שְׁבַק (she.vaq)
she.vaq
to be left
A:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb shbaq carries the straightforward meaning of leaving something behind or letting it remain untouched. In its basic active form, it describes the act of departing from a person or place, or choosing not to interfere with an object. This simple action sets the stage for its secondary usage, where the focus shifts from the one who leaves to the one who remains.
When used in the reflexive stem, the word takes on the sense of being left over or surviving. It appears only twice in the Hebrew Bible, both within the books of Ezra and Daniel. In these contexts, it often highlights a remnant that persists after a larger group has been taken away or destroyed. For instance, in Daniel 7:12, the dominion of the fourth beast is stripped away, yet its life is prolonged for a season, leaving a remnant behind.
This rare word emphasizes continuity amidst change. It does not describe a permanent erasure but rather a state of remaining after an event has passed. The text uses it to show that while power structures may fall or populations may be displaced, something always stays behind. This lingering presence becomes the subject of further narrative development in these historical accounts.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When life feels like it is falling apart, the word for 'to be left' offers a quiet reassurance. It describes what remains when other things are stripped away or taken elsewhere. In Daniel’s vision, an empire loses its power, yet something persists beyond the collapse. This suggests that endings are not always final erasures but often transitions where new purposes emerge.
Similarly, in Ezra’s time, a command to leave the temple work alone allowed the foundation to remain intact amidst political pressure. The structure was not destroyed; it was simply set aside for a season. This perspective helps us see our own moments of pause or displacement not as failures, but as spaces where God preserves what matters most.
Even when circumstances change drastically, there is often a remnant of faithfulness that stays behind. You do not need to force outcomes or worry about every detail being taken from you. Trust that what is truly yours in God’s eyes will remain, even when the surrounding world shifts unexpectedly.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- leave!1×
- it will be left1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תִשְׁתְּבִ֑ק1×
- שְׁבֻ֕קוּ1×
Key Verses
-
Daniel 2:44
“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to another people; but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.
This verse uses the term to show that while earthly kingdoms lose their sovereignty, God’s kingdom remains untouched and permanent.
-
Ezra 6:7
Leave the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place.
Here the command to 'leave the work alone' ensures the temple project is preserved from interference, highlighting protection through non-interference.