Hebrew word · H3429

יֹשֵׁב בַּשֶּׁ֫בֶת

bashevet

Josheb-basshebeth

Read literally: 'one sitting in the seat'. As a personal name it is odd and found nowhere else.

Appears 2 times in 1 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament.

What it means

A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.23.8;

son of: Zabdiel (H2068); also called Josheb-basshebeth (KJV: "that sat in the seat") at 2Sa.23.8;

Another name of ya.shov.am (יָשׇׁבְעָם "Jashobeam" H3434G)

§ Josheb-basshebeth = "dwelling in rest"

one of David's mighty warriors

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Samuel 23:8

Range of meaning

Read literally: 'one sitting in the seat'. As a personal name it is odd and found nowhere else.

Against the English

KJV translates it as a phrase: 'the Tachmonite that sat in the seat'. YLT does the same ('sitting in the seat'). BSB, WEB, ESV and NRSV keep it as a name, 'Josheb-basshebeth'. NIV gives the name too and notes the alternatives. Some paraphrases switch to 'Jashobeam' from Chronicles.

How it drifted

Not drift in meaning. The problem is a damaged text that English versions have handled in different ways.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Chronicles 11:11 has Yashovʿam (Jashobeam). Greek witnesses to Samuel point to 'Iesbaal' (Lucianic tradition) or a corrupted 'Iebosthe' (Codex Vaticanus), which suggests an original Ishbaal ('man of Baal / the Lord is master'). Scribes sometimes put bosheth ('shame') in place of -baal in names (Ishbaal → Ishbosheth, Meribbaal → Mephibosheth; compare 1 Chr 8:33–34 with 2 Sam 2:8; 4:4). Also, bashshavet ends verse 7 just before, so a copyist's eye may have carried it over.

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 23:8 יֹשֵׁ֨ב בַּשֶּׁ֜בֶת Josheb-, Basshebeth

    These are the names of David’s mighty men: Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite was chief of the Three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed at one time.

    Here: First half of the name as it stands in the Hebrew text: 'one who sits'. It is probably a scribe's version of an original name (see studies).

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