3535. kibsah or kabsah
Lexical Summary
kibsah or kabsah: Ewe lamb

Original Word: כִּבְשָׂה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: kibsah
Pronunciation: kib-saw' or kab-saw'
Phonetic Spelling: (kib-saw')
KJV: (ewe) lamb
NASB: ewe lamb, ewe lambs, ewe-lamb, lamb
Word Origin: [feminine of H3532 (כֶּבֶשׂ - male lambs)]

1. a ewe

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ewe lamb

Or kabsah {kab-saw'}; feminine of kebes; a ewe -- (ewe) lamb.

see HEBREW kebes

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as kebes
Definition
ewe lamb
NASB Translation
ewe lamb (3), ewe lambs (3), ewe-lamb (1), lamb (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
כִּבְשָׂה, כַּבְשָׂה noun feminine ewe-lamb; ׳כִּ 2 Samuel 12:3,6; ׳כַּ Leviticus 14:10; Numbers 6:14; construct כִּבְשַׂת 2 Samuel 12:4; plural כְּבָשׂת Genesis 21:29,30; construct כִּבְשׂת Genesis 21:28; — ewe-lambs (7) set in witness Genesis 21:28,29,30 (E); used in sacrifice Leviticus 14:10 (purification), Numbers 6:14 (Nazirite; both P, and both "" כָּבֶשׂ); for food, in Nathan's parable 2 Samuel 12:3,4,6.

Topical Lexicon
Essential Meaning and Symbolism

The term designates a young female sheep, an animal associated with gentleness, vulnerability, and maternal instinct. Scripture employs the ewe lamb both literally—in pastoral and sacrificial settings—and figuratively, to expose sin and to foreshadow redemptive grace.

Covenantal Witness in the Days of Abraham (Genesis 21:28-30)

Abraham’s separation of “seven ewe lambs of the flock” served as tangible proof that he, not Abimelech, had dug the contested well at Beersheba. The gesture attached covenantal weight to a humble creature, illustrating how God often seals promises through simple, recognizable tokens. The episode also highlights restitution: Abraham yielded valuable livestock to establish peace, prefiguring the later sacrificial economy in which innocent life ratified covenantal terms.

Levitical Purification and Personal Restoration (Leviticus 14:10)

In the complex rite for a cleansed leper, the priest presented “one ewe lamb a year old without blemish” as a sin offering, underscoring that moral defilement accompanies physical disease. The ewe lamb, smaller and less imposing than a ram, allowed even the poorest Israelite to participate fully in the covenant community. Its inclusion demonstrates that God provides accessible means for restoration, marrying mercy to holiness.

Consecration of the Nazirites (Numbers 6:14)

When a Nazirite’s vow concluded, the prescribed offerings included “one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering.” Even a person who had voluntarily pursued heightened holiness required atonement, affirming that the most devout still depend on substitutionary sacrifice. The ewe lamb’s role here teaches that consecration without Christ’s ultimate sacrifice remains incomplete.

Prophetic Indictment and Moral Clarity (2 Samuel 12:3-6)

Nathan’s parable of the rich man who seized a poor neighbor’s cherished ewe lamb pierced David’s conscience. By likening the lamb to a daughter—“it slept in his arms; it was like a daughter to him” (2 Samuel 12:3)—Nathan magnified the atrocity of the theft. The ewe lamb became a mirror for Bathsheba and Uriah’s violated marriage and a catalyst for repentance, proving that the violation of gentle innocence exposes hardened sin.

Christological Foreshadowing

Every Old Testament ewe lamb that died for sin prefigured “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The gendered detail—female rather than male—adds a nuance of meekness and nurturing care, complementing the broader lamb imagery fulfilled in Jesus Christ. As the ewe lamb stood in the offerer’s place, so Christ bore “our griefs” and “carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).

Pastoral and Devotional Applications

1. Covenant Faithfulness: Believers today may emulate Abraham’s willingness to make costly restitution for the sake of peace.
2. Accessible Grace: The modest value of a ewe lamb reminds congregations that God’s redemptive provision welcomes the lowly.
3. Confronting Sin: Nathan’s account urges leaders to employ winsome yet piercing illustrations that lead hearers toward confession and restoration.
4. Dependence on Substitution: Whether pursuing heightened holiness like the Nazirite or recovering from moral failure like David, all stand on equal footing at the foot of the cross.

Summary of Key References

Genesis 21:28-30; Leviticus 14:10-13; Numbers 6:14; 2 Samuel 12:3-6. Each occurrence combines to portray the ewe lamb as a witness to covenant, an agent of purification, a component of consecration, and a vehicle of prophetic conviction—culminating in the ultimate Lamb whose once-for-all sacrifice secures eternal redemption.

Forms and Transliterations
הַכִּבְשָׂ֖ה הכבשה וְכַבְשָׂ֥ה וְכַבְשָׂ֨ה וכבשה כְּבָשֹׂ֔ת כְּבָשֹׂת֙ כִּבְשַׂת֙ כִּבְשָׂ֨ה כִּבְשֹׂ֥ת כבשה כבשת hak·kiḇ·śāh hakkiḇśāh hakkivSah kə·ḇā·śōṯ kəḇāśōṯ kevaSot kiḇ·śāh kiḇ·śaṯ kiḇ·śōṯ kiḇśāh kiḇśaṯ kiḇśōṯ kivSah kivSat kivSot vechavSah wə·ḵaḇ·śāh wəḵaḇśāh
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 21:28
HEB: אֶת־ שֶׁ֛בַע כִּבְשֹׂ֥ת הַצֹּ֖אן לְבַדְּהֶֽן׃
NAS: seven ewe lambs of the flock
KJV: seven ewe lambs of the flock
INT: Abraham seven ewe of the flock themselves

Genesis 21:29
HEB: הֵ֗נָּה שֶׁ֤בַע כְּבָשֹׂת֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֥ר
NAS: seven ewe lambs mean, which
KJV: [mean] these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set
INT: in seven ewe these which

Genesis 21:30
HEB: אֶת־ שֶׁ֣בַע כְּבָשֹׂ֔ת תִּקַּ֖ח מִיָּדִ֑י
NAS: these seven ewe lambs from my hand
KJV: For [these] seven ewe lambs shalt thou take
INT: for seven ewe shall take my hand

Leviticus 14:10
HEB: כְבָשִׂים֙ תְּמִימִ֔ים וְכַבְשָׂ֥ה אַחַ֛ת בַּת־
NAS: and a yearling ewe lamb without defect,
KJV: and one ewe lamb of the first
INT: male without ewe and one of the first

Numbers 6:14
HEB: אֶחָד֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה וְכַבְשָׂ֨ה אַחַ֧ת בַּת־
NAS: and one ewe-lamb a year
KJV: and one ewe lamb of the first
INT: one A burnt ewe-lamb and one old

2 Samuel 12:3
HEB: כִּי֩ אִם־ כִּבְשָׂ֨ה אַחַ֤ת קְטַנָּה֙
NAS: one little ewe lamb Which he bought
KJV: little ewe lamb, which he had bought
INT: for lo ewe one little

2 Samuel 12:4
HEB: וַיִּקַּ֗ח אֶת־ כִּבְשַׂת֙ הָאִ֣ישׁ הָרָ֔אשׁ
NAS: man's ewe lamb and prepared
KJV: man's lamb, and dressed
INT: had come took ewe man's the poor

2 Samuel 12:6
HEB: וְאֶת־ הַכִּבְשָׂ֖ה יְשַׁלֵּ֣ם אַרְבַּעְתָּ֑יִם
NAS: He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold,
KJV: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold,
INT: the lamb make fourfold

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3535
8 Occurrences


hak·kiḇ·śāh — 1 Occ.
kə·ḇā·śōṯ — 2 Occ.
kiḇ·śāh — 1 Occ.
kiḇ·śaṯ — 1 Occ.
kiḇ·śōṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·ḵaḇ·śāh — 2 Occ.

3534
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