Hebrew word · H6642
צָבַט
vaiyitzbot-
to serve
The verb occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, so its meaning has to be worked out from context, later Hebrew and the ancient versions. In later (Mishnaic) Hebrew the related noun tsevat means 'tongs' or 'pincers' (e.g. Mishnah Avot 5:6, 'tongs made with tongs').
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
(Qal) to reach, hold out
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
- Range of meaning
The verb occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, so its meaning has to be worked out from context, later Hebrew and the ancient versions. In later (Mishnaic) Hebrew the related noun tsevat means 'tongs' or 'pincers' (e.g. Mishnah Avot 5:6, 'tongs made with tongs'). That points to a basic sense of gripping or pinching, so: 'to take up a portion and hand it over', 'to reach out (food) to'.
- Against the English
KJV 'reached', BSB 'offered', NASB 'served', NIV 'offered' and NLT 'gave' all capture the act of serving. WEB's 'they passed her' changes the singular 'he' into a plural and so loses the point that Boaz himself serves her.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The Septuagint reads 'and Boaz heaped up (ebounisen) for her barley groats (alphiton)', and the Vulgate also says 'heaped up' (congessit). So both ancient translators took it as 'piled up a portion'. Modern lexicons (BDB, HALOT) give 'hold out, reach, hand', and note the Mishnaic tongs.
Where it appears
Ruth · 1
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Ruth 2:14 וַיִּצְבָּט־ and he held out
At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here; have some bread and dip it into the vinegar sauce.” So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over.
Here: This word occurs only here in the Bible. It most likely means 'he reached / handed (a pinch or portion)'. The subject is singular: Boaz himself serves her.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.