Hebrew word · H7623

שָׁבַח

shabchuhu

to praise

Hebrew has two verbs that look alike. (I) šābaḥ 'to praise, laud' is a late word shared with Aramaic (Ps 63:3; 117:1; 145:4; Eccl 4:2).

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to laud, praise, commend

1a) (Piel)

1a1) to laud, praise (God)

1a2) to commend, congratulate (the dead)

1b) (Hithpael) to boast

Aramaic equivalent: she.vach (שְׁבַח "to praise" H7624)

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 Proverbs 29:11

Range of meaning

Hebrew has two verbs that look alike. (I) šābaḥ 'to praise, laud' is a late word shared with Aramaic (Ps 63:3; 117:1; 145:4; Eccl 4:2). (II) šābaḥ 'to still, calm, quiet' appears in Psalm 65:7 (God 'stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves') and Psalm 89:9 ('when its waves rise, you still them'), and here.

Against the English

English versions use 'holds it back', 'keeps it in', 'restrains it', 'brings himself under control' or 'brings calm'. All of these get the sense of restraint. 'Keeps it in' and 'holds back' can suggest bottling or suppressing. The Hebrew verb is about actively calming something turbulent until it settles.

How it drifted

No drift in the English word as such. The point is that 'hold back' gives a static picture, a dam, where the Hebrew gives a dynamic one: quieting a storm.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 65:7 and 89:9 both use this verb for the Creator's power over the chaotic sea, a common Near Eastern picture of divine kingship. HALOT and BDB both list this verse under the 'still, calm' sense.

From the study of Psalm 63:3

Range of meaning

In this form (Hebrew piel): to laud, extol, speak highly of (Ps 63:4 Heb.; 117:1; 145:4; 147:12) and to commend or pronounce something fortunate (Eccl 4:2; 8:15). In the reflexive form, to glory or boast (Ps 106:47; 1 Chr 16:35). A separate, identical-looking verb means "to still, calm" the sea (Ps 65:7; 89:9). It is the ordinary word for praise in Aramaic (Dan 2:23; 4:34, 37).

Against the English

KJV, WEB and ESV have "praise", NIV and BSB "glorify", other versions "extol". "Glorify" can sound abstract or theological. Shavach is concrete: saying out loud how great someone is.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is rare in Hebrew and found mostly in psalms, Ecclesiastes and Chronicles, which are usually dated later. It is very common in Aramaic. Many scholars take it as an Aramaic-flavoured word, though one occurrence cannot date a psalm.

From the study of Psalm 106:47

Range of meaning

A second root spelled shavach means to praise, laud, or commend. It appears mostly in later biblical Hebrew and is common in Aramaic (Dan 2:23; 4:34). In the reflexive form used here (hithpael), it means to glory or boast in something, to praise in a way that involves one's own pride and identity. This reflexive form occurs only here and in the parallel 1 Chr 16:35. A different root with the same spelling means "to still" (Ps 65:7; 89:9).

Against the English

BSB, YLT and most modern versions have "glory in your praise". KJV and WEB have "triumph in your praise". The supplied contextual gloss is "to boast". All three point the same way: exuberant, confident praise. "Triumph" adds a note of victory over enemies, which fits the context but is a little more specific than the Hebrew.

Used elsewhere in the period

Other forms of the root are found in Ps 63:3 ("my lips will praise you"), Ps 117:1, Ps 145:4, Ps 147:12, and Eccl 4:2 and 8:15. Its later, Aramaic-flavored character is one of several clues that this part of the Psalter took shape during or after the exile. The Septuagint has enkauchasthai, "to boast in", and the Vulgate has gloriemur.

Where it appears

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 16:35 לְהִשְׁתַּבֵּ֖חַ to boast

    Then cry out: ‘Save us, O God of our salvation; gather and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise.’

Psalms · 7

  1. Psalm 63:3 יְשַׁבְּחֽוּנְךָ׃ they will extol you

    Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You.

    Here: "They will laud you". The verb form describes an action that is still to come or keeps going, so it can mean "will praise" or "keep praising". An extra n-sound before the "you" ending (-nekha) adds weight. Shavach means to praise aloud or speak highly of someone, and it is the more common word for this in Aramaic.

  2. Psalm 65:7 מַשְׁבִּ֤יחַ׀ [who] calms

    You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.

    Here: A participle (a verb form that works like '-ing'), the same as 'establishing' at the start of v.6. It describes what God habitually does, not one past event: 'the One who hushes'. This verb is not the more familiar shabach, 'to praise'. It means to calm a surge or bring it down.

  3. Psalm 89:9 תְשַׁבְּחֵֽם׃ you calm them

    You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them.

    Here: 'You still them' or 'you hush them'. The verb form shows an action that happens whenever the waves rise: each time they rise, God quiets them. This 'still' sense of shabach also appears in Psalm 65:7 and Proverbs 29:11 ('holds it back'). It is a different word from the more common later shabach, 'to praise'.

  4. Psalm 106:47 לְ֝הִשְׁתַּבֵּ֗חַ to boast

    Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise.

    Here: "To make our boast": the verb form here turns back on the speakers, so it is praise they take pride in, a loud, confident glorying. The second purpose clause, parallel to "to give thanks".

  5. Psalm 117:1 שַׁ֝בְּח֗וּהוּ extol him

    Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!

    Here: "Laud him!" Another plural command in the intensive stem, with "him" attached to the end. It is a later word, shared with Aramaic, for speaking someone's praise and commending their greatness. It parallels and strengthens halelu.

  6. Psalm 145:4 יְשַׁבַּ֣ח it will extol

    One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—

    Here: "Will laud / will commend": to speak well of something and state its worth out loud to someone else. The verb form looks to the future or to an ongoing habit: this will keep happening.

  7. Psalm 147:12 שַׁבְּחִ֣י extol

    Exalt the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion!

    Here: A command addressed to a woman (feminine singular), because the city is pictured as a woman. It means to speak well of someone out loud, to commend or acclaim them. It is a rarer, more formal word than the usual Hebrew for praise, and it opens the line.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 29:11 יְשַׁבְּחֶֽנָּה׃ he calms it

    A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back.

    Here: 'He stills it.' This verb is used elsewhere for God calming the roaring sea and its waves (Ps 65:7; 89:9). The 'it' is feminine and points back to 'spirit' (rûaḥ is feminine). The picture is calming a storm, not hiding something.

Ecclesiastes · 2

  1. Ecclesiastes 4:2 וְשַׁבֵּ֧חַ and I congratulated

    So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive.

  2. Ecclesiastes 8:15 וְשִׁבַּ֤חְתִּֽי and I commend

    So I commended the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry. For this joy will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.

    Here: A formal verdict: "So I declared it praiseworthy." The 'and + past' form works here as a plain past tense, typical of late Hebrew, and it marks a conclusion drawn from the injustice described in 8:14.

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