Lexical Summary Shva': Vanity, emptiness, falsehood Original Word: שְׁוָא Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Sheva From the same as shav'; false; Sheva, an Israelite -- Sheva. see HEBREW shav' Brown-Driver-Briggs שְׁוָא proper name, masculine 1. Calebite 1 Chronicles 2:49, Σαου, Σουε. 2 secretary, David's time 2 Samuel 20:25 Qr (Kt שׁיא), Ιησους, A Ισους, ᵐ5L Σουσα (see שְׂרָיָהוׅׅ 1). I. שׁוא (√ of following; compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Etymology and Meaning The name שְׁוָא (Sheva or Shewa) echoes the common Hebrew noun often rendered “vanity” or “emptiness.” When applied as a personal name, the semantic nuance seems softened; yet the contrast between a meaning that suggests futility and the lives of men placed in positions of responsibility invites reflection on how the Lord often redeems what appears insignificant. Occurrences and Narrative Settings 1. 2 Samuel 20:25 lists Sheva among the highest officers in David’s government: “Sheva was the scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were priests”. The verse appears in the summary that closes the Sheba ben Bichri rebellion, underscoring the stability of David’s administration even after national turmoil. Historical Significance Sheva the royal scribe belongs to a cadre that included earlier “historians” (recorders) such as Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud (2 Samuel 20:24) and later successors like Jehoshaphat in Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 4:3, where the name appears as “Shisha,” a variant form). The scribe’s duty embraced drafting correspondence, preserving treaties, and maintaining official annals. That David’s court retained a specialized professional for these tasks testifies to the administrative sophistication of the united monarchy and to the value Israel placed on accurate, enduring records. Genealogical Sheva, tied to Caleb, stands as one more link in Judah’s sprawling family tree. Chronicles presents these names not merely as archival data but as a theological statement: the promised royal tribe continued to flourish, and God’s covenant purposes progressed through a multitude of lesser-known individuals. Textual Variants and Scribal Transmission The two occurrences exhibit slight name variations across manuscripts (e.g., “Seraiah,” “Shavsha,” “Shisha”). Rather than undermining reliability, such variants highlight the long, careful process by which the biblical text was copied. Comparing Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles illustrates both the independence and harmony of the historical books. The presence of a royal scribe named Sheva makes the very existence of scribal variants unsurprising; professional recorders operated under several monarchs, and differences in orthography or dialect naturally arose over centuries. Theological Themes 1. Divine Order in Government: By recording the names of ministers, Scripture affirms that orderly administration is a divine good. As Romans 13 later teaches regarding civil authorities, so the Samuel narrative portrays David’s cabinet—Sheva included—as God’s instrument for justice and stability. Lessons for Ministry Today • Administration as Service: Those who keep minutes, manage archives, or prepare official communications follow in Sheva’s footsteps. Faithfulness in such “hidden” tasks upholds the church’s public witness just as record-keeping under David supported national righteousness. Summary Strong’s Hebrew 7724 designates two otherwise obscure Judeans—one a royal scribe under David, the other an early post-conquest ancestor. Their inclusion in the biblical record, set against a word root meaning “emptiness,” underscores how the Lord fills ordinary vocations and forgotten genealogies with enduring significance. Forms and Transliterations וּשְׁוָ֖א ושוא שְׁוָ֛א שוא šə·wā šəwā sheVa ū·šə·wā ūšəwā usheVaLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Samuel 20:25 HEB: [וּשֵׁיָא כ] (וּשְׁוָ֖א ק) סֹפֵ֑ר NAS: and Sheva was scribe, and Zadok INT: Sheva scribe and Zadok 1 Chronicles 2:49 2 Occurrences |
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(medial 
) be evil, foul, unseemly; Ethiopic 
baseness).