7804. shezab or shezib

Lexical Summary

shezab or shezib: Deliver, rescue

Original Word: שְׁזַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: shzab
Pronunciation: shay-ZAB or shay-ZEEB
Phonetic Spelling: (shez-ab')
KJV: deliver
NASB: deliver, delivered, delivering, delivers
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H5800 (עָזַב - To leave)]

1. to leave, i.e. (causatively) free

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

deliver

(Aramaic) corresponding to azab; to leave, i.e. (causatively) free -- deliver.

see HEBREW azab

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to azab
Definition
to deliver
NASB Translation
deliver (5), delivered (2), delivering (1), delivers (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

שֵׁיזִב verb deliver (probably

Shaph`el as loan-word from Assyrian šûzub(u), ušêib, deliver, √ ezêbu (א₄ = עזב), Dl^{Pr 140} Hpt^{GGN 1583, 91}; BAS i.13 K^{§ 43, l, Anm}.; ᵑ7 שֵׁיזֵב, Syriac , Christian-Palestinian Aramaic Schulth^{Lex. 203}, also Nabataean שיזב Cooke²⁵⁵; compare proper name מְשֵׁיזַבְאֵל Biblical Hebrew; Old Aramaic צלמשזב SAC¹⁰²; see also following article); — Perfect3masculine singular שֵׁיזִב Daniel 3:28; Daniel 6:28; Imperfect3masculine singular יְשֵׁיזִ֑ב Daniel 3:17; suffix יְשֵׁיזְבִנָּךְ Daniel 6:17, נְִ֯כבוֺן Daniel 3:13; Infinitive suffix לְשֵׁיזָבוּתָךְ Daniel 6:21, הֵתּ- Daniel 6:15, תַ֑נָּא- Daniel 3:17; — deliver (usually with מִן): Daniel 3:17b, ל accusative of person Daniel 3:28; Daniel 6:28b, suffix person Daniel 3:15,17a; Daniel 6:15; Daniel 6:17; Daniel 6:21, absolute Daniel 6:28a.

Topical Lexicon

Linguistic and Canonical Setting

The verb under study appears only in the Aramaic sections of the Book of Daniel (Daniel 2:4 b–7:28). Although Aramaic served as the diplomatic and commercial language of the Babylonian and Persian empires, the word’s meaning—“to deliver” or “to rescue”—carries unmistakably Hebrew theological overtones. Its deliberate use in narratives addressed to Gentile monarchs places Yahweh’s saving power on an international stage, revealing that the God of Israel is not bound by geography or political borders.

Occurrences in Daniel

1. Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3)
• Daniel 3:17: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.”
• Daniel 3:28 records Nebuchadnezzar’s confession that God “delivered His servants who trusted in Him.”
2. Lions’ Den (Daniel 6)
• Daniel 6:16: Darius expresses reluctant hope—“Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”
• Daniel 6:20: The king’s anxious cry, “Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
• Daniel 6:27: The royal decree concludes, “He delivers and rescues; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

The distribution—three references in chapter 3 and six in chapter 6—links the term to two pivotal deliverance accounts that form literary pillars in the Aramaic section, bracketing visions that speak of God’s ultimate dominion.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Sovereignty: Both narratives stress that God’s power to rescue exceeds the might of kings, furnaces, and lions. Deliverance is not contingent on human manipulation but rests on divine prerogative.
2. Covenant Faithfulness amid Exile: Although Judah languishes under foreign rule, the covenant God remains active. The exiles’ fidelity (“whom you serve continually”) and God’s response display continuity with earlier redemptive acts (Exodus 14:30).
3. Witness to the Nations: Pagan rulers become heralds of Yahweh’s greatness (Daniel 3:28–29; 6:26–27). The verb thus functions evangelistically, showcasing salvation before a watching world.
4. Conditional–Unconditional Paradox: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego affirm that God “is able to deliver,” yet submit to His will even if He does not (Daniel 3:18). True faith trusts God’s capacity without presuming upon His timetable.

Implications for Faith and Practice

• Courage under Persecution: The term invites believers to stand firm when obedience collides with cultural demands, confident that deliverance—whether temporal or eternal—is in God’s hands.
• Prayer and Fasting: Daniel 6 portrays spiritual disciplines that precede divine rescue, encouraging the church to persist in godliness regardless of opposition.
• Public Testimony: Both accounts move from private conviction to public proclamation. Modern ministry likewise calls for visible, uncompromised allegiance to Christ that leads others to glorify God (1 Peter 2:12).

Christological and Eschatological Motifs

The angelic or “fourth man” presence in the furnace prefigures the incarnate Son who “will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Daniel’s sealed den anticipates the sealed tomb, and his emergence foreshadows resurrection victory. Ultimately, the verb points beyond episodic rescues to the final deliverance promised in Daniel 12:1 and fulfilled in Revelation 21:4.

Worship and Devotional Uses

Hymns and prayers draw on these texts to celebrate God as Deliverer. Personal meditation on Daniel 3 and 6 nurtures trust, especially for believers facing hostility, illness, or systemic injustice.

Summary

Every use of this Aramaic verb in Daniel showcases God’s unrivaled ability to rescue His faithful servants, demonstrates His ongoing covenant loyalty during exile, and heralds His sovereignty to the nations. These deliverances anticipate the ultimate salvation accomplished in Jesus Christ and challenge believers in every age to steadfast faith, bold witness, and confident hope.

Forms and Transliterations

וְשֵׁיזִ֣ב ושיזב יְשֵֽׁיזְבִנְכ֖וֹן יְשֵׁיזְבִנָּֽךְ׃ יְשֵׁיזִֽב׃ ישיזב׃ ישיזבנך׃ ישיזבנכון לְשֵׁיזָבוּתֵ֑הּ לְשֵׁיזָבוּתַ֑נָא לְשֵׁיזָבוּתָ֖ךְ לשיזבותה לשיזבותך לשיזבותנא מְשֵׁיזִ֣ב משיזב שֵׁיזִ֣יב שיזיב lə·šê·zā·ḇū·ṯa·nā lə·šê·zā·ḇū·ṯāḵ lə·šê·zā·ḇū·ṯêh ləšêzāḇūṯāḵ ləšêzāḇūṯanā ləšêzāḇūṯêh lesheizavuTach lesheizavuTana lesheizavuTeh mə·šê·ziḇ məšêziḇ mesheiZiv šê·zîḇ šêzîḇ sheiZiv vesheiZiv wə·šê·ziḇ wəšêziḇ yə·šê·zə·ḇin·ḵō·wn yə·šê·zə·ḇin·nāḵ yə·šê·ziḇ yəšêzəḇinḵōwn yəšêzəḇinnāḵ yəšêziḇ yesheizevinChon yesheizevinNach yesheiZiv

Englishman's Concordance

Daniel 3:15
HEB: אֱלָ֔הּ דֵּ֥י יְשֵֽׁיזְבִנְכ֖וֹן מִן־ יְדָֽי׃
NAS: is there who can deliver you out of my hands?
KJV: [is] that God that shall deliver you out of
INT: god who deliver of hand

Daniel 3:17
HEB: פָֽלְחִ֔ין יָכִ֖ל לְשֵׁיזָבוּתַ֑נָא מִן־ אַתּ֨וּן
NAS: is able to deliver us from the furnace
KJV: is able to deliver us from the burning
INT: serve is able to deliver from the furnace

Daniel 3:17
HEB: יְדָ֥ךְ מַלְכָּ֖א יְשֵׁיזִֽב׃
NAS: fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand,
KJV: and he will deliver [us] out of
INT: of your hand king will deliver

Daniel 3:28
HEB: שְׁלַ֤ח מַלְאֲכֵהּ֙ וְשֵׁיזִ֣ב לְעַבְד֔וֹהִי דִּ֥י
NAS: His angel and delivered His servants
KJV: his angel, and delivered his servants
INT: has sent his angel and delivered his servants so

Daniel 6:14
HEB: שָׂ֥ם בָּ֖ל לְשֵׁיזָבוּתֵ֑הּ וְעַד֙ מֶֽעָלֵ֣י
NAS: [his] mind on delivering Daniel;
KJV: Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured
INT: and set mind delivering until down

Daniel 6:16
HEB: בִּתְדִירָ֔א ה֖וּא יְשֵׁיזְבִנָּֽךְ׃
NAS: serve will Himself deliver you.
KJV: continually, he will deliver thee.
INT: constantly will Himself deliver

Daniel 6:20
HEB: בִּתְדִירָ֔א הַיְכִ֥ל לְשֵׁיזָבוּתָ֖ךְ מִן־ אַרְיָוָתָֽא׃
NAS: been able to deliver you from the lions?
KJV: able to deliver thee from
INT: constantly been to deliver from lion

Daniel 6:27
HEB: מְשֵׁיזִ֣ב וּמַצִּ֗ל וְעָבֵד֙
NAS: He delivers and rescues and performs
KJV: He delivereth and rescueth,
INT: delivers and rescues and performs

Daniel 6:27
HEB: וּבְאַרְעָ֑א דִּ֚י שֵׁיזִ֣יב לְדָֽנִיֵּ֔אל מִן־
NAS: Who has [also] delivered Daniel
KJV: and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel
INT: earth Who has delivered Daniel from

9 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7804
9 Occurrences

lə·šê·zā·ḇū·ṯāḵ — 1 Occ.
lə·šê·zā·ḇū·ṯa·nā — 1 Occ.
lə·šê·zā·ḇū·ṯêh — 1 Occ.
mə·šê·ziḇ — 1 Occ.
šê·zîḇ — 1 Occ.
wə·šê·ziḇ — 1 Occ.
yə·šê·zə·ḇin·ḵō·wn — 1 Occ.
yə·šê·zə·ḇin·nāḵ — 1 Occ.
yə·šê·ziḇ — 1 Occ.