Hebrew word · H7622

שְׁבִית

shevit

captivity

The noun appears almost only in the fixed phrase shuv shevut, "turn the shevut." There are two proposed origins: (1) from shavah, "to take captive," which gives "captivity, captives"; (2) from shuv, "to turn," which gives "a turning" and so "restoration" or "(former) fortunes." In the text...

Appears 32 times in 27 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) captivity, captives

2) defeat, reversed fortunes

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 Amos 9:14

Range of meaning

The noun appears almost only in the fixed phrase shuv shevut, "turn the shevut." There are two proposed origins: (1) from shavah, "to take captive," which gives "captivity, captives"; (2) from shuv, "to turn," which gives "a turning" and so "restoration" or "(former) fortunes." In the text tradition the spelling varies between shevut and shevit, and scribes sometimes correct one to the other in the margin. This suggests the two were felt to be interchangeable.

Against the English

KJV, NASB 1995, WEB and BSB say "captivity." ESV and NRSV say "restore the fortunes." NIV and NLT say "bring back from exile." Each choice commits the reader to one origin of the word.

How it drifted

The ancient Greek and Latin translations rendered the phrase "captivity" (Greek aichmalōsia, Latin captivitas), and English Bibles followed them from Wycliffe and Tyndale through the KJV. Later study of the phrase showed it is used where nobody is captive, and that it has a parallel in Aramaic. Translations began shifting to "fortunes" in the 20th century.

Used elsewhere in the period

Job 42:10: "the LORD turned the shevut of Job." Job was never a captive, so the phrase must be broader. Ezekiel 16:53 uses it of Sodom. Deuteronomy 30:3 and Jeremiah 29:14 combine it with gathering exiles, so captivity is often part of the picture. Outside the Bible, the 8th-century BCE Aramaic Sefire treaty inscription (Sefire III, lines 24–25) says "the gods restored the fortunes (šybt) of my father's house." That is close in form and date to Amos, and it shows the idiom was in use in the region well before the Babylonian exile.

From the study of Ezekiel 16:53

Range of meaning

A noun meaning 'turning, restoration, (former) fortunes.' In some contexts, or in some scholars' view, it means 'captivity' or 'the captives.' It almost always occurs as the object of shuv.

Against the English

'Captivity' (KJV, YLT, WEB, older NASB) against 'fortunes' (ESV, NIV, NLT and most recent versions). BSB mixes the two: 'restore … from captivity.'

How it drifted

Ancient versions disagreed about the noun's root, and the English tradition followed the Latin 'captivity' line.

Used elsewhere in the period

Scribes copied the two forms (shevut and shevit) interchangeably; in this verse the written and read-aloud forms differ. HALOT and BDB both list the 'restoration/fortunes' sense; modern study (Dietrich 1925; Bracke, ZAW 1985) argues it is the primary meaning of the idiom.

From the study of Jeremiah 29:14

Range of meaning

This fixed phrase (shuv shevut) appears about 27 times in the Hebrew Bible, eleven of them in Jeremiah. It means 'restore the fortunes / reverse the condition / bring about a turnaround'. The noun is traced either to shavah, 'take captive' (giving 'captivity'), or to shuv, 'turn' (giving 'turning, restoration'). The phrase is used where no literal captivity is involved: Job 42:10 says YHWH 'restored the fortunes of Job', who had never been taken captive, and Ezek 16:53 speaks of Sodom's fortunes. So the wider sense is required at least in some places.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'turn (again) your captivity' and BSB 'restore you from captivity' follow the 'captivity' derivation. ESV, NASB and NRSV give 'restore your fortunes'. NIV gives 'bring you back from captivity'. In Jeremiah 29 the people really were captives, so 'captivity' is not wrong in this setting. It is narrower than the idiom, which promises a full reversal of their condition: land, community, temple and standing with God.

How it drifted

Ancient translations (Septuagint, Vulgate captivitatem) often took the noun as 'captivity'. The KJV tradition passed that on to English. Twentieth-century study of the idiom, including an Aramaic parallel, moved most modern versions to 'fortunes'.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Aramaic Sefire treaty inscriptions (8th century BC) use the same verb-plus-noun pair for gods restoring the fortunes of a royal house. This is usually cited as evidence that the phrase meant 'restore' or 'reverse a situation' more generally. Within the Bible see Deut 30:3, Jer 30:3, 18; 31:23; 32:44; 33:7, 11; Ps 126:1, 4; Job 42:10.

Where it appears

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 21:29 בַּשְּׁבִ֔ית in <the> captivity

    Woe to you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! He gave up his sons as refugees, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 30:3 שְׁבוּתְךָ֖ captivity your

    then He will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you.

    Here: Together with the verb before it this makes a fixed idiom, *shuv shevut*, "turn the turning": a full reversal of a ruined state. Here, after exile, that clearly includes bringing captives home, but it is wider than release from prison.

Job · 1

  1. Job 42:10 שְׁב֣וּת [the] captivity of

    After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions.

    Here: The second half of the idiom: Job's lost condition, which God 'turns back'. Job was never a prisoner. The sense is 'restored Job's fortunes', meaning his whole former life and standing.

Psalms · 4

  1. Psalm 14:7 שְׁב֣וּת [the] captivity of

    Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

    Here: The object of 'turn'. Traditionally 'captivity', but in the fixed phrase shuv shevut it most likely means 'a turning' of fortunes: Yahweh 'turns the turning' of his people and restores what was lost.

  2. Psalm 53:6 שְׁב֣וּת [the] captivity of

    Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When God restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

    Here: The object of God's 'turning'. Older versions take it as 'captivity'. Most modern scholars read the whole phrase as 'restore the fortunes', a total reversal of ruin that may include, but is not limited to, bringing back captives.

  3. Psalm 85:1 שְׁבִ֣ית [the] captivity of

    For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. You showed favor to Your land, O LORD; You restored Jacob from captivity.

    Here: The object of 'turned.' It sounds like the verb (shavta shevit). Whether it means 'captivity' or 'former state, fortunes', the phrase as a whole means 'you reversed Jacob's ruin'. Here that very likely includes the return from Babylonian exile, but it is not limited to it.

  4. Psalm 126:4 שְׁבִיתֵ֑נוּ captivity our

    Restore our captives, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.

Jeremiah · 12

  1. Jeremiah 29:14 שְׁבוּתְכֶ֗ם captivity your

    I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile.”

    Here: 'Your turning' or 'your fortunes'. With the verb it means 'I will reverse your condition'. Older translations took it as 'captivity'. Since this audience really was in exile, 'captivity' fits the situation, but the idiom is wider than release from prison.

  2. Jeremiah 30:3 שְׁב֨וּת [the] captivity of

    For behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore from captivity My people Israel and Judah, declares the LORD. I will restore them to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.’”

    Here: The object in the fixed phrase 'turn the shevut'. It sounds like the verb next to it, and the phrase means to bring about a full reversal of the people's situation: return from exile, and everything restored with it.

  3. Jeremiah 30:18 שְׁבוּת֙ [the] captivity of

    This is what the LORD says: “I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings. And the city will be rebuilt on her own ruins, and the palace will stand in its rightful place.

    Here: The object of 'turn back.' Together the two words mean 'reverse the condition' or 'restore the fortunes.' In an exile setting that includes bringing captives home, but it is broader than that.

  4. Jeremiah 31:23 שְׁבוּתָ֑ם captivity their

    This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “When I restore them from captivity, they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities: ‘May the LORD bless you, O righteous dwelling place, O holy mountain.’

    Here: "Their captivity" or "their fortunes". The phrase šûb šĕbût is a fixed idiom for a full reversal of a ruined state. Here the reversal includes bringing exiles home, but it is wider than that (see studies).

  5. Jeremiah 32:44 שְׁבוּתָ֖ם captivity their

    Fields will be purchased with silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed, and witnessed in the land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah—the cities of the hill country, the foothills, and the Negev—because I will restore them from captivity, declares the LORD.”

  6. Jeremiah 33:7 שְׁב֣וּת שְׁב֣וּת [the] captivity of

    I will restore Judah and Israel from captivity and will rebuild them as in former times.

    Here: The object of the stock phrase shuv shevut, "to turn the turning." Here it means Judah's condition being reversed: the exile, yes, and also its whole ruined state. It echoes the sound of the verb before it.

  7. Jeremiah 33:11 שְׁבוּת־ [the] captivity of

    the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those bringing thank offerings into the house of the LORD, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good; His loving devotion endures forever.’ For I will restore the land from captivity as in former times, says the LORD.

    Here: Traditionally 'captivity', but in the fixed phrase shuv shevut it most likely means 'turn the turning', that is, reverse someone's fortunes. 'The land's captivity' makes little sense, while 'the land's fortunes' fits.

  8. Jeremiah 33:26 שְׁבוּתָ֖ם captivity their

    then I would also reject the descendants of Jacob and of My servant David, so as not to take from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore them from captivity and will have compassion on them.”

    Here: Second half of the set phrase. It means a full reversal of their condition, which in this setting includes coming back from exile but is not limited to it: land, prosperity, dynasty and relationship with God all restored.

  9. Jeremiah 48:47 שְׁבוּת־ [the] captivity of

    Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.

    Here: The object of the verb, in a fixed phrase 'turn the shevut'. It means 'restore the fortunes', that is, reverse a disaster. Coming right after v. 46's 'captivity' words (shevi, shivyah), it also clearly sounds like 'bring back the captives'.

  10. Jeremiah 49:6 שְׁב֥וּת [the] captivity of

    Yet afterward I will restore the Ammonites from captivity,” declares the LORD.

    Here: Traditionally 'captivity', but in the fixed phrase with 'turn back' it most likely means 'fortunes, situation': God will turn Ammon's ruin around. Exile is part of what is reversed (verse 3 sends Ammon's god, priests and officials into exile) but the phrase is wider than bringing captives home.

  11. Jeremiah 49:39 שְׁב֥וּת [the] captivity of

    “Yet in the last days, I will restore Elam from captivity,” declares the LORD.

    Here: The noun in the idiom 'restore the shevut.' It probably means 'turn things back to how they were' (restore fortunes). Older translations took it as 'captivity,' following the Greek. Return of deportees could be part of it, but the promise is broader: Elam's ruined condition is reversed.

Lamentations · 1

  1. Lamentations 2:14 שְׁבוּתֵ֑ךְ captivity your

    The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.

    Here: Together with lehashiv it forms the fixed idiom 'turn back the turning', meaning reverse someone's fortunes or captivity. Here it means that honest preaching could have turned aside the coming exile, or turned Zion's fortunes back toward good.

Ezekiel · 7

  1. Ezekiel 16:53 שְׁבִ֣יתְהֶ֔ן שְׁב֤וּת שְׁב֥וּת וּשְׁב֥וּת שְׁבִיתַ֖יִךְ captivity their, [the] captivity of, and [the] captivity of, captivities your

    But I will restore Sodom and her daughters from captivity, as well as Samaria and her daughters. And I will restore you along with them.

    Here: 'Their turning': the fortunes of the women in the allegory, the 'sisters' Sodom and Samaria. The ending is feminine plural because the cities are pictured as women. This first mention is a summary, and the next clauses spell it out.

  2. Ezekiel 29:14 שְׁב֣וּת [the] captivity of

    I will restore Egypt from captivity and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom.

  3. Ezekiel 39:25 שְׁב֣וּת [the] captivity of

    Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore Jacob from captivity and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name.

    Here: The object of the 'turning'. Together with the verb it forms a fixed phrase meaning 'reverse the fate, restore the fortunes'. In this setting that includes ending the exile, but it is not limited to it.

Hosea · 1

  1. Hosea 6:11 שְׁב֥וּת [the] captivity of

    Also for you, O Judah, a harvest is appointed, when I restore My people from captivity.

Joel · 1

  1. Joel 3:1 שְׁב֥וּת [the] captivity of

    “Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity,

    Here: What God turns back: Judah's ruined condition. That includes the captives scattered and sold abroad (3:2–6), but the word is wider than captivity and covers the whole reversal of their fortunes.

Amos · 1

  1. Amos 9:14 שְׁב֣וּת [the] captivity of

    I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.

    Here: The object of God's turning. It is either "the captivity" (from a verb meaning "take captive") or "the turning, the fortunes" (from the same verb as shavti). Together the phrase means God reverses his people's condition from ruin to wholeness. Return from captivity is included, but the phrase is wider than that.

Zephaniah · 2

  1. Zephaniah 2:7 שְׁבִיתָֽם׃ captivity their

    The coast will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. They will lie down in the evening among the houses of Ashkelon, for the LORD their God will attend to them and restore their captives.

    Here: The object of the idiom 'restore the fortunes'. Older translations took it as 'captivity'. Many scholars now read it as a general reversal of ruin, which can include bringing captives home.

  2. Zephaniah 3:20 שְׁבוּתֵיכֶ֛ם captiviti<es> your

    At that time I will bring you in; yes, at that time I will gather you. For I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your captives before your very eyes,” says the LORD.

    Here: Together with 'turning' it makes a sound-alike phrase, shuv shevut, that means a complete reversal of a ruined state. Here that clearly includes bringing exiles home, but the phrase means more than release from prison.

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