7643. Sebam
Lexical Summary
Sebam: Sebam

Original Word: שְׂבָם
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Sbam
Pronunciation: seh-BAHM
Phonetic Spelling: (seb-awm')
KJV: Shebam, Shibmah, Sibmah
NASB: Sibmah, Sebam
Word Origin: [probably from H1313 (בָּשָׂם - Spice)]

1. spice
2. Sebam or Sibmah, a place in Moab

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Shebam, Shibmah, Sibmah

Or (feminine) Sibmah {sib-maw'}; probably from basam; spice; Sebam or Sibmah, a place in Moab -- Shebam, Shibmah, Sibmah.

see HEBREW basam

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a place in Moab
NASB Translation
Sebam (1), Sibmah (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
שְׂבָם proper name, of a location Numbers 32:3, ִ˜שׂבְמָה Numbers 32:38; Joshua 13:19; Isaiah 16:8,9; Jeremiah 48:32; in Moad (Reuben), near Heshbon (compare also JeromeIsaiah 16:8) Σεβαμα.

Topical Lexicon
Name and Location

Sebam (also Sibmah) designates a town on the eastern side of the Jordan River, just north of the Arnon Gorge and adjacent to Heshbon and Elealeh. It stood within the fertile Mishor plateau, a region later famed for its vineyards. The site originally fell to the Amorites, was taken by Israel under Moses, allotted to the tribe of Reuben, and in the prophetic era lay within Moab’s reclaimed borders.

Biblical Occurrences

Numbers 32:3 – listed among the towns desired by the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
Numbers 32:38 – rebuilt and fortified by the Reubenites.
Joshua 13:19 – recorded in the inheritance of Reuben.
Isaiah 16:8–9 – featured in Isaiah’s oracle against Moab.
Jeremiah 48:32 – mourned in Jeremiah’s lament for Moab.

Historical Background

During Israel’s approach to Canaan, the conquest of Sihon opened the Transjordan tablelands. Reuben and Gad petitioned Moses for these pastures, promising allegiance to the national mission. Sebam became part of their eastern holdings, a testimony to the Lord’s provision beyond the immediate boundaries of the promised land west of the Jordan.

By the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., Moab had regained control. The prophetic references therefore address Sebam as a Moabite possession, underscoring the fluidity of political borders and the inevitability of divine judgment upon prideful nations.

Agricultural Significance: The Vines of Sebam

The town’s renown arose chiefly from its viticulture:

“For the fields of Heshbon have withered, along with the vines of Sibmah; the rulers of the nations trampled its choice vines, reaching as far as Jazer, wandering to the desert, their shoots spread out, they reached the sea.” (Isaiah 16:8)

The luxuriant vines symbolized Moab’s prosperity. Their spread “to the sea” conveys both abundance and expansive trade. Jeremiah echoes the image, portraying an agrarian economy about to suffer devastation: “O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for you more than for Jazer.” (Jeremiah 48:32)

Prophetic Emphasis

Isaiah and Jeremiah employ Sebam to dramatize coming desolation. Mourning over vines and vintage highlights divine retribution that strips away material security. The burden against Moab also functions as a sober reminder to Israel: covenant privilege does not exempt from judgment if faithlessness prevails.

Theological and Ministry Applications

1. Transience of earthly wealth – Even the most fertile vineyards can be laid waste overnight (compare Proverbs 11:28).
2. Intercession for the nations – Both prophets lament Moab, modeling compassionate prayer for those under discipline.
3. Dependence on the True Vine – Sebam’s failed vines point ahead to Jesus Christ, who declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” Believers find lasting fruitfulness only by abiding in Him (John 15:5).
4. Stewardship of blessing – Reubenites rebuilt Sebam but later lost it through compromise and assimilation. Spiritual inheritance demands vigilant faithfulness (Hebrews 2:1).

Archaeological and Geographical Notes

Tentative identifications place Sebam at Khirbet Suweim or Khirbet Qarrāwa, both overlooking the Wadi Hesban. The nearby springs and limestone soil match a vineyard culture. Potsherds from Iron Age strata reinforce a continuous occupation from the Israelite settlement through the late monarchic period.

Intertextual Connections

Numbers 13:23 praises the cluster of grapes from the Valley of Eshcol; Sebam’s vineyards mirror that lush promise realized. Song of Solomon 1:14 and 7:12 celebrate vineyards as places of love and fruitfulness, themes inverted in the oracles where vines become objects of grief.

Christological Foreshadowing

As Sebam’s vines once exported sweetness to distant markets, so the gospel spreads life “from Jerusalem… to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Yet the judgment that felled Moab’s vines anticipates the cross, where the True Vine bore wrath to grant eternal harvest.

Practical Lessons for Believers

• Guard against complacency in seasons of abundance.
• Maintain distinct covenant identity amid surrounding cultures.
• Weep with and pray for cities under impending judgment.
• Seek fruit that endures by remaining in Christ and yielding to the Spirit.

Sebam’s six brief mentions trace a trajectory from conquest to loss, from opulence to ruin. Its account summons the people of God to prize the enduring inheritance, heed prophetic warning, and bear lasting fruit in fellowship with the Lord of the vineyard.

Forms and Transliterations
וְשִׂבְמָ֔ה וּשְׂבָ֥ם ושבם ושבמה שִׂבְמָ֑ה שִׂבְמָ֔ה שִׂבְמָ֗ה שבמה śiḇ·māh śiḇmāh sivMah ū·śə·ḇām ūśəḇām useVam vesivMah wə·śiḇ·māh wəśiḇmāh
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Numbers 32:3
HEB: וְחֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן וְאֶלְעָלֵ֑ה וּשְׂבָ֥ם וּנְב֖וֹ וּבְעֹֽן׃
NAS: Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo
KJV: and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo,
INT: Heshbon Elealeh Sebam Nebo and Beon

Numbers 32:38
HEB: שֵׁ֖ם וְאֶת־ שִׂבְמָ֑ה וַיִּקְרְא֣וּ בְשֵׁמֹ֔ת
NAS: being changed-- and Sibmah, and they gave
KJV: being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave
INT: changed names and Shibmah gave names

Joshua 13:19
HEB: וְקִרְיָתַ֣יִם וְשִׂבְמָ֔ה וְצֶ֥רֶת הַשַּׁ֖חַר
NAS: and Kiriathaim and Sibmah and Zereth-shahar
KJV: And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zarethshahar
INT: and Kiriathaim and Sibmah and Zereth-shahar the hill

Isaiah 16:8
HEB: אֻמְלָ֜ל גֶּ֣פֶן שִׂבְמָ֗ה בַּעֲלֵ֤י גוֹיִם֙
NAS: the vines of Sibmah [as well]; The lords
KJV: [and] the vine of Sibmah: the lords
INT: have withered the vines of Sibmah the lords of the nations

Isaiah 16:9
HEB: יַעְזֵר֙ גֶּ֣פֶן שִׂבְמָ֔ה אֲרַיָּ֙וֶךְ֙ דִּמְעָתִ֔י
NAS: for the vine of Sibmah; I will drench
KJV: the vine of Sibmah: I will water
INT: Jazer the vine of Sibmah will drench my tears

Jeremiah 48:32
HEB: לָּךְ֙ הַגֶּ֣פֶן שִׂבְמָ֔ה נְטִֽישֹׁתַ֙יִךְ֙ עָ֣בְרוּ
NAS: for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your tendrils
KJV: O vine of Sibmah, I will weep
INT: will weep vine of Sibmah your tendrils stretched

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7643
6 Occurrences


śiḇ·māh — 4 Occ.
ū·śə·ḇām — 1 Occ.
wə·śiḇ·māh — 1 Occ.

7642b
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