Greek word · G4519

σαβαώθ

sabaōth

of Hosts

The Hebrew tsebaʾot, "armies, hosts," written out in Greek letters. In "YHWH tsebaʾot" it names God as commander of the heavenly armies (angels, stars) and of Israel's armies: the divine warrior-king.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

σαβαώθ indecl.,

[in LXX for צָבָא, chiefly in Isaiah (in other places, the phrase is also rendered by κύριος παντοκράτωρ, κ. τῶν δυνάμεων; see DB, iii, 137 f.) ;]

Sabaoth, i.e. hosts or armies (see DB, l.with): Romans 9:29 (LXX), Ja 54.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of James 5:4

Range of meaning: The Hebrew tsebaʾot, "armies, hosts," written out in Greek letters. In "YHWH tsebaʾot" it names God as commander of the heavenly armies (angels, stars) and of Israel's armies: the divine warrior-king.
Against the English: KJV/NASB/YLT: "Lord of Sabaoth" (keeps the sound but means nothing to most readers). BSB/ESV: "Lord of Hosts" (traditional but now opaque). WEB: "Lord of Armies" and NLT: "LORD of Heaven's Armies" (clearest). NIV: "Lord Almighty" (follows the Greek OT's usual rendering pantokratōr, but loses the armies picture).
How it drifted: "Sabaoth" is regularly confused with "Sabbath", and "hosts" now suggests party hosts or large crowds rather than armies.
Used elsewhere in the period: The Greek translator of Isaiah usually kept the transliteration sabaōth, while other Greek OT books mostly translate it as pantokratōr ("Almighty"). Isa 5:9 LXX is the closest parallel: after the woe on those who "join house to house and field to field", the text reads "these things have been heard in the ears of the Lord Sabaoth." The only other NT use is Rom 9:29, quoting Isa 1:9.

From the study of Romans 9:29

Range of meaning: Hebrew YHWH tsevaot, "YHWH of armies." The "armies" are heavenly forces (angels, stars) and sometimes Israel's own troops. The title presents God as the divine warrior-king enthroned over every power.
Against the English: "Lord of Hosts" (BSB, ESV) is accurate, but "hosts" now suggests hospitality. "Lord of Sabaoth" (KJV, YLT) keeps the foreign word and is often misheard as "Sabbath." "Lord of Armies" (WEB) and "Lord of Heaven's Armies" (NLT) make the military picture plain. "Lord Almighty" (NIV) keeps the idea of power and drops the picture.
How it drifted: "Host" used to mean "army" (Latin hostis, via Old French). That meaning has faded in English. The word "Sabaoth" itself has long been confused with "Sabbath."
Used elsewhere in the period: The Greek translator of Isaiah usually spells out sabaōth in Greek letters. Other Greek Old Testament books translate it as pantokratōr ("all-ruler") or kyrios tōn dynameōn ("Lord of the powers"). In the New Testament it appears only here and in James 5:4.

Where it appears

Romans · 1

Romans 9:29 σαβαὼθ of Hosts

It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”

Here: A Hebrew word (tsevaot, "armies") carried over into Greek letters rather than translated. It presents God as commander of heaven's forces, the sovereign over every power, including the Assyrian armies that wrecked Judah.

James · 1

James 5:4 σαβαὼθ of Hosts

Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

Here: The Hebrew tsebaʾot ("armies") carried over into Greek letters untranslated. It calls God the commander of heaven's armies, a warrior-king who can enforce his verdict, not merely a sympathetic listener.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.