual, collective, and abstract usages should be considered carefully in context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שְׁבוּ; exiled; captured; as noun, exile (abstractly or concretely and collectively); by extension, booty; captive(-ity), prisoners, [idiom] take away, that was taken.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שבה (sh-b-h) — to take captive, capture, deport

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7617 שָׁבָה like captured women
H7618 שְׁבוּ sparkling gemstone
H7622 שְׁבוּת captivity of
H7630 שֹׁבַי Captive-One
H7633 שִׁבְיָה in the captivity

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7628-01 בַּ/שֶּֽׁבִי bashevi HRd/Ncbsa into captivity in the captivity 11
H7628-09 שֶֽׁבִי shevi HNcbsa captives Take captive! 9
H7628-04 הַ/שְּׁבִ֔י hashevi HTd/Ncbsa the captivity the captivity 6
H7628-05 לַ/שְּׁבִ֖י lashevi HRd/Ncbsa to captivity to the captivity 5
H7628-15 בַ/שְּׁבִ֖י vashevi HRd/Ncbsa into captivity in captivity 4
H7628-12 שִׁבְיָ֑/ם shiveyam HNcbsc/Sp3mp of their captivity their captivity 2
H7628-06 מֵ/הַ/שְּׁבִ֣י mehashevi HR/Td/Ncbsa from the captivity from the captivity 2
H7628-07 מִ/שְּׁבִ֣י mishevi HR/Ncbsc from the captivity from captivity 2
H7628-13 שִׁבְיֽ/וֹ shiveyo HNcbsc/Sp3ms his captives his captivity 1
H7628-14 וּ/שְׁבִי/כֶֽם ushevikhem HC/Ncbsc/Sp2mp and your captives and your captivity 1

Occurrences in Scripture

48 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7628-04 Exodus 12:29 הַ/שְּׁבִ֔י hashevi HTd/Ncbsa of the captive the captivity
H7628-09 Numbers 21:1 שֶֽׁבִי shevi HNcbsa prisoners Take captive!
H7628-02 Numbers 21:29 בַּ/שְּׁבִ֔ית bashevit HRd/Ncbsa into captivity captivity
H7628-04 Numbers 31:12 הַ/שְּׁבִ֧י hashevi HTd/Ncbsa the captives the captivity
H7628-14 Numbers 31:19 וּ/שְׁבִי/כֶֽם ushevikhem HC/Ncbsc/Sp2mp and your captives and your captivity
H7628-04 Numbers 31:26 הַ/שְּׁבִ֔י hashevi HTd/Ncbsa of the captives the captivity
H7628-13 Deuteronomy 21:10 שִׁבְיֽ/וֹ shiveyo HNcbsc/Sp3ms his captives his captivity
H7628-01 Deuteronomy 28:41 בַּ/שֶּֽׁבִי bashevi HRd/Ncbsa into-captivity in the captivity
H7628-08 Judges 5:12 שֶׁבְיְ/ךָ֖ sheveyekha HNcbsc/Sp2ms your captives your captivity
H7628-09 Isaiah 20:4 שְׁבִ֨י shevi HNcbsc captives Take captive!
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