Hebrew word · H7633

שִׁבְיָה

shivyah

captive

Captivity, or a group of captives. It comes from the root sh-b-h, 'to take captive', and is related to shevi, the common word for captivity and exile.

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) captivity, captives

1a) (state of) captivity

1b) captives

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 Nehemiah 4:4

Range of meaning

Captivity, or a group of captives. It comes from the root sh-b-h, 'to take captive', and is related to shevi, the common word for captivity and exile.

Against the English

'Land of captivity' (BSB, KJV, WEB, YLT) is accurate. Some modern versions rephrase it as 'a land where they are captives', which keeps the sense and loses the echo of the stock phrase for exile.

Used elsewhere in the period

'Land of their captivity' is a set phrase for the place of exile: Jeremiah 30:10 and 46:27, 2 Chronicles 6:37–38 (Solomon's prayer about Israel praying 'in the land of their captivity'), Nehemiah 1:2–3 (the survivors 'who had escaped the captivity').

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 2

  1. Deuteronomy 21:11 בַּשִּׁבְיָ֔ה among the [female] captive[s]

    if you see a beautiful woman among them, and you desire her and want to take her as your wife,

  2. Deuteronomy 32:42 וְשִׁבְיָ֔ה and [the] captive

    I will make My arrows drunk with blood, while My sword devours flesh—the blood of the slain and captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.”

    Here: 'And captivity/captives' (a collective noun). Paired with 'slain', it covers the whole defeated enemy, those killed and those taken: the rout is total.

2 Chronicles · 5

  1. 2 Chronicles 28:5 שִׁבְיָ֣ה a group of captives

    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.

    Here: A group noun for the people taken captive. It comes from the same root as the verb before it, so it reads 'they captured a great capture'.

  2. 2 Chronicles 28:11 הַשִּׁבְיָ֔ה the group of captives

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

  3. 2 Chronicles 28:13 הַשִּׁבְיָה֙ the group of captives

    “You must not bring the captives here,” they said, “for you are proposing to bring guilt upon us from the LORD and to add to our sins and our guilt. For our guilt is great, and fierce anger is upon Israel.”

  4. 2 Chronicles 28:14 הַשִּׁבְיָה֙ the group of captives

    So the armed men left the captives and the plunder before the leaders and all the assembly.

  5. 2 Chronicles 28:15 בַשִּׁבְיָ֗ה on the group of captives

    Then the men who were designated by name arose, took charge of the captives, and provided from the plunder clothing for the naked. They clothed them, gave them sandals and food and drink, anointed their wounds, and put all the feeble on donkeys. So they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.

    Here: A collective noun: the whole body of people taken captive. Verse 8 numbers them at 200,000 women, sons and daughters.

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 4:4 שִׁבְיָֽה׃ captivity

    Hear us, O God, for we are despised. Turn their scorn back upon their own heads, and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity.

    Here: 'Captivity.' This is exactly what Judah had just come back from. Nehemiah asks that the mockers go through what his own people went through in exile.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 48:46 בַּשִּׁבְיָֽה׃ in <the> captivity

    Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished; for your sons have been taken into exile and your daughters have gone into captivity.

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