שְׁבַט (she.vat)
she.vat
tribe
A:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:N-M
Word Overview
The word shevat is an Aramaic noun meaning tribe or clan. It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Ezra 6:17, where it identifies the groups represented by the sacrificial offerings.
It derives from the Hebrew shevet, which originally meant a staff or rod before evolving to signify a family line or political unit. This connection suggests that authority and identity were rooted in leadership structures.
In Ezra, the term highlights the organized nature of the returned community. By listing the tribes explicitly, the text emphasizes the restoration of Israel’s distinct social and religious structure after exile.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word shevat points to the idea of belonging to a specific group within a larger whole. In Ezra 6:17, it reminds us that the people of God were organized into distinct families or tribes. This structure was not just for administrative purposes but reflected their shared identity and covenant with God.
For your faith life, this highlights the value of community. You are part of a larger body of believers. Just as the tribes came together for sacrifice, Christians gather to worship and support one another. Your individual story is woven into the broader narrative of God’s people.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] tribes of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שִׁבְטֵ֥י1×
Key Verses
-
Ezra 6:17
They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
This verse uses shevat to count the twelve male goats, linking each goat directly to one of Israel's tribes and showing how the whole community participated in the sin offering.