שְׁבִי (she.vi)
she.vi
captivity; captive
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 42 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun shevi refers to the state of being taken prisoner or the captives themselves. It appears forty-two times in the Hebrew Bible, with significant usage in Jeremiah and Isaiah where it often describes the national trauma of exile. The word captures both the abstract condition of captivity and the concrete reality of those held in chains.
Its root sense connects to the idea of turning back or returning, which creates a poignant tension in biblical texts. While the immediate context is one of loss and displacement, the same linguistic family often points toward eventual restoration. This dual nature allows the term to carry weight beyond mere military defeat, hinting at a future hope for return.
Translators typically render shevi as "captivity" or "captives" depending on whether the focus is on the situation or the people. In passages like Jeremiah 29:14, the promise that God will bring them back from shevi underscores a theological theme of reversal. The word thus serves as a marker of both judgment and the potential for redemption.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word shevi describes a heavy reality: the state of being taken prisoner or the people held in chains. It appears forty-two times in the Old Testament, often marking moments of national trauma and loss. When Israel faced defeat, this term captured both the abstract condition of exile and the concrete suffering of those displaced from their homes.
Yet the word carries a deeper tension. Its root sense connects to turning back or returning. This linguistic link creates a poignant hope within the text. Even in passages describing judgment and captivity, the language hints at an eventual restoration. The same word that marks defeat also points toward the possibility of coming home.
This dual nature offers comfort for those feeling distant from God or their community. It reminds us that displacement is not the final story. The biblical narrative moves from captivity to return, showing that God’s purposes extend beyond immediate suffering. We can trust that He holds both our present struggles and our future hope.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 42 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- in <the>/ captivity9×
- captivity/ their4×
- to <the>/ captivity3×
- the/ captivity3×
- captive[s]3×
- from/ the/ captivity2×
- from/ [the] captivity of2×
- [the] captive[s] of2×
- [are] for <the>/ captivity2×
- the/ prisoner1×
- the/ captive[s]1×
- captivity/ her1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שֶֽׁבִי\׃3×
- שִׁבְיָ֑/ם2×
- מִ/שְּׁבִ֣י2×
- הַ/שְּׁבִ֔י2×
- בַּ/שְּׁבִ֣י2×
- בַּ/שְּׁבִ֖י2×
- שֶׁבְיְ/ךָ֖1×
- שִׁבְיֽ/וֹ\׃1×
- שִׁבְיָ֜/הּ1×
- שִׁבְיָ֖/ם1×
- שִׁבְיָ/ם֙1×
- שְׁבִיָּ֖ה1×
Key Verses
-
Ezra 2:1
Now these are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city;
This verse uses shevi to identify the returned exiles as a distinct group, showing how the term defined their identity after Babylon.
-
II Chronicles 6:37
yet if they come to their senses in the land where they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication to you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done perversely, and have dealt wickedly;’
Here the word marks the land of exile as the place where repentance and prayer can still reach God.
-
Isaiah 49:24
Shall the plunder be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered?
The prophet uses the term to pose a rhetorical question about whether captives can be rescued from the mighty, highlighting God's power.
-
Exodus 12:29
At midnight, Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.
This occurrence shows shevi referring to a specific individual in a dungeon, grounding the national theme in personal suffering.