שׁוֹבָב
𐤔𐤅𐤁𐤁
shôwbâb
H7726 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
One who turns away, wanders, or acts rebelliously; most often refers to a person who strays from obedience or loyalty, whether in a communal, covenantal, or moral sense. The primary sense is of returning, but with an added nuance of recalcitrance or disloyalty; frequently denotes 'rebellious' or 'wayward' children or people who have departed from an expected path or obligation.
Semantic Range
rebellious, wayward, backsliding (esp. of Israel or individuals), recalcitrant, one who turns away, persistent in straying, morally errant; later poetic sense of mischievous (rare outside biblical contexts)
Root / Etymology
From the root שׁוּב (shuv), meaning 'to turn, return, go back', with an intensive or repetitive nuance that suggests turning away or back repeatedly and, by extension, a persistent going astray. The derived form שׁוֹבָב denotes someone characterized by this repeated or habitual turning away.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, שׁוֹבָב appears primarily in poetic and prophetic texts and characterizes individuals or groups as persistently disobedient—especially in the context of the covenant between Israel and their deity. For example, in Jeremiah and Isaiah, Israel is metaphorically called שׁוֹבָב to convey the nation's pattern of forsaking covenantal obligations (Jeremiah 3:14, 22). It is also used of individuals, notably children (Proverbs 14:16), to describe moral waywardness or rebelliousness. English translations such as 'apostate' or 'backsliding' reflect later theological interpretation; the original sense centers not on formal renunciation but on defection or waywardness from proper behavior or relationship. In post-biblical Hebrew and Modern Hebrew, the term has softened from describing rebellion to a mischievous or playful character, but this nuance does not appear in biblical contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שׁוּב; apostate, i.e. idolatrous; backsliding, frowardly, turn away (from margin).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
שׁוּב (Yashuv) — to return, turn back, restore
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3437 | יָשׁוּב | to He-will-return |
| H4877 | מְשׁוֹבָב | and Restorer |
| H4878 | מְשׁוּבָה | to my turning-away |
| H7728 | שׁוֹבֵב | the turning-away woman |
| H7729 | שׁוּבָה | in returning |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7726-02 |
שׁוֹבָבִים֙ | shovavim | HAampa |
backsliding | turning-away ones | rebellious ones | 2 |
H7726-01 |
שׁוֹבָ֖ב | shovav | HAamsa |
backsliding | turning-away one | turning-away one | 1 |
H7726-03 |
שובבים | shvvvym | HAampa |
turning aside | wayward ones | wayward ones | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7726-01 |
Isaiah 57:17 | שׁוֹבָ֖ב | shovav | HAamsa |
backsliding | turning-away one | turning-away one |
H7726-02 |
Jeremiah 3:14 | שׁוֹבָבִים֙ | shovavim | HAampa |
backsliding | turning-away ones | turning-away ones |
H7726-02 |
Jeremiah 3:22 | שׁוֹבָבִ֔ים | shovavim | HAampa |
backsliding | turning-away ones | rebellious ones |
H7726-03 |
Jeremiah 50:6 | שובבים | shvvvym | HAampa |
turning aside | wayward ones | wayward ones |