צֶ֫בַע (tse.va)
tse.va
dye
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun tseva refers to dye or dyed material, specifically colored cloth. In the Hebrew Bible, it appears only once, in Judges 5:30, within Deborah’s song celebrating victory over the Canaanite army. The text describes spoils being divided, mentioning "a piece or two of color" among the plunder.
This rare usage highlights the high value placed on dyed textiles in the ancient Near East. Producing vibrant, lasting colors required expensive materials and complex processes, making such goods significant wealth and status symbols. The word likely denotes a specific type of richly colored fabric rather than the liquid dye itself, reflecting its tangible worth as loot.
Its solitary occurrence underscores how exceptional this kind of luxury item was in the context of military conquest. The mention serves to illustrate the abundance of the spoil taken from Sisera’s forces, emphasizing the completeness of Israel’s deliverance through the distribution of these prized goods among the soldiers.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word tseva appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, found in Judges 5:30 within Deborah’s song of victory. It refers to dyed garments, specifically those embroidered and colored with expensive pigments. In the ancient world, such textiles were rare luxuries, symbolizing wealth and high status. Their presence among the spoils of war highlights the tangible blessings that followed Israel's deliverance from oppression.
For your faith life, this detail reminds us that God cares about the concrete realities of our existence. He does not leave His people in poverty or shame when He acts on their behalf. The distribution of these prized items shows a God who provides abundance and restores dignity to those He saves. We can trust that He sees our needs and often blesses us with tangible goods that bring joy and stability.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- colored cloth<s>2×
- colored cloth1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- צֶ֥בַע1×
- צְבָעִים֙1×
- צְבָעִ֖ים1×
Key Verses
-
Judges 5:30
‘Have they not found, have they not divided the plunder? A lady, two ladies to every man; to Sisera a plunder of dyed garments, a plunder of dyed garments embroidered, of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the plunder?’
This is the only occurrence of the word, describing embroidered dyed garments taken as spoil from Sisera's army to illustrate the richness of the victory.