Lexical Summary
shaab: To draw (water), to scoop
Original Word:שָׁאַב
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:sha'ab
Pronunciation:shah-AB
Phonetic Spelling:(sahw-ab')
KJV: (woman to) draw(-er, water)
NASB:draw, drew, drawers, draw water, draws
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to bale up water
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
to bale up water
A primitive root; to bale up water -- (woman to) draw(-er, water).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto draw (water)
NASB Translationdraw (9), draw water (1), drawers (3), draws (1), drew (5).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (water) (Late Hebrew
id., also
attract; Aramaic , of magnet; Arabic
be satisfied with drinking); —
Perfect2masculine plural consecutiveIsaiah 12:3;Imperfect3feminine singularGenesis 24:20, -Genesis 24:45; 1singularGenesis 24:19;Genesis 24:44; 3masculine pluralRuth 2:9,1 Samuel 7:6 2t.;Imperative feminine singularNahum 3:14;Participle masculine singularDeuteronomy 29:10, plural constructJoshua 9:21,23,27; feminine pluralGenesis 24:11; —draw water, with accusativeGenesis 24:13 (J),1 Samuel 7:6;1 Samuel 9:11, + of source2 Samuel 23:16 =1 Chronicles 11:18;Isaiah 12:3 (figurative);Nahum 3:14; omittedGenesis 24:20,43,45 and (+ of animals)Genesis 24:19;Genesis 24:20;Genesis 24:44 (all J); with accusativeRuth 2:9 drink ofthat which the young mendrew; Participle feminine pluralGenesis 24:11the water-drawing women; masculineDeuteronomy 29:10 (servile labour, "" ), so masculine pluralJoshua 9:21,23,27 (P; all with , and all "" ).
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Conceptual ScopeThe verb שָׁאַב (shaʾav) depicts the purposeful act of drawing, scooping, or lifting water from a well, spring, cistern, or river. While a routine chore in the ancient Near East, Scripture employs the action in ways that reveal covenant kindness, communal obligation, courageous devotion, and prophetic promise.
Physical Act and Daily Necessity
Drawing water shaped the cadence of village life. It typically fell to women, servants, and low‐ranking laborers who came at morning or evening when temperatures were cooler (Genesis 24:11;Genesis 24:13). Wells and springs thus became social hubs, places where strangers could be greeted, information exchanged, and divine appointments unfold.
Hospitality and Covenant Formation (Genesis 24)
Eight of the nineteen occurrences cluster in the courtship narrative of Isaac and Rebekah. Abraham’s servant sets a test of hospitality:
“Let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master” (Genesis 24:14).
Rebekah’s eagerness to “draw” (shaʾav) water for both man and camels (Genesis 24:19–20) signals covenant faithfulness and becomes the decisive sign of God’s guidance. The text elevates an ordinary task into a medium of divine blessing and family continuity.
Community Life and Servitude (Deuteronomy 29;Joshua 9)
In Moses’ renewal of the covenant, the phrase “your woodcutters and water drawers” (Deuteronomy 29:11) denotes social strata down to the most menial roles; all stand equally bound to Yahweh’s words.
The Gibeonites, spared but made “woodcutters and water drawers for the congregation” (Joshua 9:21, 23, 27), illustrate how the role could mark perpetual servitude. Yet their inclusion at the altar also hints at mercy extended to foreigners under Israel’s covenant framework.
Provision for the Vulnerable (Ruth 2:9)
Boaz instructs Ruth, “When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.” Although the verb is passive here, the context portrays drawing water as a gesture of protection toward the marginalized, prefiguring the kinsman‐redeemer’s grace.
Worship and Repentance (1 Samuel 7:6)
At Mizpah Israel “drew water and poured it out before the LORD.” While the action may imply symbolic cleansing or lament, it surely reflects wholehearted repentance. Ordinary water, once lifted from the earth, becomes an offering signifying contrition.
Heroic Devotion (2 Samuel 23:16;1 Chronicles 11:18)
Three mighty men “broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem” and brought it to David. Their daring effort to perform this simple act under fire transforms shaʾav into a picture of sacrificial loyalty. David’s refusal to drink and his libation to the LORD underscore the sacred value assigned to such devotion.
Prophetic Imagery (Isaiah 12:3;Nahum 3:14)
Isaiah foretells, “With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3), converting a commonplace chore into an emblem of eschatological rejoicing. Conversely, Nahum urges Nineveh to “draw water for the siege” (Nahum 3:14), turning the same verb into a warning of impending judgment. The juxtaposition reveals how the mundane can signify either deliverance or doom depending on one’s covenant standing.
Theological Reflections
1. Divine Sovereignty in the Ordinary: God often guides and confirms His purposes through everyday actions such as drawing water.
2. Servanthood as Honor: Though menial, the task becomes a platform for covenant inclusion, heroic loyalty, and prophetic hope.
3. Living Water Motif:Isaiah 12:3 lays groundwork for later New Testament themes where Jesus offers “living water,” tying the physical act of drawing to spiritual renewal.
Ministry Applications
• Encourage believers to see routine service—setting up chairs, preparing meals, cleaning facilities—as arenas for God’s providence and testimony.
• UseGenesis 24 to teach youth about discerning God’s leading through character‐revealing acts of kindness.
• In outreach, highlight how even those relegated to “water‐drawing” tasks are welcomed into covenant privilege (Joshua 9;Deuteronomy 29).
• PreachIsaiah 12:3 as an invitation to joyful participation in salvation, contrasting it with the desperate water‐drawing ofNahum 3:14 to urge repentance today.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶשְׁאָ֑ב אֶשְׁאָ֔ב אשאב הַשֹּׁאֲבֹֽת׃ השאבת׃ וְשֹֽׁאֲבֵי־ וְשֹׁ֥אֲבֵי וַיִּֽשְׁאֲבוּ־ וַתִּשְׁאַ֖ב וַתִּשְׁאָ֑ב וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם־ וישאבו־ ושאבי ושאבי־ ושאבתם־ ותשאב יִשְׁאֲב֖וּן ישאבון לִשְׁאֹ֑ב לִשְׁאֹ֔ב לִשְׁאֹ֣ב לִשְׁאֹ֥ב לשאב שַֽׁאֲבִי־ שֹׁאֵ֥ב שאב שאבי־ ’eš’āḇ ’eš·’āḇ eshAv haš·šō·’ă·ḇōṯ hashshoaVot haššō’ăḇōṯ liš’ōḇ liš·’ōḇ lishO ša’ăḇî- ša·’ă·ḇî- shaavi shoEv šō’êḇ šō·’êḇ ū·šə·’aḇ·tem- ūšə’aḇtem- usheavtem vaiyishavu vattishAv veshoavei wat·tiš·’aḇ wat·tiš·’āḇ wattiš’aḇ wattiš’āḇ way·yiš·’ă·ḇū- wayyiš’ăḇū- wə·šō·’ă·ḇê wə·šō·’ă·ḇê- wəšō’ăḇê wəšō’ăḇê- yiš’ăḇūn yiš·’ă·ḇūn yishaVun
Links
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