Hebrew word · H7867

שִׂיב

sav

be gray

The verb śîv means 'to be or become gray'. In the Bible it shows up mainly as a participle, 'gray-haired one' (here, and 1 Samuel 12:2, where Samuel says 'I am old and gray'). The related noun śêvâ means 'gray hair, old age' and stands for long life lived under blessing.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

(Qal) to be hoary, be gray

Aramaic equivalent: siv (שִׂיב "be gray" H7868)

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 Job 15:10

Range of meaning

The verb śîv means 'to be or become gray'. In the Bible it shows up mainly as a participle, 'gray-haired one' (here, and 1 Samuel 12:2, where Samuel says 'I am old and gray'). The related noun śêvâ means 'gray hair, old age' and stands for long life lived under blessing.

Against the English

'Gray-haired / gray-headed' is accurate. English loses the honor attached to the word. In Israel gray hair was a 'crown of glory' (Proverbs 16:31), and the Law said 'You shall rise before the gray head' (Leviticus 19:32).

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Samuel 12:2; the noun śêvâ in Genesis 42:38, Leviticus 19:32, Proverbs 16:31 and 20:29. All across the ancient Near East, long life was linked with wisdom and divine favor.

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 12:2 וָשַׂ֔בְתִּי and I am gray haired

    Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

    Here: A rare verb meaning "to be gray-haired." Gray hair was a mark of honor and long experience (Lev 19:32; Prov 16:31), so the phrase points to a long record, not only weakness.

Job · 1

  1. Job 15:10 שָׂ֣ב [the] gray haired

    Both the gray-haired and the aged are on our side—men much older than your father.

    Here: A singular participle, 'one who has gone gray'. It is related to śêvâ, 'gray hair, old age', which the Bible treats as a crown of honor (Proverbs 16:31; Leviticus 19:32).

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