Lexical Summary
shabach: To praise, to commend, to glorify
Original Word:שָׁבַח
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:shabach
Pronunciation:shah-bakh'
Phonetic Spelling:(shaw-bakh')
KJV: commend, glory, keep in, praise, still, triumph
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to address in a loud tone, i.e. (specifically) loud
2. (figuratively) to pacify (as if by words)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
commend, glory, keep in, praise, still, triumph
A primitive root; properly, to address in a loud tone, i.e. (specifically) loud; figuratively, to pacify (as if by words) -- commend, glory, keep in, praise, still, triumph.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] (Arabic
be free from care, etc., Jen
ZA 1 (1886),188;iv (1889),269, compare Assyrian
pašâ—u,
grow calm, so Ba
ES9 Schulth
Lex.); —
Imperfect3masculine singular sfProverbs 29:11he stilleth it, i.e.his temper (Bi Toy read ); 2 masculine singular sfPsalm 89:10thou stillest them, i.e. waves ("" ).
Participle (probably Masoretic error forPi`el )Psalm 65:8stilling the roar of the seas.
II. [] (late Aramaism, compare Aramaic (including Old Aramaic) ,
, Pa`elpraise see SchwIdioticon 91 SchulthLex: —
laud, praise; God.() :Imperfect3masculine plural sfPsalm 63:4 ("" );Imperative feminine singularPsalm 147:12, masculine plural sfPsalm 117:1(both "" ); his works,Imperfect3masculine singularPsalm 145:4 ("" )
commend,congratulate, the dead,InfinitiveabsoluteEcclesiastes 4:2 (Ges§ 113gg; with compare); mirth, as best thing,Perfect1singularEcclesiastes 8:15.
boast of ():InfinitiveconstructPsalm 106:47=1Chronicles 16:35, ()
Topical Lexicon
Semantic SpectrumShabach moves along two main lines: (1) laudatory proclamation—public, enthusiastic praise directed toward the Lord; (2) calming or commending—both the stilling of tumult and the verbal approval of something. Rather than representing contradictory ideas, the two poles form a single concept: an authoritative utterance that either elevates or pacifies. Whether praising God, restraining a storm, or commending an action, shabach is a word of vocal mastery.
Canonical Distribution
Eleven occurrences cluster in three literary settings:
• Historical narrative:1 Chronicles 16:35
• Poetic worship:Psalm 63:3; 65:7; 89:9; 106:47; 117:1; 145:4; 147:12
• Wisdom literature:Proverbs 29:11;Ecclesiastes 4:2; 8:15
Seven appear in the Psalter, underscoring its dominance as a liturgical term; the remaining four show the word’s adaptability to practical and reflective contexts.
Corporate Praise and Davidic Worship
The first biblical use (1 Chronicles 16:35) rises from David’s procession of the ark, a formative moment in Israel’s worship culture. The king prays, “Save us, O God of our salvation…that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise.” Shabach here frames national identity: redeemed people are a praising people. This template re-emerges inPsalm 106:47, echoing the chronicler’s language during post-exilic turbulence, proving that covenant praise transcends eras.
Personal Adoration
Psalm 63:3 places shabach on individual lips: “Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You.” The verb captures intimate, life-shaping devotion; praise is not an occasional exercise but the believer’s reflex when confronted with steadfast love.
Divine Sovereignty Over Chaos
In Psalms 65:7 and 89:9 the word shifts to God’s action: He “stilled the roaring of the seas” and “still[s] them” when their waves mount up. The same authoritative speech that calls worship forth can silence oceans. The implication is theological: the Lord who demands praise also possesses the power to quiet every threat. Shabach therefore ties liturgy to cosmology—our songs are grounded in His mastery of creation.
Universal Call
Psalm 117:1 extends the summons globally: “Praise the Lord, all you nations! Exalt Him, all you peoples!” The brevity of the psalm intensifies the imperative. In New Testament perspective (Romans 15:11), this verse anticipates Gentile inclusion in redemptive history; shabach thus participates in the unfolding missionary vision.
Intergenerational Transmission
Psalm 145:4 anchors praise in pedagogy: “One generation will proclaim Your works to the next, and will declare Your mighty acts.” Worship is catechetical; elders shape the spiritual memory of youth by shabach proclamations, fulfillingDeuteronomy 6 within a musical framework.
Zion’s Liturgical Vocation
Psalm 147:12 commands, “Exalt the Lord, O Jerusalem!” The city of God, already distinguished by covenant and temple, is further defined by her obligation to shabach. Civic identity is inseparable from doxology.
Wisdom Literature: Restraint and Commendation
1.Proverbs 29:11 contrasts rashness and restraint: “A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back.” Here shabach is self-control in speech—praise’s opposite side, the art of withholding.
2.Ecclesiastes 4:2: “I declared that the dead…are happier than the living.” The Preacher “commends” a hard conclusion, illustrating shabach as evaluative pronouncement.
3.Ecclesiastes 8:15: “So I commended pleasure…” The word stamps provisional approval on temporal joy while recognizing its limits “under the sun.”
These texts show that authoritative utterance can assess earthly realities just as it magnifies divine glory.
Theological Threads
• God is worthy of exuberant, public praise (1 Chronicles 16:35;Psalm 117:1).
• His sovereignty is displayed not only in salvation history but also in nature (Psalm 65:7; 89:9).
• Praise is both personal and communal, immediate and generational (Psalm 63:3; 145:4).
• Speech is a moral arena: it can glorify, pacify, commend, or restrain (Proverbs 29:11).
Together these passages affirm a doctrine of speech that culminates inHebrews 13:15—the “sacrifice of praise.”
Historical Trajectory
From David’s tabernacle to the Second Temple and onward to Christian liturgy, shabach shaped hymnic traditions. Early synagogue worship employed psalms of shabach; the primitive church inherited them (Ephesians 5:19). The term’s presence in the Greek Septuagint as ainéō (praise) fed New Testament vocabulary, linking Old and New Covenant worship.
Eschatological Glimpse
The universal imperative ofPsalm 117 anticipatesRevelation 7:9, where a multinational multitude cries out before the throne. Shabach thus points to the consummation when every tongue will join the eternal doxology.
Application for Contemporary Ministry
• Worship leaders can draw on shabach texts to encourage robust, verbal praise that is both confessional and missional.
• Preachers may highlight the calming dimension—Christ’s “Peace, be still” echoes the Old Testament usage, reinforcing trust amid turbulence.
• Discipleship curricula should includePsalm 145:4, training families to transmit praise across generations.
• Counseling can employProverbs 29:11, guiding believers toward sanctified restraint in speech.
Summary
Shabach encapsulates the believer’s calling to use the tongue for God’s glory and neighbor’s good. Whether lauding the Lord, commanding the sea, or weighing earthly joys, the word signals speech under divine authority—speech that ultimately finds its fullest expression in the unending praise of the redeemed.
Forms and Transliterations
בחוהו וְשִׁבַּ֤חְתִּֽי וְשַׁבֵּ֧חַ ושבח ושבחתי יְשַׁבְּחֶֽנָּה׃ יְשַׁבְּחֽוּנְךָ׃ יְשַׁבַּ֣ח ישבח ישבחונך׃ ישבחנה׃ לְ֝הִשְׁתַּבֵּ֗חַ לְהִשְׁתַּבֵּ֖חַ להשתבח מַשְׁבִּ֤יחַ ׀ משביח שַׁ֝בְּח֗וּהוּ שַׁבְּחִ֣י שבחי תְשַׁבְּחֵֽם׃ תשבחם׃ bə·ḥū·hū beChuhu bəḥūhū lə·hiš·tab·bê·aḥ lehishtabBeach ləhištabbêaḥ maš·bî·aḥ mašbîaḥ mashBiach šab·bə·ḥî šabbəḥî shabbeChi ṯə·šab·bə·ḥêm ṯəšabbəḥêm teshabbeChem veshabBeach veshibBachti wə·šab·bê·aḥ wə·šib·baḥ·tî wəšabbêaḥ wəšibbaḥtî yə·šab·baḥ yə·šab·bə·ḥen·nāh yə·šab·bə·ḥū·nə·ḵā yəšabbaḥ yəšabbəḥennāh yəšabbəḥūnəḵā yeshabBach yeshabbeChennah yeshabbeChunecha
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