שָׁבָה

Genesis 14:14 נִשְׁבָּ֖ה he had been taken captive

And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.

Here: A passive form of the verb used for taking prisoners of war, people carried off as plunder along with goods (v.12, v.16). Lot has been carried off, not merely 'captured' in the modern sense of being arrested.

Genesis 31:26 כִּשְׁבֻי֖וֹת like captives of

Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives of war!

Genesis 34:29 שָׁב֖וּ they took captive

They carried off all their possessions and women and children, and they plundered everything in their houses.

Exodus 22:10 נִשְׁבָּ֖ה it was captured

If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal to be cared for by his neighbor, but it dies or is injured or stolen while no one is watching,

Numbers 21:1 וַיִּ֥שְׁבְּ׀ and he took captive

When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some prisoners.

Numbers 24:22 תִּשְׁבֶּֽךָּ׃ will it take captive you

Yet Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.”

Numbers 31:9 וַיִּשְׁבּ֧וּ and they took captive

The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.

Deuteronomy 21:10 וְשָׁבִ֥יתָ and you will take captive

When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand and you take them captive,

Judges 5:12 וּֽשֲׁבֵ֥ה and take captive

‘Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, O Barak, and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’

Here: 'And take captive / carry off as prisoners.' The usual verb for seizing people in war and leading them away.

1 Samuel 30:2 וַיִּשְׁבּ֨וּ and they had taken captive

They had taken captive the women and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way.

1 Samuel 30:3 נִשְׁבּֽוּ׃ they had been taken captive

When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

1 Samuel 30:5 נִשְׁבּ֑וּ they had been taken captive

David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive.

1 Kings 8:46 וְשָׁב֤וּם שֹֽׁבֵיהֶם֙ and they will take captive them, captors their

When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near,

Here: "And they take them captive." This is the technical word for carrying off prisoners of war or deporting a population.

1 Kings 8:47 נִשְׁבּוּ־ שֹֽׁבֵיהֶם֙ they have been taken captive, captors their

and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’

Here: A passive form: 'they were taken captive'. The verb sounds almost the same as shuv ('return'), and the verse plays on that likeness: captivity (shavah) is answered by turning back (shuv).

1 Kings 8:48 שָׁב֣וּ they have taken captive

and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray to You in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name,

Here: 'Took captive.' In Hebrew this sounds almost identical to the opening 'they turn back' (shāvû). The captors 'captured'; the captives 'come back'. The wordplay is deliberate.

1 Kings 8:50 שֹׁבֵיהֶ֖ם captors their

May You forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all the transgressions they have committed against You, and may You grant them compassion in the eyes of their captors to show them mercy.

Here: "Those who took them captive." This picks up the wordplay of vv. 46–48, where the sound of shavah (take captive) keeps echoing shuv (turn back, repent).

2 Kings 5:2 וַיִּשְׁבּ֛וּ and they had taken captive

At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife.

2 Kings 6:22 שָׁבִ֛יתָ you have taken captive

“Do not kill them,” he replied. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and then return to their master.”

Here: The ordinary verb for taking prisoners in war. Its subject is “you,” the king. That is the pointed detail, because the king did nothing to capture these men; God blinded them and Elisha led them in.

1 Chronicles 5:21 וַיִּשְׁבּ֣וּ and they took captive

They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. They also took 100,000 captives,

2 Chronicles 6:36 וְשָׁב֧וּם שׁוֹבֵיהֶ֛ם and they will take captive them, captors their

When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to a land far or near,

Here: 'And they take them captive.' This is the start of a deliberate play on sounds that comes back in v. 37.

2 Chronicles 6:37 נִשְׁבּוּ־ they have been taken captive

and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’

Here: Passive: 'they have been carried off as captives', the deportation already looked back on. The verb sounds almost like shuv ('turn back'), and the verse plays on the likeness.

2 Chronicles 6:38 שָׁב֣וּ they took captive

and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name,

2 Chronicles 14:15 וַיִּשְׁבּ֨וּ and they took captive

They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen and carried off many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 21:17 וַיִּשְׁבּ֗וּ and they took captive

So they went to war against Judah, invaded it, and carried off all the possessions found in the king’s palace, along with his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest.

2 Chronicles 25:12 שָׁבוּ֙ they took captive

and the army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.

2 Chronicles 28:5 וַיִּשְׁבּ֤וּ and they took captive

So the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took many captives to Damascus. Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force.

2 Chronicles 28:8 וַיִּשְׁבּוּ֩ and they took captive

Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their kinsmen—women, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a great deal of plunder and brought it to Samaria.

2 Chronicles 28:11 שְׁבִיתֶ֖ם you have taken captive

Now therefore, listen to me and return the captives you took from your kinsmen, for the fierce anger of the LORD is upon you.”

2 Chronicles 28:17 וַיִּשְׁבּוּ־ and they had taken captive

The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away captives.

2 Chronicles 30:9 שֽׁוֹבֵיהֶ֔ם captors their

For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful; He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

Here: 'Their captors': a participle of shavah, 'take captive'. It sounds very like shuv, 'return', so the captors (shovim) are hemmed in between the returnings (shuv).

Psalm 68:18 שָׁ֘בִ֤יתָ you took captive

You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.

Here: 'You took captive.' This is the vocabulary of war: carrying off prisoners after a battle. God has won, and the defeated are led along in his train.

Psalm 106:46 שׁוֹבֵיהֶֽם׃ captors their

He made them objects of compassion to all who held them captive.

Here: An active participle (a verb used as a noun) with "their" attached: "those who were taking them captive," i.e. their captors. The verb belongs to the language of war: carrying off people as prisoners or deportees. To Israel's ear it calls up conquest, deportation and exile.

Psalm 137:3 שׁוֹבֵ֡ינוּ captors our

for there our captors requested a song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy: “Sing us a song of Zion.”

Isaiah 14:2 שֹׁבִ֣ים לְשֹֽׁבֵיהֶ֔ם taking captive, <to> captors their

The nations will escort Israel and bring it to its homeland. Then the house of Israel will possess the nations as menservants and maidservants in the LORD’s land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.

Here: 'Captors': people who take others captive. It is an ongoing role, not a single act.

Isaiah 61:1 לִשְׁבוּיִם֙ to captives

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,

Here: 'Those taken captive': people seized in war and carried off. In Isaiah this recalls the exile in Babylon and its aftermath.

Jeremiah 13:17 נִשְׁבָּ֖ה it has been taken captive

But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.

Here: "Has been taken captive", a passive verb in the completed tense. Either the prophet speaks of a certain future as if it had already happened, or the 597 BC deportation has already begun (see debates). Either way, the exile is treated as settled fact.

Jeremiah 41:10 וַיִּ֣שְׁבְּ׀ וַיִּשְׁבֵּם֙ and he took captive, and he took captive them

Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people of Mizpah—the daughters of the king along with all the others who remained in Mizpah—over whom Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set off to cross over to the Ammonites.

Jeremiah 41:14 שָׁבָ֥ה he had taken captive

and all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah.

Jeremiah 43:12 וְשָׁבָ֑ם and he will take captive them

I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar will burn those temples and take their gods as captives. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there unscathed.

Here: This is the word used for taking prisoners of war. 'Them' here means the gods, that is, their statues, which would be carried off to Babylon like captured people.

Jeremiah 50:33 שֹֽׁבֵיהֶם֙ captors their

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “The sons of Israel are oppressed, and the sons of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to release them.

Here: Participle used as a noun: 'their captors', the people who carried them off as prisoners of war.

Ezekiel 6:9 נִשְׁבּוּ־ they have been taken captive

Then in the nations to which they have been carried captive, your survivors will remember Me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts that turned away from Me, and by their eyes that lusted after idols. So they will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their abominations.

Here: A passive verb for being carried off as prisoners of war. It sounds very close to the next verb, nishbarti ('I was broken'): their captivity and God's brokenness ring alike.

Obadiah 1:11 שְׁב֥וֹת took captive

On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them.