5450. siblah
Lexical Summary
siblah: Burden, load, suffering

Original Word: סְבָלָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: cbalah
Pronunciation: sib-lah'
Phonetic Spelling: (seb-aw-law')
KJV: burden
NASB: burdens, labors, hard labor, hard labors
Word Origin: [from H5447 (סֵבֶל - burden)]

1. porterage

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
burden

From cebel; porterage -- burden.

see HEBREW cebel

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from sabal
Definition
a burden
NASB Translation
burdens (2), hard labor (1), hard labors (1), labors (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[סִבְלָה] noun feminine burden; — plural construct סִבְלֹת מִצְרַיִם Exodus 6:6 (P), of the heavy labours imposed on Israel by Egyptian, Exodus 6:7; suffix סִבְלֹתֵיכֶם Exodus 5:4 (J), סִבְלֹתָם Exodus 1:11; Exodus 5:5 (both J), Exodus 2:11 (E); (compare Psalm 81:7, סֵבֶל).

Topical Lexicon
Historical setting

סְבָלָה surfaces exclusively in the opening drama of Exodus, when Pharaoh’s policy of oppression sought to crush the burgeoning nation of Israel. The six occurrences mark critical junctures in that narrative: the imposition of forced labor (Exodus 1:11), Moses’ awakening to Israel’s plight (Exodus 2:11), Pharaoh’s rebuke of Moses and Aaron (Exodus 5:4-5), and the Lord’s covenant promise of liberation (Exodus 6:6-7). Each text frames סְבָלָה as a tangible symbol of Egypt’s tyranny and God’s resolve to redeem.

Semantic range and usage

While commonly rendered “burdens” or “forced labor,” the term denotes more than physical toil. It encompasses the entire system of exploitation—construction quotas, harsh oversight, and psychological subjugation. In Exodus 1:11 the Egyptians “oppressed them with forced labor,” highlighting institutionalized slavery. By Exodus 6:6 the Lord vows, “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,” turning the very word that epitomized bondage into a pledge of freedom.

Covenantal and theological themes

1. Divine Compassion: Exodus 2:23-25 records that God “heard their groaning.” The repeated mention of סְבָלָה foregrounds the covenant-keeping character of the LORD who sees, hears, and remembers.
2. Power Confrontation: Pharaoh wields סְבָלָה to assert supremacy; God dismantles it to proclaim His own. The Exodus therefore stands as a paradigm of salvation by sovereign grace.
3. Identity Formation: Deliverance from סְבָלָה becomes the foundational memory that shapes Israel’s worship and ethics (cf. Deuteronomy 5:15).

Foreshadowing of redemptive deliverance

The physical burdens of Egypt prefigure humanity’s spiritual bondage to sin. Just as Israel could not lighten its own load, so fallen mankind cannot self-liberate. The Exodus narrative anticipates the cross, where Christ declares, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Thus סְבָלָה functions typologically, preparing Scripture’s readers for the ultimate emancipation accomplished through the Lamb of God.

Pastoral and ministry implications

• Comfort for the Oppressed: The term assures believers that God notices every form of unjust burden and acts in His time.
• Call to Advocacy: Since the Lord delivered Israel from סְבָלָה, His people are summoned to stand against modern systems of exploitation (Proverbs 31:8-9).
• Worship and Remembrance: Testimonies of personal salvation echo Israel’s song on the Red Sea shore; corporate praise often revisits the theme, “You have lifted my burden” (Psalm 55:22).

New Testament resonance

Though סְבָלָה itself does not appear in the Greek Scriptures, its motif courses through passages such as Acts 13:17-19, where Paul retells the Exodus to highlight God’s faithfulness, and 1 Peter 2:24, which depicts Christ bearing our sins—our ultimate burden—on the tree. The Apostolic writers treat Israel’s release as both historical fact and gospel prototype.

Conclusion

סְבָלָה embodies the weight of oppression and the promise of deliverance. Within Exodus it chronicles Israel’s darkest affliction and God’s decisive intervention; within the canon it becomes a theological touchstone illustrating the Lord’s unchanging commitment to rescue His people—from Egypt, from exile, and finally from sin and death through Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם בסבלתם לְסִבְלֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ לסבלתיכם׃ מִסִּבְלֹתָֽם׃ מסבלתם׃ סִבְל֥וֹת סִבְלֹ֣ת סבלות סבלת bə·siḇ·lō·ṯām bəsiḇlōṯām besivloTam lə·siḇ·lō·ṯê·ḵem ləsiḇlōṯêḵem lesivloteiChem mis·siḇ·lō·ṯām missiḇlōṯām missivloTam siḇ·lō·wṯ siḇ·lōṯ siḇlōṯ siḇlōwṯ sivLot
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Exodus 1:11
HEB: לְמַ֥עַן עַנֹּת֖וֹ בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם וַיִּ֜בֶן עָרֵ֤י
NAS: them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built
KJV: to afflict them with their burdens. And they built
INT: because of to afflict hard built cities

Exodus 2:11
HEB: אֶחָ֔יו וַיַּ֖רְא בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם וַיַּרְא֙ אִ֣ישׁ
NAS: and looked on their hard labors; and he saw
KJV: and looked on their burdens: and he spied
INT: brethren and looked their hard saw an

Exodus 5:4
HEB: מִמַּֽעֲשָׂ֑יו לְכ֖וּ לְסִבְלֹתֵיכֶֽם׃
NAS: Get [back] to your labors!
KJV: get you unto your burdens.
INT: act to your labors

Exodus 5:5
HEB: וְהִשְׁבַּתֶּ֥ם אֹתָ֖ם מִסִּבְלֹתָֽם׃
NAS: and you would have them cease from their labors!
KJV: and ye make them rest from their burdens.
INT: of the land cease their labors

Exodus 6:6
HEB: אֶתְכֶ֗ם מִתַּ֙חַת֙ סִבְלֹ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י
NAS: you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,
KJV: and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,
INT: will bring under the burdens of the Egyptians will deliver

Exodus 6:7
HEB: אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת סִבְל֥וֹת מִצְרָֽיִם׃
NAS: you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
KJV: which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
INT: brought under the burdens of the Egyptians

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5450
6 Occurrences


bə·siḇ·lō·ṯām — 2 Occ.
lə·siḇ·lō·ṯê·ḵem — 1 Occ.
mis·siḇ·lō·ṯām — 1 Occ.
siḇ·lōṯ — 2 Occ.

5449
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