Hebrew · Strong's H7628
שְׁבִי
(shvee)
noun, feminine
This noun refers to the state of being taken captive or to those who are taken captive, often in situations of war or exile.
The Hebrew noun שְׁבִי (shvee) primarily denotes captivity or a group of captives. It encompasses both the abstract concept of being held captive and the concrete reality of individuals who have been taken from their homes and subjected to foreign rule. This term frequently appears in contexts related to military conquest and its aftermath, where people are forcibly removed from their land. It can also refer to the spoils of war, specifically the human captives who become property of the victors. The semantic range of שְׁבִי highlights the devastating impact of war and the vulnerability of people to displacement and subjugation. The word often carries a strong emotional weight, reflecting the suffering and loss associated with exile and imprisonment. It emphasizes the loss of freedom, homeland, and cultural identity that comes with being carried away into captivity. Biblical narratives frequently use שְׁבִי to describe the consequences of divine judgment, particularly seen in the exile of Israel and Judah. Yet it can also be used in more neutral descriptions of populations under foreign rule or returning from it. Thus, the term is central to understanding key historical and theological themes within the Old Testament, such as God's judgment, covenant faithfulness, and eventual restoration. The concept of being taken captive served as a powerful reminder of both national disobedience and divine sovereignty, with eventual return from captivity signaling hope and renewed covenantal relationship for the Israelites.
Common English renderings
- captive
- captivity
- prisoners
- taken away
Key verses
"And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire."
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"if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captive, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:"
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"Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led away captives; Thou hast received gifts among men, Yea, among the rebellious also, that Jehovah God might dwell with them."
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"But fear not thou, O Jacob my servant, neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid."
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"These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and that returned unto Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;"
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"Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem, and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the house of Jehovah."
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Related words