What does צָבָא (ṣābāʾ) mean in the Bible?
צָבָא (ṣābāʾ): Encompasses organized military force and divine service; fundamentally means to marshal or array for a coordinated purpose
Hebrew · H6633
צָבָא
To mass (an army or servants)
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צָבָא H6633
Pronunciation ṣābāʾ
What does צָבָא (ṣābāʾ) mean in the Bible?
צָבָא (ṣābāʾ): Encompasses organized military force and divine service; fundamentally means to marshal or array for a coordinated purpose
Full entry for צָבָא (H6633) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6633?
The BSB source-word alignment has 14 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include who had enlisted (2), . . . (1), going out to battle (1), have warred (1), served (1).
Where does צָבָא (ṣābāʾ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 38:8. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (4), Numbers (4), Exodus (2), 1 Samuel (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It who had enlisted 2× 2 Kings 25:19, Jeremiah 52:25
. . . 1× Exodus 38:8
going out to battle 1× Isaiah 29:7
have warred 1× Zechariah 14:12
served 1× Exodus 38:8
Then they waged war 1× Numbers 31:7
to do battle 1× Isaiah 31:4
to perform 1× Numbers 8:24
to serve 1× Numbers 4:23
who go to battle 1× Isaiah 29:8
who had gone to war 1× Numbers 31:42
who served 1× 1 Samuel 2:22
who war against her 1× Isaiah 29:7
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 38:8 צָֽבְא֔וּ to . . . Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Exodus 38:8 הַצֹּ֣בְאֹ֔ת to served Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural Numbers 4:23 לִצְבֹ֣א to to serve Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Numbers 8:24 לִצְבֹ֣א to to perform Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Numbers 31:7 וַֽיִּצְבְּאוּ֙ to Then they waged war Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Numbers 31:42 הַצֹּבְאִֽים׃ to who had gone to war Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural 1 Samuel 2:22 הַצֹּ֣בְא֔וֹת to who served Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural 2 Kings 25:19 הַמַּצְבִּ֖א to who had enlisted Article | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular Isaiah 29:7 הַצֹּבְאִ֖ים to going out to battle Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Isaiah 29:7 צֹבֶ֙יהָ֙ to who war against her Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 38:8
Aligned rows 14
Books represented 7
Exodus 2 Numbers 4 1 Samuel 1 2 Kings 1 Isaiah 4 Jeremiah 1 Zechariah 1
Source forms
הַמַּצְבִּ֖א 2x ham·maṣ·bi 2 Kings 25:19, Jeremiah 52:25
הַצֹּבְאִ֖ים 2x haṣ·ṣō·ḇə·’îm Isaiah 29:7, Isaiah 29:8
לִצְבֹ֣א 2x liṣ·ḇō Numbers 4:23, Numbers 8:24
הַצֹּ֣בְא֔וֹת 1x haṣ·ṣō·ḇə·’ō·wṯ 1 Samuel 2:22
הַצֹּבְאִֽים׃ 1x haṣ·ṣō·ḇə·’îm Numbers 31:42
הַצֹּ֣בְאֹ֔ת 1x haṣ·ṣō·ḇə·’ōṯ Exodus 38:8
וַֽיִּצְבְּאוּ֙ 1x way·yiṣ·bə·’ū Numbers 31:7
לִצְבֹּ֥א 1x liṣ·bō Isaiah 31:4
Parsing patterns
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural 3x Numbers 31:42, Isaiah 29:7, Isaiah 29:8
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 3x Numbers 4:23, Numbers 8:24, Isaiah 31:4
Article | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular 2x 2 Kings 25:19, Jeremiah 52:25
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural 2x Exodus 38:8, 1 Samuel 2:22
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural 2x Exodus 38:8, Zechariah 14:12
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1x Numbers 31:7
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular 1x Isaiah 29:7
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Encompasses organized military force and divine service; fundamentally means to marshal or array for a coordinated purpose
Source Gloss
to mass (an army or servants)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Encompasses organized military force and divine service; fundamentally means to marshal or array for a coordinated purpose
to mass (an army or servants) BDB: wage war Usage: assemble, fight, perform, muster, wait upon, war.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 1 Aligned forms 2
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 2×
Perfect Exod 38:8 · Zech 14:12 2×
Word Origins
צָבָא is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain