Lexical Summary shebabim: Captives Original Word: שָׁבָב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance broken in pieces From an unused root meaning to break up; a fragment, i.e. Ruin -- broken in pieces. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition probably splinters NASB Translation broken to pieces (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs שְׁבָבִים) noun [masculine] plural probably splinters; — יִהְיֶה עֵגֶל שֹׁמְרוֺן ׳שׁ Hosea 8:6 (compare We; Vrss appar, conjecture). II. שׁבב (Assyrian šabâbu, blaze, compare Syriac Topical Lexicon Scriptural Setting The word appears once, in Hosea 8:6, in the prophecy against the Northern Kingdom: “For this calf is from Israel. A craftsman made it, and it is not God; it will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria” (Hosea 8:6). The term depicts the final state of the idol—shattered and useless—within a larger oracle condemning the nation’s reliance on human-made gods. Historical Background After the division of the monarchy, Jeroboam I set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28-30) to prevent the people from going to Jerusalem. These images became enduring symbols of syncretistic worship. By Hosea’s day the practice had matured into a full-blown religious system supported by priests and endorsed by kings (Hosea 10:5-6). The prophet announces that what Israel reveres will be reduced to fragments, mirroring the nation’s impending political collapse to Assyria (2 Kings 17:6). Symbolism of Destruction 1. Finality: The shattering of the calf means there will be no repair, unlike temporary disciplinary judgments (compare Judges 6:25-32, where Gideon’s destruction of Baal’s altar is immediate but local). Prophetic Message of Hosea Hosea juxtaposes covenant love (Hosea 11:1-4) with covenant lawsuit (Hosea 4:1-3). The lone occurrence of שָׁבָב underscores the climactic verdict: the object Israel trusted will itself be judged. What they crafted in rebellion becomes a sign of their ruin (Hosea 8:7-8; Hosea 13:2). Theological Implications • Human creativity, apart from submission to God, turns to idolatry and ends in futility (Romans 1:22-23). Intertextual Echoes The imagery parallels prophecies where idols are smashed or ground to dust: - Exodus 32:20 (Moses grinding the golden calf) - Isaiah 2:18 (“The idols will completely vanish”) - Jeremiah 51:47-48 (Babylon’s images shamed and broken) Thus Hosea aligns with a consistent biblical motif: God’s holiness demands the annihilation of rival deities. Ministry Application 1. Preaching and Teaching: The term calls believers to expose modern idolatries—materialism, nationalism, self-reliance—and proclaim their inevitable collapse. Summary Shābāb in Hosea 8:6 pictures the calf of Samaria smashed beyond repair, encapsulating Hosea’s message that idols—and the societies built around them—cannot withstand God’s judgment. The text warns every generation that what is humanly forged and divinely forbidden will end as debris, while inviting repentance and wholehearted worship of the one true God. Forms and Transliterations שְׁבָבִ֣ים שבבים šə·ḇā·ḇîm šəḇāḇîm shevaVimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Hosea 8:6 HEB: ה֑וּא כִּֽי־ שְׁבָבִ֣ים יִֽהְיֶ֔ה עֵ֖גֶל NAS: of Samaria will be broken to pieces. KJV: of Samaria shall be broken in pieces. INT: this Surely will be broken become the calf 1 Occurrence |
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burn, 
ray, flesh (Lexicons, compare PS); Arabic 
is blaze up (cf BaES 50) but 
= שׁ ? (Another; etymology in BerDaniel 8:22)).