Hebrew word · H5450

סִבְלָה

besivlotam

burden

Plural of sivlah, 'load, burden', from the root sbl, 'to carry a heavy load'. In Exodus it always means compulsory labor imposed by the Egyptian state (Exod 1:11; 2:11; 5:4–5; 6:6–7).

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

burden, forced labour, compulsory service, burden bearing

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 Exodus 6:6

Range of meaning

Plural of sivlah, 'load, burden', from the root sbl, 'to carry a heavy load'. In Exodus it always means compulsory labor imposed by the Egyptian state (Exod 1:11; 2:11; 5:4–5; 6:6–7).

Against the English

KJV/WEB/ESV 'burdens' is literal but can sound emotional to a modern ear ('the burdens of life'). BSB 'yoke' brings in a different image: the Hebrew word for yoke (ʿol) is not here. NIV and NLT move toward 'slavery/oppression', which gets the social reality but loses the picture of loads on the back.

How it drifted

'Burden' in modern English has largely become figurative (worry, responsibility), while the Hebrew is concrete: bricks, mortar, hauling.

Used elsewhere in the period

The related noun sevel names Solomon's forced labor levy over 'the house of Joseph' (1 Kgs 11:28), and sabbal is a load-carrier in building work (1 Kgs 5:15; Neh 4:10). Akkadian zabālu, 'to carry', is used for corvée (state forced labor) basket-carrying. Egyptian records and tomb paintings, such as that of Rekhmire (15th century BC), show foreign laborers making bricks under overseers.

From the study of Exodus 1:11

Range of meaning

Burdens or loads, especially forced carrying and hauling. The plural sivlōt appears almost only in the Exodus story. Related words are sevel ('burden, porterage', the carrying duty of a labor gang) and sabbāl ('porter, burden-bearer').

Against the English

KJV and WEB have 'burdens'. ESV adds 'heavy'. NIV and BSB have 'forced labor', and NASB has 'hard labor'. 'Burdens' keeps the concrete picture of loads on shoulders, which matters for later echoes. 'Forced labor' gets the idea across but loses the image.

Used elsewhere in the period

Moses sees his kinsmen's sivlōt (Exod 2:11). Pharaoh orders 'Get back to your sivlōt' (5:4–5). God promises, 'I will bring you out from under the sivlōt of Egypt' (6:6–7). Psalm 81:6 recalls, 'I relieved his shoulder of the burden (sevel); his hands were freed from the basket.' Sevel is the term for Jeroboam's labor duty in 1 Kgs 11:28.

From the study of Exodus 2:11

Range of meaning

A burden carried, specifically the loads and work of forced labor. It comes from the root s-b-l, 'to carry a heavy load'. A related word, sabal, means a porter or carrier (1 Kgs 5:15).

Against the English

KJV/ESV 'burdens' is literally right, but modern ears hear emotional weight ('the burdens of life'). BSB/NIV 'hard labor' gets the institution right but loses the picture of something physically carried.

How it drifted

English 'burden' has largely moved from physical load to inner stress.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Hebrew Bible it occurs only in Exodus for Israel's servitude: 1:11 ('to afflict them with their burdens'), 2:11, 5:4–5, 6:6–7 ('I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt'). The related verb and noun describe forced labor gangs under Solomon (1 Kgs 11:28). Egyptian tomb paintings, notably in the tomb of the official Rekhmire at Thebes (15th century BC), show foreign workers carrying bricks and clay while overseers stand by with rods.

Where it appears

Exodus · 6

  1. Exodus 1:11 בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם with forced labor their

    So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

    Here: "With their burdens": the loads carried under compulsion, the hauling work of a labor gang. The 'their' is plural and probably points to the burdens the Egyptians laid on Israel (see debates). The word returns as a refrain in Exodus 2:11, 5:4–5 and 6:6–7.

  2. Exodus 2:11 בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם on forced labor their

    One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.

    Here: The heavy loads of state forced labor: carrying bricks, mortar and materials. Exodus uses this word only for Israel's slave labor in Egypt (1:11; 5:4–5; 6:6–7).

  3. Exodus 5:4 לְסִבְלֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ to forced labor your

    But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”

  4. Exodus 5:5 מִסִּבְלֹתָֽם׃ from forced labor their

    Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you would be stopping them from their labor.”

  5. Exodus 6:6 סִבְלֹ֣ת [the] forced labor of

    Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

    Here: Loads carried under compulsion: the forced labor gangs of Exodus 1:11 and 5:4–5. It names state-imposed hauling and brickwork, not burdens of the heart.

  6. Exodus 6:7 סִבְל֥וֹת [the] forced labor of

    I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

    Here: Plural 'loads': the carrying work of forced labor (1:11; 2:11; 5:4–5). The word is concrete, about backs and baskets, before it is anything figurative.

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