Hebrew word · H7643

שְׂבָם

sivmah

Sibmah

A place name. Its meaning is uncertain; some link it to a root meaning 'coolness' or 'fragrance', but that is a guess. It appears in two forms: Sebam (Numbers 32:3) and Sibmah (Numbers 32:38; here).

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Shebam or Shibmah or Sibmah = "fragrance"

one of the towns in the pastoral district on the east of the Jordan in Moab; allotted to the tribes of Reuben and Gad

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 Joshua 13:19

Range of meaning

A place name. Its meaning is uncertain; some link it to a root meaning 'coolness' or 'fragrance', but that is a guess. It appears in two forms: Sebam (Numbers 32:3) and Sibmah (Numbers 32:38; here).

Against the English

KJV and modern versions all read 'Sibmah'. Readers may not notice that Numbers 32:3's 'Sebam/Shebam' is the same place.

Used elsewhere in the period

Numbers 32:38 says Reuben built it. Isaiah 16:8–9 and Jeremiah 48:32 lament 'the vine of Sibmah', whose branches reached to Jazer and the sea. That suggests it was a famous wine town, and Moabite by the prophets' time. Its exact location near Heshbon is not known.

Where it appears

Numbers · 2

  1. Numbers 32:3 וּשְׂבָ֥ם and Sebam

    “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,

    Here: The same town as Sibmah (32:38). The prophets later lament the famous vines of Sibmah when they mourn for Moab (Isa 16:8–9; Jer 48:32). Where it stood is uncertain, but it was near Heshbon.

  2. Numbers 32:38 שִׂבְמָ֑ה Sibmah

    as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And they renamed the cities they rebuilt.

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 13:19 וְשִׂבְמָ֔ה and Sibmah

    Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley,

    Here: A town near Heshbon. It is also called Sebam/Shebam in Numbers 32:3 and 32:38. Later prophets remember it for its vineyards (Isaiah 16:8–9; Jeremiah 48:32). The -ah ending here may be the Hebrew 'toward' ending, or simply another form of the name.

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 16:8 שִׂבְמָ֗ה Sibmah

    For the fields of Heshbon have withered, along with the grapevines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations have trampled its choicest vines, which had reached as far as Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots had spread out and passed over the sea.

  2. Isaiah 16:9 שִׂבְמָ֔ה Sibmah

    So I weep with Jazer for the vines of Sibmah; I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears. Triumphant shouts have fallen silent over your summer fruit and your harvest.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 48:32 שִׂבְמָ֔ה Sibmah

    I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah, more than I weep for Jazer. Your tendrils have extended to the sea; they reach even to Jazer. The destroyer has descended on your summer fruit and grape harvest.

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