Lexical Summary zebed: Gift, Endowment Original Word: זֶבֶד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance dowry From zabad; a gift -- dowry. see HEBREW zabad NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom zabad Definition endowment, gift NASB Translation gift (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs זֶ֫בֶד noun masculine endowment, gift, Genesis 30:20 a compare foregoing. Topical Lexicon Occurrence and Narrative Setting The single appearance of זֶבֶד (zeved) stands in Genesis 30:20, where Leah exclaims, “God has presented me with a good gift. Now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons”. Her declaration follows the birth of Zebulun and serves as the climactic utterance in a long-running account of rivalry, longing, and divine intervention within Jacob’s household. In a family drama driven by human scheming yet overruled by providence, zeved crystallizes Leah’s recognition that the ultimate source of blessing is the Lord. Children as a Gift from God Leah’s pronouncement anticipates the later affirmation, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3). Even amid her earlier sense of abandonment (Genesis 29:32–34), Leah now confesses that her sons are not trophies of self-effort but gracious deposits from the hand of God. Genesis thereby anchors the doctrine that life itself—and especially covenant offspring—belongs to the category of divine gift rather than human entitlement. Gift and Tribal Destiny The newborn’s name, Zebulun, soon acquires tribal significance. Moses blesses the tribe by saying, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out” (Deuteronomy 33:18), and Isaiah foresees that Zebulun’s land will see “a great light” (Isaiah 9:1–2), fulfilled in Jesus’ Galilean ministry (Matthew 4:13–16). Thus the gift acknowledged by one mother becomes a channel through which redemptive history advances toward its Messianic goal. Divine Gifts Across the Canon Zeved forms part of a broader biblical tapestry of gifts: • Creation itself is a gift: “He gives to all life, breath, and everything else” (Acts 17:25). Each instance deepens the conviction that every good and perfect gift comes “from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17). Ministry and Pastoral Reflections 1. Gratitude: Leah’s spontaneous praise models thanksgiving that resists comparison and discontent. Believers are encouraged to identify and publicly celebrate God’s gifts, both ordinary and extraordinary. Christological Horizon Ultimately, zeved points beyond temporal blessings to the Father’s supreme gift of His Son: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16). Every lesser gift foreshadows this greater one, and every grateful response echoes Leah’s ancient confession: “God has presented me with a good gift.” Forms and Transliterations זֵ֣בֶד זבד zê·ḇeḏ zêḇeḏ ZevedLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 30:20 HEB: אֱלֹהִ֥ים ׀ אֹתִי֮ זֵ֣בֶד טוֹב֒ הַפַּ֙עַם֙ NAS: me with a good gift; now KJV: me [with] a good dowry; now INT: has endowed God gift A good now |
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