5435. sobe

Lexical Summary

sobe: Surrounding, circuit, round about

Original Word: סֹבֶא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: cobe'
Pronunciation: so-bayv
Phonetic Spelling: (so'-beh)
KJV: drink, drunken, wine
NASB: drink, liquor
Word Origin: [from H5433 (סָבָא - To dip)]

1. potation, concretely (wine), or abstractly (carousal)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

drink, drunken, wine

From caba'; potation, concretely (wine), or abstractly (carousal) -- drink, drunken, wine.

see HEBREW caba'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from saba
Definition
a drink, liquor
NASB Translation
drink (2), liquor (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[סֹ֫בֶא] noun masculine^{Isaiah 1:22} drink, liquor; — only suffix סָבְאֵךְ Isaiah 1:22; סָבְאָם Hosea 4:18 (but see below), Nahum 1:10 (but see סָבָא ); — liquor (apparently strong, choice) Isaiah 1:22; ׳סָר ס Hosea 4:18 their liquor (i.e. their drunkenness) is gone Thes Hi Che RVm, but very dubious, ᵐ5 quite different (ἡρέτισεν Χαναναίους), We Gu^Kau Now omit in translation; conjecture of Houtsma^{TTijdschr ix (1875), 60} סֹד סֹבְאִים, a company of wine-bibbers, makes good sense.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

סֹבֶא names the intoxicating drink itself, yet Scripture invariably employs the word as a moral and spiritual warning. Every occurrence places the term in a context of rebellion, corruption, or impending judgment, showing how physical excess mirrors spiritual disorder.

Occurrences and Context

• Deuteronomy 21:20: In the case of the “stubborn and rebellious son,” the parents testify that he is “a glutton and a drunkard.” The law links habitual drunkenness with obstinate disobedience deserving covenant-community discipline.
• Isaiah 1:22: “Your silver has become dross; your wine is diluted with water.” The prophet uses the debasement of drink to illustrate the nation’s ethical and covenantal decay; what was once pure is now watered-down and worthless.
• Hosea 4:18: “When their liquor is gone, they engage in prostitution; their rulers dearly love disgrace.” Here סֹבֶא marks the tipping point where unchecked indulgence spills over into idolatry and social breakdown.
• Nahum 1:10: “For they will be entangled like thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like stubble fully dry.” The picture is of enemies of the Lord stupefied by their own excess and therefore easy prey to divine wrath.

Historical and Cultural Setting

Fermented drink was a normal part of ancient Near-Eastern diet and celebration, but its abuse was also a recognized danger. Unlike neutral terms for “wine” (yayin) or “strong drink” (shekar), סֹבֶא is reserved for the negative side of that culture—overindulgence producing moral dullness. The ancients diluted wine for ordinary consumption; therefore the imagery of undiluted, potent liquor sharpened the reproof. Isaiah’s indictment of watered-down wine flips the picture, exposing a society that has lost even the vigor of genuine worship, replacing it with a cheap substitute.

Theological Significance

1. Rebellion against Covenant Authority: In Deuteronomy 21:20 the drunkard resists parental and, by extension, divine authority. The link between drunkenness and insubordination reinforces the biblical theme that sin disorders every relational sphere.
2. Corrupt Worship and Social Injustice: Isaiah and Hosea show that when the heart is intoxicated with sensual pleasure, worship becomes polluted and justice perverted. סֹבֶא thus stands as a symbol of mixed loyalties—faith diluted by worldliness.
3. Divine Judgment: Nahum pictures enemies of God so inebriated that they cannot escape coming wrath. Drunken self-confidence is exposed as futility before the LORD of hosts.
4. Contrast with Spirit-Filled Living: Although the Old Testament text does not yet state Paul’s contrast (“Do not get drunk on wine... but be filled with the Spirit,” Ephesians 5:18), the foundation is laid. True joy and empowerment come from God, not from fermented excess.

Patterns of Imagery

• Dilution vs. Purity: Isaiah’s diluted wine contrasts the Lord’s demand for holiness.
• Entanglement: Nahum couples liquor with thorns, evoking captivity and helplessness.
• Harlotry: Hosea weds drink and prostitution, a recurrent trope for idolatry.
• Gluttony and Stubbornness: Deuteronomy pairs drunkenness with overeating, highlighting unbridled appetite.

Implications for Ministry Today

1. Personal Holiness: Leaders must heed the pattern that substance abuse compromises discernment and testimony.
2. Corporate Worship: Just as diluted wine signaled Judah’s degraded worship, diluted doctrine or half-hearted praise invites divine censure.
3. Pastoral Care: The legal case in Deuteronomy warns that unchecked addiction destroys families; churches should address such sin with compassionate discipline and gospel hope.
4. Prophetic Voice: Isaiah, Hosea, and Nahum model confrontation of societal excess; modern proclamation must likewise expose cultural intoxications—materialism, entertainment, and self-promotion—that dull responsiveness to God.

See Also

Yayin (wine), Shekar (strong drink), Proverbs 23:29-35; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:7-8

Forms and Transliterations

וְסֹבֵֽא׃ וּכְסָבְאָ֖ם וכסבאם וסבא׃ סָבְאֵ֖ךְ סָבְאָ֑ם סבאך סבאם sā·ḇə·’ām sā·ḇə·’êḵ sāḇə’ām sāḇə’êḵ saveAm saveEch ū·ḵə·sā·ḇə·’ām uchesaveAm ūḵəsāḇə’ām vesoVe wə·sō·ḇê wəsōḇê

Englishman's Concordance

Deuteronomy 21:20
HEB: בְּקֹלֵ֑נוּ זוֹלֵ֖ל וְסֹבֵֽא׃
INT: our voice glutton drink

Isaiah 1:22
HEB: הָיָ֣ה לְסִיגִ֑ים סָבְאֵ֖ךְ מָה֥וּל בַּמָּֽיִם׃
NAS: dross, Your drink diluted
KJV: is become dross, thy wine mixed
INT: has become dross your drink diluted water

Hosea 4:18
HEB: סָ֖ר סָבְאָ֑ם הַזְנֵ֣ה הִזְנ֔וּ
NAS: Their liquor gone, They play
KJV: Their drink is sour:
INT: gone their liquor play the harlot

Nahum 1:10
HEB: סִירִ֣ים סְבֻכִ֔ים וּכְסָבְאָ֖ם סְבוּאִ֑ים אֻ֨כְּל֔וּ
NAS: And like those who are drunken with their drink, They are consumed
KJV: and while they are drunken [as] drunkards, they shall be devoured
INT: thorns tangled their drink are drunken are consumed

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5435
4 Occurrences

sā·ḇə·’ām — 1 Occ.
sā·ḇə·’êḵ — 1 Occ.
ū·ḵə·sā·ḇə·’ām — 1 Occ.
wə·sō·ḇê — 1 Occ.