Lexical Summary shebeth: exterminated, keeping away, loss of time Original Word: שֶׁבֶת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cease, sit still, loss of time From shabath; rest, interruption, cessation -- cease, sit still, loss of time. see HEBREW shabath NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shabath Definition perhaps cessation NASB Translation exterminated (1), keeping away (1), loss of time (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. שֶׁ֫בֶת noun feminine cessation (dubious) Proverbs 20:3 (with מֵרִיב ᵐ5 ἀποστρέφεσθαι = שׁוּב); שִׁבְתּוֺ Exodus 21:19 i.e. from work = his loss of time (but Di I. שֶׁבֶת). — Isaiah 30:7 perhaps = a sitting still (indolently) √ישׁב, but probably corrupt, see Du Che and others Topical Lexicon Core Ideaשֶׁבֶת (Strong’s 7674) portrays a state of sitting still, ceasing, or remaining settled. It is not mere physical rest; it exposes what fills the vacuum created when motion stops—healing, peace, apathy, or false security. Each of its four appearances illumines a different spiritual lesson about inactivity before God. Occurrences and Contexts 1. Exodus 21:19 – loss of time during convalescence Within the Covenant Community (Exodus 21:19) “If he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, the offender will be cleared; only he must pay for his lost time and see that he is completely healed.” Here שֶׁבֶת quantifies the victim’s forced stoppage of labor. The Mosaic code upholds justice by obligating the aggressor to underwrite the injured man’s restoration to useful activity. Sound law recognizes that idleness imposed by sin has economic, social, and spiritual costs and that reparation should aim at full reintegration into productive covenant life. Wisdom’s Counsel for Restraint (Proverbs 20:3) “It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel.” Literally, “to cease (שֶׁבֶת) from strife is glory.” Wisdom literature prizes voluntary stillness over impulsive contention. The word highlights that peace is not passive but a chosen cessation grounded in humility. In ministry this verse trains believers to see withdrawal from needless conflict as an act of dignity, not weakness. Prophetic Exposure of Futile Reliance (Isaiah 30:7) “Egypt’s help is vain and empty; therefore I have called her, ‘Rahab Who Sits Still.’” Isaiah brands Egypt with a derisive title: a mythic sea-monster reduced to lounging inertia. The empire boasts of strength yet accomplishes nothing for Judah. שֶׁבֶת here unmasks political bravado that refuses to act under God’s direction. The prophetic burden warns the church against trusting impressive but spiritually stagnant powers. A Rebuke to Proud Security (Obadiah 1:3) “The pride of your heart has deceived you, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose dwelling is high.” Edom “sits” in lofty fortresses, imagining itself unassailable. שֶׁבֶת conveys a complacent habitation built on arrogance. The same word that once signified honorable restraint (Proverbs 20:3) now exposes sinful self-reliance. God will overturn such counterfeit rest: “Though you soar like the eagle… I will bring you down” (Obadiah 1:4). Theological Trajectory 1. Rest intended for restoration (Exodus) Thus Scripture consistently teaches that true cessation gains its value only when rooted in dependence on the Lord. Wherever it divorces from divine purpose, שֶׁבֶת degenerates into vanity or self-deceit. Ministry Applications • Pastoral care: Encourage victims of injury or burnout to embrace a season of restorative stillness while the body of Christ supplies their lack (Galatians 6:2). Intertextual Echoes שֶׁבֶת shares its root with שַׁבָּת (Sabbath). Both stress cessation, yet Sabbath rest is covenantal delight in God, whereas שֶׁבֶת can either harmonize with that delight (Proverbs) or parody it (Isaiah, Obadiah). Hebrews 4:9-11 gathers the motif into the promise of “a Sabbath rest for the people of God,” urging believers to “strive to enter that rest” by faith in Christ. Summary Strong’s 7674 sketches the moral contours of inactivity. When anchored in obedience, שֶׁבֶת becomes a channel for healing and honor; when severed from God, it turns into sterile idleness or haughty security. The word therefore summons every generation to examine not merely whether we are busy or still, but whether our stillness aligns with the living will of the Lord. Forms and Transliterations שִׁבְתּ֑וֹ שִׁבְתּ֛וֹ שֶׁ֣בֶת שָֽׁבֶת׃ שבת שבת׃ שבתו šā·ḇeṯ šāḇeṯ še·ḇeṯ šeḇeṯ Shavet Shevet shivTo šiḇ·tōw šiḇtōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 21:19 HEB: הַמַּכֶּ֑ה רַ֥ק שִׁבְתּ֛וֹ יִתֵּ֖ן וְרַפֹּ֥א NAS: pay for his loss of time, and shall take KJV: only he shall pay [for] the loss of his time, and shall cause [him] to be thoroughly INT: struck but his loss pay and shall take Proverbs 20:3 Isaiah 30:7 Obadiah 1:3 4 Occurrences |
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