שָׁבִיס
𐤔𐤁𐤉𐤎
shâbîyç
H7636 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A type of hair covering or decorative netting, likely an ornamental mesh or cap worn by women to contain or adorn their hair; used specifically as an article of women's attire in ancient contexts, highlighting status or appearance.
Semantic Range
hair net, ornamental mesh, woven hair covering, decorative hair cap
Root / Etymology
Derived from an unused root, likely שָׁבַץ, whose hypothetical meaning is 'to interweave' or 'to set' (as in settings of stones); the noun שָׁבִיס refers to something interwoven, i.e., a network or mesh. Root-level meaning is weaving/interweaving, while the lexical meaning here is a woven hair covering.
Historical & Contextual Notes
שָׁבִיס appears in the Hebrew Bible only in Isaiah 3:18, within a list of women's decorative items threatened with removal as a sign of judgment on the Jerusalem elite. The precise form and cultural context of the שָׁבִיס is uncertain; ancient translations (LXX, Vulgate, Targums) diverge, offering terms like διάδημα (diadem) or 'frontlets,' showing the ambiguity even in antiquity. In the ancient Israelite/early Judahite context, it probably referred to an ornamental net or mesh used by women of means, to hold or decorate the hair, distinct from other terms for veils, turbans, or frontlets. Later English translations sometimes use the historically anachronistic 'caul,' but its actual form is not recoverable from biblical evidence alone. The term does not reappear in later Hebrew or rabbinic literature, signifying its narrow usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to interweave; a netting for the hair; caul.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
שבץ (š-b-ṣ) — interweaving, setting, inlaying
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4865 | מִשְׁבְּצָה | filigree gem-settings of |
| H7660 | שָׁבַץ | inlaid ones |
| H7661 | שָׁבָץ | the entanglement |
| H8665 | תַּשְׁבֵּץ | interwoven patterned fabric |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7636-01 |
וְ/הַ/שְּׁבִיסִ֖ים | vehashevisim | HC/Td/Ncmpa |
and the headbands | the interwoven hair-nets | and the interwoven hair-nets | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7636-01 |
Isaiah 3:18 | וְ/הַ/שְּׁבִיסִ֖ים | vehashevisim | HC/Td/Ncmpa |
and the headbands | the interwoven hair-nets | and the interwoven hair-nets |