What does שְׁבִי (šĕbiy) mean in the Bible?
שְׁבִי (šĕbiy): Captivity as both the state of deportation and the collective body of exiles; foundational to Israel's exile theology.
Hebrew · H7628
שְׁבִי
Exiled ; captured ; as noun, exile (abstractly or concretely and collectively); by extension, booty
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
שְׁבִי H7628
Pronunciation šĕbiy
What does שְׁבִי (šĕbiy) mean in the Bible?
שְׁבִי (šĕbiy): Captivity as both the state of deportation and the collective body of exiles; foundational to Israel's exile theology.
Full entry for שְׁבִי (H7628) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H7628?
The BSB source-word alignment has 50 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include into captivity (9), the captives (4), from the captivity (3), as captives (2), captive (2).
Where does שְׁבִי (šĕbiy) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 12:29. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (10), Isaiah (6), 2 Chronicles (4), Ezra (4).
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 into captivity 9× Deuteronomy 28:41, Isaiah 46:2, Jeremiah 20:6, Jeremiah 22:22
the captives 4× Numbers 31:12, Isaiah 20:4, Isaiah 49:24, Isaiah 49:25
from the captivity 3× Ezra 2:1, Ezra 3:8, Nehemiah 7:6
as captives 2× Lamentations 1:5, Ezekiel 12:11
captive 2× Deuteronomy 21:10, Daniel 11:8
destined for captivity 2× Jeremiah 15:2, Jeremiah 43:11
into exile 2× Jeremiah 30:16, Jeremiah 48:46
of their captivity 2× Jeremiah 30:10, Jeremiah 46:27
prisoners 2× Numbers 21:1, Habakkuk 1:9
the exile 2× Nehemiah 1:2, Nehemiah 1:3
to captivity 2× Psalms 78:61, Jeremiah 15:2
. . . 1× Numbers 31:26
[and] sit [on your throne] 1× Isaiah 52:2
and take hold of 1× Judges 5:12
and to captivity 1× Ezra 9:7
and your captives 1× Numbers 31:19
are in captivity 1× 2 Chronicles 29:9
captives 1× 2 Chronicles 28:17
captivity 1× Jeremiah 43:11
exile 1× Nehemiah 8:17
from captivity 1× Ezra 8:35
O captive 1× Isaiah 52:2
of her captivity 1× Deuteronomy 21:13
of the enemies 1× 2 Chronicles 6:38
of the prisoner 1× Exodus 12:29
of their captors 1× 2 Chronicles 6:37
or be captured 1× Daniel 11:33
You have led captives away 1× Psalms 68:18
your captured 1× Amos 4:10
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 12:29 הַשְּׁבִ֔י to of the prisoner Article | Noun - masculine singular Numbers 21:1 שֶֽׁבִי׃ to prisoners Noun - masculine singular Numbers 31:12 הַשְּׁבִ֧י to the captives Article | Noun - masculine singular Numbers 31:19 וּשְׁבִיכֶֽם׃ to and your captives Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural Numbers 31:26 הַשְּׁבִ֔י to . . . Article | Noun - masculine singular Deuteronomy 21:10 שִׁבְיֽוֹ׃ to captive Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 21:13 שִׁבְיָ֜הּ to of her captivity Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular Deuteronomy 28:41 בַּשֶּֽׁבִי׃ to into captivity Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Judges 5:12 שֶׁבְיְךָ֖ to and take hold of Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular 2 Chronicles 6:37 שִׁבְיָם֙ to of their captors Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 12:29
Aligned rows 50
Books represented 16
Exodus 1 Numbers 4 Deuteronomy 3 Judges 1 2 Chronicles 4 Ezra 4 Nehemiah 4 Psalms 2 Isaiah 6 Jeremiah 10 Lamentations 2 Ezekiel 3 Daniel 2 Amos 2 Nahum 1 Habakkuk 1
Source forms
בַּשְּׁבִ֥י 3x baš·šə·ḇî Isaiah 46:2, Ezekiel 30:17, Ezekiel 30:18
שֶֽׁבִי׃ 3x še·ḇî Numbers 21:1, 2 Chronicles 28:17, Habakkuk 1:9
בַּשְּׁבִ֖י 2x baš·šə·ḇî 2 Chronicles 29:9, Daniel 11:8
בַּשְּׁבִ֣י 2x baš·šə·ḇî Jeremiah 22:22, Jeremiah 30:16
הַשְּׁבִ֔י 2x haš·šə·ḇî Exodus 12:29, Numbers 31:26
מִשְּׁבִ֣י 2x miš·šə·ḇî Ezra 2:1, Nehemiah 7:6
שִׁבְיָ֑ם 2x šiḇ·yām Jeremiah 30:10, Jeremiah 46:27
בִּשְׁבִ֥י 1x biš·ḇî Daniel 11:33
Parsing patterns
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular 15x Deuteronomy 28:41, 2 Chronicles 29:9, Ezra 9:7, Isaiah 46:2
Article | Noun - masculine singular 6x Exodus 12:29, Numbers 31:12, Numbers 31:26, Nehemiah 1:2
Noun - masculine singular 6x Numbers 21:1, 2 Chronicles 28:17, Psalms 68:18, Isaiah 52:2
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular 5x Psalms 78:61, Jeremiah 15:2, Jeremiah 43:11
Noun - masculine singular construct 4x Isaiah 20:4, Isaiah 49:24, Isaiah 49:25, Amos 4:10
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural 4x 2 Chronicles 6:37, 2 Chronicles 6:38, Jeremiah 30:10, Jeremiah 46:27
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct 2x Ezra 2:1, Nehemiah 7:6
Preposition-m, Article | Noun - masculine singular 2x Ezra 3:8, Ezra 8:35
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Captivity as both the state of deportation and the collective body of exiles; foundational to Israel's exile theology.
Source Gloss
exiled ; captured ; as noun, exile (abstractly or concretely and collectively); by extension, booty
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Captivity as both the state of deportation and the collective body of exiles; foundational to Israel's exile theology.
exiled; captured; as noun, exile (abstractly or concretely and collectively); by extension, booty BDB: captivity Usage: captive(-ity), prisoners, × take away, that was taken.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Concrete plural noun referring to people taken in war or conflict
Prisoners of war, especially in context of Assyrian deportation and conquest
Abstract noun denoting the state or condition of exile and deportation as divine judgment
Concrete reference to Babylonian exile, those taken away from their homeland
Future restoration from captivity, reversing the state of exile and displacement
Showing 5 selected witnesses from 48 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
שְׁבִי is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
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