7625. shebat

Lexical Summary

shebat: Rod, staff, tribe

Original Word: שְׁבַט
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shebat
Pronunciation: shay-VAHT
Phonetic Spelling: (sheb-at')
KJV: tribe
NASB: tribes
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H7626 (שֵׁבֶט - tribes)]

1. a clan

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

tribe

(Aramaic) corresponding to shebet; a clan -- tribe.

see HEBREW shebet

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to shebet
Definition
a tribe
NASB Translation
tribes (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[שְׁבַט] noun masculine tribe (Biblical Hebrew שֵׁבֶט, √ שׁבט); — plural construct שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל Ezra 6:17.

Topical Lexicon

Occurrence

The form שְׁבַט appears once, in Ezra 6:17, where it designates the “tribes” of Israel during the dedication of the rebuilt temple.

Historical Context: The Second Temple Dedication

Ezra 6 records the completion of Zerubbabel’s temple in 516 BC, a pivotal moment for the post-exilic community. The leaders present offerings “according to the number of the tribes of Israel” (Ezra 6:17). By using שְׁבַט, the Aramaic section of Ezra deliberately recalls Israel’s ancient tribal structure, signaling continuity with the nation that once worshiped in Solomon’s temple. This solitary use therefore anchors the ceremony in covenant memory at a time when identity could easily have been lost.

Covenant Identity of the Twelve Tribes

1. Patriarchal foundations (Genesis 49).
2. Wilderness encampment and marching order (Numbers 2).
3. Allocation of land (Joshua 13–19).
4. National assemblies (Judges 20; 1 Kings 8).

Throughout Scripture the tribes function as corporate expressions of God’s promise to Abraham. Ezra’s generation, though scattered and numerically diminished, still belongs to that unbroken line. The single occurrence of שְׁבַט thus bears disproportionate theological weight: every goat offered for sin represents one tribe, affirming that atonement is provided for the whole covenant people.

Symbolic and Ministry Significance

• Unity in diversity – Twelve distinct groups, one nation, one place of worship (Deuteronomy 12:5; Ezra 6:17).
• Restoration after exile – God’s faithfulness gathers the tribes again (Jeremiah 31:10).
• Sacrificial covering – A sin offering proportionate to the covenant community underscores the seriousness of collective guilt and the sufficiency of God’s provision (Leviticus 4:13–21).

Foreshadowing in Redemptive History

The tribal structure that re-emerges in Ezra points ahead to:
• The expectation of a Davidic Shepherd who will unite “all the tribes of Israel” (Ezekiel 37:21–24).
• The promise that Messiah’s apostles will “sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:30).
• The eschatological assembly where the redeemed are symbolically numbered “one hundred forty-four thousand … from every tribe of the sons of Israel” (Revelation 7:4).

Practical Implications for the Church

1. Corporate worship should preserve Scriptural memory; like Israel, congregations today testify to God’s faithfulness by remembering His acts.
2. Ministry planning benefits from recognizing both the individuality and the interdependence of God’s people—mirroring the tribal model.
3. The dedication narrative encourages perseverance in rebuilding and reforming work, confident that God restores what exile has scattered.

Key Cross-References

Genesis 35:22–26; Numbers 1:44; 1 Kings 8:1; Ezekiel 48:30–35; Matthew 19:28; Acts 26:7; James 1:1.

Forms and Transliterations

שִׁבְטֵ֥י שבטי shivTei šiḇ·ṭê šiḇṭê

Englishman's Concordance

Ezra 6:17
HEB: עֲשַׂ֔ר לְמִנְיָ֖ן שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
NAS: corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel.
KJV: according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
INT: ten to the number of the tribes of Israel

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7625
1 Occurrence

šiḇ·ṭê — 1 Occ.