Lexical Summary
shebuah: Oath, Vow
Original Word:שְׁבוּעָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:shbuw`ah
Pronunciation:shev-oo-AH
Phonetic Spelling:(sheb-oo-aw')
KJV: curse, oath, X sworn
NASB:oath, curse, oaths, swear, sworn
Word Origin:[feminine passive participle ofH7650 (שָׁבַע - swore)]
1. (properly) something sworn, i.e. an oath
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
curse, oath, sworn
Feminine passive participle ofshaba'; properly, something sworn, i.e. An oath -- curse, oath, X sworn.
see HEBREWshaba'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
shebaDefinitionan oath, curse
NASB Translationcurse (1), oath (25), oaths (1), perjury* (1), swear (1), sworn (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, (Joshua 2:17 read Albr
ZAW xvi(1896), 116) ; — absolute
Joshua 9:20 +,
Genesis 26:3 +; construct
Exodus 22:10 +; suffix
Genesis 24:8 etc.; plural absolute
Ezekiel 21:28, construct
Habakkuk 3:9; [
Jeremiah 5:24;
Ezekiel 45:21 see ]; —
oath [as accusative of congnate meaning with verb with etc.
Numbers 30:3 + (in rel.cl.) 5t.]:
Exodus 22:10 (E), friendship2 Samuel 21:7, promise1 Kings 2:43 (afterkeep; alloath to to (); innocence alsoNumbers 5:21 a; friendshipNehemiah 6:18 ( ), promiseLeviticus 5:4; of vow ("" )Numbers 30:3;Numbers 30:11;Numbers 30:14 (),Joshua 9:20 (all P),Nehemiah 10:30 ("" ),Ecclesiastes 9:2, of covenant with 2Chronicles 15:15,Ecclesiastes 8:2 (probably of oath of allegiance to king),Zechariah 8:17; of threatJudges 21:5;1 Samuel 14:26 ( );keep, discharge the oath isGenesis 26:3 (J),Jeremiah 11:5;be free, exempt from an oathGenesis 24:8 (J), compareJoshua 2:17,20.
=curse,Isaiah 65:15 and ("" )Numbers 5:21 (P),Daniel 9:11.
oath of , in promise,Deuteronomy 7:8 ( in rel. clause), "" covenant (),Psalm 105:9 =1 Chronicles 16:16. —Habakkuk 3:9 very dubious: AVoaths of the tribes; oaths, rods of the word, Hi-St;sworn (passive participle ) werethe rods ( = chastisements) of (thy) word, Ges Hi RVm;heptads of spears Ew, compare Da; text probably corrupt, Now proposesthou hast sated with shafts thy quiver; Marti (afterManuscripts)thy bow was satiated with shafts; GASmthou gluttest (?) thy shafts. —Ezekiel 21:28 see √.
Topical Lexicon
Overviewשְׁבוּעָה denotes an oath – a solemn, verbal self-binding before God that calls Him as witness and guarantor. Throughout the Old Testament the term expresses the gravity of spoken commitments, safeguards covenant relationships, settles legal disputes, and undergirds prophetic promise.
Covenant Framework
1. Patriarchal Period – Abraham required his servant to find Isaac a wife under “my oath” (Genesis 24:8). The term guards the continuity of the covenant line.
2. Sinai – Israel entered the Mosaic covenant “with an oath” (Deuteronomy 29:12). The mutual obligation to obey the Torah is sealed by שְׁבוּעָה, welding national identity to divine authority.
3. Dynastic – David and Jonathan made a covenant “because of the oath of the LORD” (2 Samuel 21:7). The house of David eventually receives kingdom promises on the same sworn footing (Psalm 132:11; comparePsalm 89:3-4).
Legal and Judicial Function
Exodus 22:11 prescribes an oath to resolve property disputes: “the oath of the LORD shall be between the two of them.” By invoking divine witness the innocent is acquitted and the guilty is exposed (Numbers 5:19-22). Courts, markets, and even private transactions rely on שְׁבוּעָה to establish trust when evidence is lacking.
Personal Vows and Volitional Binding
Numbers 30 differentiates between נֶדֶר (vow) and שְׁבוּעָה (oath). A vow promises performance (“I will give”), whereas an oath binds one’s person (“I am under solemn obligation”). Saul’s rash pronouncement, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening” (1 Samuel 14:24), shows how imprudent oaths bring hardship and guilt.
God’s Own Sworn Promises
Scripture often portrays God adapting human legal forms to assure His people:
• “The LORD swore an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 30:20).
• “He remembered His holy promise, Abraham His servant, the oath He swore” (Psalm 105:9).
• “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 45:23).
Because God cannot lie, the oath furnishes “two unchangeable things” (Hebrews 6:17-18), providing unshakeable confidence for faith.
Blessing and Curse Dynamics
An oath often couples with a self-maledictory curse.Nehemiah 10:29 reports the returned exiles who “entered into a curse and an oath to follow the Law.” Failure activates covenant sanctions (Zechariah 5:3-4); faithfulness secures blessing (Deuteronomy 7:8).
Violation and Divine Judgment
• Saul breaks his oath regarding David’s safety (1 Samuel 19:6;1 Samuel 20:16-17), precipitating royal decline.
• Zedekiah’s breach of his oath to Babylon prompts Ezekiel’s indictment: “Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant… he shall die” (Ezekiel 17:18-19).
False oaths profane God’s Name and invite national exile (Jeremiah 5:2-9).
Redemptive Trajectory
Jesus exposes the heart issue beneath oath-taking: “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37). The integrity intended by שְׁבוּעָה is fulfilled in the believer whose speech is governed by truth-shaped character rather than formula. Yet Scripture retains the legitimacy of solemn vows in proper contexts (2 Corinthians 1:23;Revelation 10:6).
Pastoral and Ministry Implications
• Teach the sanctity of spoken commitments. Membership covenants, marriage vows, and ordination promises echo the biblical oath, calling for careful preparation and faithful follow-through.
• Warn against rash pledges. Like Jephthah (Judges 11:30-35, though using another term), imprudent oaths can entangle consciences and damage others.
• Ground assurance in God’s sworn word. The unbreakable oath behind the Abrahamic promise anchors evangelism and discipleship with certainty (Galatians 3:8-18).
• Employ oaths judiciously in civil society. Courtroom testimony and public office still invoke God as witness; believers should model truthful speech that vindicates such practices.
Representative Occurrences
Genesis 24:8;Genesis 50:25
Exodus 22:11
Leviticus 5:4
Numbers 30:2, 30:10
Deuteronomy 29:12;Deuteronomy 30:20
Joshua 2:17;Joshua 9:15
1 Samuel 14:24;1 Samuel 19:6
2 Samuel 21:7
1 Kings 2:43
Nehemiah 10:29;Nehemiah 13:25
Psalm 105:9
Ezekiel 17:18-19;Ezekiel 21:23
The cumulative picture of שְׁבוּעָה presents a God who binds Himself for the salvation of His people and calls those people to mirror His faithfulness in every spoken commitment.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּשְׁבֻעַ֣ת בִּשְׁבֻעָ֖ה בִּשְׁבֻעָֽה׃ בשבעה בשבעה׃ בשבעת הַשְּׁבֻעָ֔ה הַשְּׁבֻעָֽה׃ הַשְּׁבֻעָה֙ הַשְּׁבוּעָ֖ה הַשְּׁבוּעָ֗ה הַשְּׁבוּעָ֜ה הַשְּׁבוּעָ֨ה השבועה השבעה השבעה׃ וְהַשְּׁבֻעָ֗ה וְלִשְׁבֻעָ֖ה וּבִשְׁבוּעָ֗ה וּשְׁב֖וּעָת֣וֹ וּשְׁבֻ֥עַת וּשְׁבוּעָת֖וֹ ובשבועה והשבעה ולשבעה ושבועתו ושבעת לִשְׁבוּעָה֙ לשבועה מִשְּׁבֻעָתִ֖י מִשְּׁבֻעָתֵ֖ךְ מִשְּׁבֻעָתֵ֥ךְ משבעתי משבעתך שְׁבֻע֖וֹת שְׁבֻע֥וֹת שְׁבֻעַ֣ת שְׁבֻעַ֤ת שְׁבֻעַ֥ת שְׁבֻעָה֙ שְׁבוּעַ֥ת שְׁבוּעָ֥ה שְׁבוּעָה֙ שבועה שבועת שבעה שבעות שבעת biš·ḇu·‘āh biš·ḇu·‘aṯ bišḇu‘āh bišḇu‘aṯ bishvuAh bishvuAt haš·šə·ḇu·‘āh haš·šə·ḇū·‘āh hashshevuAh haššəḇu‘āh haššəḇū‘āh liš·ḇū·‘āh lišḇū‘āh lishvuAh miš·šə·ḇu·‘ā·ṯêḵ miš·šə·ḇu·‘ā·ṯî mishshevuaTech mishshevuaTi miššəḇu‘āṯêḵ miššəḇu‘āṯî šə·ḇu·‘āh šə·ḇū·‘āh šə·ḇu·‘aṯ šə·ḇū·‘aṯ šə·ḇu·‘ō·wṯ šəḇu‘āh šəḇū‘āh šəḇu‘aṯ šəḇū‘aṯ šəḇu‘ōwṯ shevuAh shevuAt shevuot ū·ḇiš·ḇū·‘āh ū·šə·ḇū·‘ā·ṯōw ū·šə·ḇu·‘aṯ ūḇišḇū‘āh ūšəḇu‘aṯ ūšəḇū‘āṯōw usheVuat ushevuaTo uvishvuAh vehashshevuAh velishvuAh wə·haš·šə·ḇu·‘āh wə·liš·ḇu·‘āh wəhaššəḇu‘āh wəlišḇu‘āh
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