Lexical Summary sabal: To bear, to carry, to suffer, to endure Original Word: סָבַל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bear, be a burden, carry, strong to labor A primitive root; to carry (literally or figuratively), or (reflexively) be burdensome; specifically, to be gravid -- bear, be a burden, carry, strong to labour. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to bear (a heavy load) NASB Translation bear (5), borne (1), carried (1), carry (1), drags (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [סָבַל] verb bear a heavy load (Late Hebrew id.; Arabic סְבַל  id.; compare also below זבל above); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular suffix סְבָלָם Isaiah 53:4; 1plural סָבָ֑לְנוּ Lamentations 5:7; — Imperfect3masculine singular יִסְבֹּל Isaiah 53:11; 1singular אֶסְבֹּל Isaiah 46:4; 3masculine plural suffix יִסְבְּלֻהוּ Isaiah 46:7; Infinitive construct לִסְבֹּל Genesis 49:15; — bear a load, וַיֵּט שִׁכְמוֺ לִסְבֹּל Genesis 49:15 (poem in J; of Issachar under figure of ass); of carrying an idol Isaiah 46:7; of ׳י carrying Israel Isaiah 46:4; Isaiah 46:4; servant of ׳י carrying load of pain Isaiah 53:4 and guilt Isaiah 53:11; Israel bearing iniquities of fathers Lamentations 5:7. Pu`al Participle plural מְסֻבָּלִים laden, Psalm 144:14 (i.e. pregnant Ges Hi Ew Hup-Now Che and others; perhaps better, token of abundant harvest, so many, see especially Bae). Hithpa`el Imperfect וְיִסְתַּכֵּל הֶחָגָב Ecclesiastes 12:5 drag oneself along, as a burden (see חָגָב). Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery The verb סָבַל portrays the action of carrying a weight—whether literal loads, imposed labor, or the inward weight of affliction. The idea is never casual transport; it conveys strenuous effort, a shoulder bowed to strain, or a soul pressed down. Its nuance thus moves seamlessly between physical burden-bearing and the endurance of suffering, making the word an ideal vehicle for both social and redemptive themes. Canonical Occurrences 1. Genesis 49:15 pictures Issachar, “bowing his shoulder to bear a burden,” accepting servile labor in exchange for material comfort; סָבַל sets the tribe’s destiny within the tension between rest and bondage. 4-6. Isaiah 46:4, twice in Isaiah 46:4 and once in Isaiah 46:7, contrasts idols that must be “borne” by people with the LORD, who promises, “I have made you and I will bear you.” The term exposes the folly of gods who require human effort while the true God carries His people. 7-8. Isaiah 53:4, 11 escalates the theme: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… My Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.” Here סָבַל anchors the prophetic revelation of substitutionary suffering. The Burden-Bearer Motif in Old Testament Theology Two threads run through these texts. First, humans are burden-bearers either by necessity (Genesis, Ecclesiastes), vocation (Psalm), or judgment (Lamentations). Second, God alone is the ultimate Bearer (Isaiah 46), climaxing in the Servant who shoulders sin itself (Isaiah 53). The verb thereby supplies a unifying concept: what humanity cannot sustainably carry, God in grace takes up. Messianic Fulfillment in Isaiah 53 The Servant “has borne our griefs” (Isaiah 53:4) and “will bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). The perfect in verse 4 views the suffering as accomplished, while the imperfect in verse 11 anticipates ongoing effect. Together they proclaim a once-for-all act whose merit is perpetually available. The load is defined as both emotional (“griefs…sorrows”) and moral (“iniquities”), showing a comprehensive atonement. The New Testament repeatedly echoes this burden-bearing in Matthew 8:17, 1 Peter 2:24, and Hebrews 9:28, confirming the Servant as Jesus Christ. Historical and Cultural Background In the Ancient Near East, forced labor (Genesis 49) and pack animals (Psalm 144) were common symbols of economic status. Idols in procession (Isaiah 46) literally rode on beasts, so the claim that they must be “borne” struck at pagan religion’s heart. By appropriating the verb, Isaiah reveals a dramatic reversal: whereas nations bear their gods, Israel’s God bears His nation. Against this backdrop, the image of a willing Servant voluntarily assuming humanity’s heaviest load—sin—would have astonished original hearers. Pastoral and Devotional Implications 1. Dependence: Because God bears His people, self-reliance yields to humble trust (Isaiah 46:4). Intertextual Continuity The verb’s trajectory culminates in Jesus’ invitation, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The linguistic root differs, yet the concept is identical: the Messiah takes the yoke off our shoulders. Revelation 1:5–6 celebrates the Lamb who “freed us from our sins,” attesting that the burden once prophetically borne remains forever lifted. Summary סָבַל weaves through Scripture as a theological thread binding human frailty to divine compassion. From Issachar’s bowed back to the Servant’s sacrificial shoulders, from idolatry’s dead weight to Christ’s liberating load-lifting, the verb charts the gospel storyline: humanity burdened, God bearing, redemption accomplished. Forms and Transliterations אֶסְבֹּ֑ל אֶסְבֹּ֖ל אסבל וְיִסְתַּבֵּ֣ל ויסתבל יִסְבְּלֻ֜הוּ יִסְבֹּֽל׃ יסבל׃ יסבלהו לִסְבֹּ֔ל לסבל מְֽסֻבָּ֫לִ֥ים מסבלים סְבָלָ֑ם סָבָֽלְנוּ׃ סבלם סבלנו׃ ’es·bōl ’esbōl esBol lis·bōl lisBol lisbōl mə·sub·bā·lîm mesubBaLim məsubbālîm sā·ḇā·lə·nū sāḇālənū saValnu sə·ḇā·lām səḇālām sevaLam veyistabBel wə·yis·tab·bêl wəyistabbêl yis·bə·lu·hū yis·bōl yisbeLuhu yisbəluhū yisBol yisbōlLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 49:15 HEB: וַיֵּ֤ט שִׁכְמוֹ֙ לִסְבֹּ֔ל וַיְהִ֖י לְמַס־ NAS: his shoulder to bear [burdens], And became KJV: his shoulder to bear, and became a servant INT: bowed his shoulder to bear and became forced Psalm 144:14 Ecclesiastes 12:5 Isaiah 46:4 Isaiah 46:4 Isaiah 46:7 Isaiah 53:4 Isaiah 53:11 Lamentations 5:7 9 Occurrences |
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