Lexical Summary
shabah: To take captive, to capture
Original Word:שָׁבָה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:shabah
Pronunciation:shaw-BAH
Phonetic Spelling:(shaw-baw')
KJV: (bring away, carry, carry away, lead, lead away, take) captive(-s), drive (take) away
NASB:taken, taken captive, captured, carried, take, captives, captors
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to transport into captivity
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bring away, carry, carry away, lead, lead away, take captives, take away
A primitive root; to transport into captivity -- (bring away, carry, carry away, lead, lead away, take) captive(-s), drive (take) away.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto take captive
NASB Translationcaptives (2), captors (2), captors captive (1), captured (4), carried (4), carried away captive (1), carried captive (1), carried off (1), driven away (1), keep (1), led them captive (1), led captive (1), take (3), take them away captive (1), take them captive (1), taken (8), taken captive (5), took (2), took them captive (2), took away (1), took captive (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Late Hebrew, Old Aramaic
id.;Arabic
(
); Aramaic ,
) —
Perfect3masculine singularJeremiah 41:14; suffix (consecutive)Jeremiah 43:12 (but read Gie; Du conjectures ); 2 masculine singular2 Kings 6:22;Psalm 68:19, etc.,Imperfect3masculine singularNumbers 21:1;Jeremiah 41:10, etc.;Imperative masculine singularJudges 5:12;Infinitive construct Obadiah 11;Participle active pluralIsaiah 14:2, etc.;passive masculine pluralIsaiah 61:1, feminine plural constructGenesis 31:26; —take captive
with accusative of person,Numbers 24:22 (JE),1 Samuel 30:2;2 Kings 5:2;2 Kings 6:22 (+ instrumental)Jeremiah 41:10 (twice in verse) (butJeremiah 41:10 b Gie reads , compare Luc),Jeremiah 41:14,Genesis 34:29 (P), 2 Chronicles 28:8 (+ part), + 6 t.; +Jeremiah 43:12 apparently with accusative idols (but see above; accusative land Gie).
accusative Obadiah 11 2Chronicles 21:17, cattle, etc.,1 Chronicles 5:21; 2Chron 14:14
participle in periphrastic conjugation ()Isaiah 14:2; participle with suffix =their captives, etc.,1 Kings 8:46 2Chronicles 6:36;Isaiah 14:2;Jeremiah 50:33, +5 t.; Passive participleIsaiah 61:1 =captives;Genesis 31:26 my daughtersas captives of the sword.
with accusative of congnate meaning with verbJudges 5:12lead captive thy captives, comparePsalm 68:19; 2Chronicles 28:17, so (+ person)Numbers 21:1 (JE), and (accusative ) 2 Chronicles 28:5,11;Deuteronomy 21:10 =take him captive.
be taken captive:Perfect3masculine singular , of manGenesis 14:14, of beastExodus 22:9 (E), ofJeremiah 13:17; 3plural , human subject1 Samuel 30:8,5;1 Kings 8:47 2Chronicles 6:37;Ezekiel 6:9.
Topical Lexicon
Scope and Narrative FunctionThe verb שָׁבָה (shavah) appears roughly forty-eight times and consistently bears the idea of taking, leading, or holding someone or something captive. Used of men, women, cities, flocks, or even thoughts, it punctuates Israel’s history with sober reminders of what happens when covenant loyalty is abandoned, yet it also frames radiant promises of release when God intervenes.
Historical Vignettes of Captivity
1. Early Tribal Warfare –Judges 5:12 celebrates Barak’s victory over Canaan: “Arise, Barak, and take captive your captors…”. Here shavah is turned back on Israel’s oppressors, portraying the Lord as One who can reverse fortunes in a single day.
2. Assyrian Deportation –2 Kings 17:6 records Samaria’s fall: “The king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria…”. Shavah stands at the heart of the northern kingdom’s dissolution, underscoring the prophetic warnings of Hosea and Amos.
3. Babylonian Exile –2 Kings 25:11;Jeremiah 29:14;Ezekiel 39:25. Shavah marks Judah’s darkest hour, yet the same stem shapes God’s promise: “I will restore you from captivity” (Jeremiah 29:14).
4. Post-exilic Echoes –Psalm 126:1 celebrates fulfillment: “When the Lord restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers”. The verb’s reversal supplies language for worship and hope.
Theological Themes
• Covenant Sanctions
Captivity was embedded in covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:41). Shavah thus becomes a forensic term: exile is not random misfortune but divine discipline.
• Divine Sovereignty Over Nations
Isaiah 46:2 shows idols being “carried off into captivity,” proving that every captor is itself capturable. God alone is unconquerable; He both appoints and overrules human empires (Isaiah 45:13).
• Restoration Motif
Job 42:10: “The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends”. Personal restoration parallels national restoration, teaching that God’s grace reaches both individuals and communities.
• Reversal of Fortunes
Prophets often double the verb to emphasize total reversal:Zephaniah 3:20, “For I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your captives before your very eyes”.
Prophetic and Messianic Trajectory
While shavah itself does not appear inIsaiah 61:1, the Servant’s proclamation “freedom to the captives” assumes its imagery.Luke 4:18 places that promise on Jesus’ lips, confirming that the physical captivities of Israel foreshadow humanity’s deeper bondage to sin and death.
Pastoral and Missional Implications
1. Intercession for the Imprisoned
Psalm 79:11 pleads, “May the groaning of the prisoners come before You.” Believers are exhorted to remember those in chains (Hebrews 13:3) and labor in prayer for persecuted saints, confident that God still “brings out prisoners into prosperity” (Psalm 68:6).
2. Preaching Deliverance
Shavah frames the gospel call: just as God broke Babylon’s bars, He liberates hearts held by addiction, bitterness, and deception. Proclaiming Christ means announcing captivity’s end.
3. Discipleship and Holiness
2 Corinthians 10:5 applies the concept spiritually: “We demolish arguments… and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The church practices shavah in reverse, seizing rogue thoughts and submitting them to the Lord.
Eschatological Hope
Amos 9:14 envisions a final reversal: “I will restore My people Israel; they will rebuild and inhabit ruined cities.”Zechariah 14:2 foresees a last assault on Jerusalem, but subsequent verses promise the Messiah’s victory. Shavah thus stretches from Genesis wars to Revelation’s consummation, assuring believers that every hostile power will ultimately be taken captive by the Lamb (Revelation 17:14).
Key Representative Occurrences
Numbers 21:1;Deuteronomy 21:10;Judges 5:12;1 Samuel 30:2;2 Kings 5:2;2 Kings 17:6;2 Kings 25:11;2 Chronicles 28:8;Nehemiah 5:5;Job 42:10;Psalm 68:18;Psalm 126:1,4;Isaiah 20:4;Isaiah 46:2;Jeremiah 29:14;Jeremiah 50:33;Ezekiel 39:25;Amos 1:6;Zephaniah 3:20;Zechariah 14:2.
Conclusion
Shavah traces a stark line from human rebellion to divine redemption. It reminds readers that sin leads inexorably to bondage, but it also heralds the Lord who overturns captivity and gathers His people in everlasting freedom.
Forms and Transliterations
וְשָׁב֤וּם וְשָׁב֧וּם וְשָׁבִ֥יתָ וְשָׁבָ֑ם וַיִּ֣שְׁבְּ ׀ וַיִּ֥שְׁבְּ ׀ וַיִּשְׁבֵּם֙ וַיִּשְׁבּ֗וּ וַיִּשְׁבּ֛וּ וַיִּשְׁבּ֣וּ וַיִּשְׁבּ֤וּ וַיִּשְׁבּ֧וּ וַיִּשְׁבּ֨וּ וַיִּשְׁבּוּ֩ וַיִּשְׁבּוּ־ וישב וישבו וישבו־ וישבם ושבום ושבית ושבם כִּשְׁבֻי֖וֹת כשביות לְשֹֽׁבֵיהֶ֔ם לִשְׁבוּיִם֙ לשבוים לשביהם נִשְׁבָּ֖ה נִשְׁבּ֑וּ נִשְׁבּֽוּ׃ נִשְׁבּוּ־ נשבה נשבו נשבו־ נשבו׃ שְׁב֥וֹת שְׁבִיתֶ֖ם שִׁבְיֽוֹ׃ שֶׁבְיְךָ֖ שָׁ֘בִ֤יתָ שָׁב֖וּ שָׁב֣וּ שָׁבִ֛יתָ שָׁבָ֥ה שָׁבוּ֙ שֹֽׁבֵיהֶם֙ שֹׁבִ֣ים שֹׁבֵיהֶ֖ם שֽׁוֹבֵיהֶ֔ם שׁוֹבֵ֡ינוּ שׁוֹבֵיהֶ֛ם שׁוֹבֵיהֶֽם׃ שבה שבו שבות שביהם שביו׃ שביך שבים שבית שביתם שוביהם שוביהם׃ שובינו תִּשְׁבֶּֽךָּ׃ תשבך׃ kiš·ḇu·yō·wṯ kišḇuyōwṯ kishvuYot lə·šō·ḇê·hem leshoeiHem ləšōḇêhem liš·ḇū·yim lišḇūyim lishvuYim niš·bāh niš·bū niš·bū- nišbāh nišbū nišbū- nishBah nishBu šā·ḇāh šā·ḇî·ṯā šā·ḇū šāḇāh šāḇîṯā šāḇū šə·ḇî·ṯem šə·ḇō·wṯ šeḇ·yə·ḵā šəḇîṯem šəḇōwṯ šeḇyəḵā shaVah shaVita shaVu sheviTem sheVot shevyeCha shivYo shoeiHem shoVeinu shoVim šiḇ·yōw šiḇyōw šō·ḇê·hem šō·ḇîm šō·w·ḇê·hem šō·w·ḇê·nū šōḇêhem šōḇîm šōwḇêhem šōwḇênū tiš·be·kā tišbekā tishBeka vaiYishb vaiyishBem vaiyishBu veshaVam veshaVita veshaVum way·yiš·bêm way·yiš·bū way·yiš·bū- way·yišb wayyišb wayyišbêm wayyišbū wayyišbū- wə·šā·ḇām wə·šā·ḇî·ṯā wə·šā·ḇūm wəšāḇām wəšāḇîṯā wəšāḇūm
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