Original Word: שֶׁבַע
Part of Speech: Noun
Transliteration: sheba`
Pronunciation: sheh-BAH or shih-BAH
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh'-bah)
KJV: (+ by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times)
NASB: seven, seventh, seven times, sevens
Word Origin: [from H7650 (שָׁבַע - swore)]

1. a primitive cardinal number
2. seven (as the sacred full one)
3. (also, adverbially) seven times
4. (by implication) a week
5. (by extension) an indefinite number

by sevenfold, teen

Or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw'}; from shaba'; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number -- (+ by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare shib'anah.

see HEBREW shaba'

see HEBREW shib'anah

Word Origin
a prim. card. number
Definition
seven
NASB Translation
1,017* (2), 1,247* (2), 1,700* (3), 1,760* (1), 1,775* (2), 127* (3), 14,700* (1), 157,600* (1), 16,750* (1), 17,200* (1), 2,067* (1), 2,700* (1), 2,750* (1), 27,000* (1), 3,700* (1), 307,500* (1), 337,500* (2), 37,000* (1), 43,730* (1), 44,760* (1), 52,700* (1), 57,400* (2), 6,720* (2), 601,730* (1), 603,550* (1), 62,700* (2), 667* (1), 67* (1), 7,000* (8), 7,100* (1), 7,337* (4), 7,500* (1), 7,700* (4), 700* (5), 721* (1), 725* (1), 730* (1), 736* (2), 743* (2), 745* (1), 760* (2), 77* (1), 775* (1), 87,000* (1), forty-seven* (1), seven (270), seven times (6), sevens (2), seventeen* (6), seventeenth* (6), seventh (8), thirty-seven* (4), thirty-seventh* (3), twenty-seven* (1), twenty-seventh* (6).

I. שֶׁבַע, שִׁבְעָה₃₉₄

noun masculine and feminine seven (Late Hebrew id., MI¹⁶ שבעת Assyrian sibi, sibittu (Dl^{Gr. § 65, 6}; s = שׁ), Arabic , , Sabean סבע Hom^{Chr 47, 124}, Ethiopic Phoenician (Punic) שבע Nabataean שבע שבעה, Palmyrene שבעא שבעה; Aramaic שְׁבַע, שִׁבְעָא, , ; on etymology compare Lag^{BN 37 f.}); — masculine (c. noun feminine) absolute שֶׁבַע Genesis 41:2 115t.; construct שְׁבַע Genesis 5:26 47t., especially P (15 t.) and Chronicles (20 t.), וּשֲׁבַע 1 Kings 14:21 feminine (c.

noun masculine) absolute שִׁבְעָה Genesis 4:24 100t.; constructשִׁבְעַת Genesis 7:10 120t.; suffix שְׁבַעְתָּם 2 Samuel 21:9 Qr (so Vrss and modern; see Dr; > Kt שִׁבְעָתַיִם; — seven:

1 without other number:

a. שֶׁבַע, before feminine plural noun Genesis 21:28 (J), Judges 16:13; Isaiah 4:1 80t., especially שָׁנִים ׳שׁ Genesis 29:18 (E) + 32 t. (but read שׁלוֺשׁ for שֶׁבַע 2 Samuel 24:13a, compare v^{b, c,} also ᵐ5 and "" 1 Chronicles 21:12; so Th We Dr Bu HPS Now), מִּעָמִים ׳שׁ Genesis 33:3 (J), Leviticus 4:6 (P) + 17 t.; בָּאַמָּה רָחְבָּהּ ׳שׁ 1 Kings 6:6; after noun Ezekiel 40:20,26; noun omitted Job 5:19; Proverbs 6:16, + (= ׳מְּעָמִים שׁ) Leviticus 26:18,21,24,28 (H), Psalm 119:64; Proverbs 24:16

b. שִׁבְעָה before masculine plural noun Numbers 23:1 (3 t. in verse) (E) + 40 t. + Job 42:19 (read ׳שׁ for שִׁבְעָ֫נָה Ges^{§ 97c} and most); + (distributive) ׳וְשׁ ׳שׁ Zechariah 4:2; after noun Genesis 7:4 (J), Exodus 25:37 (P) + 12 t. (P Chronicles Daniel Proverbs); noun omitted 1 Samuel 2:5 9t., including ׳שׁ as ordinal, see below; but read שְׂבָכָה for שִׁבְעָה 1 Kings 7:17 (twice in verse) ᵐ5 Th Kmp Klo Benz Kit Bur; also ׳שׁ ׳שׁ distributive = 7 each Genesis 7:2,3(J); as predicate Genesis 46:25 (P),

c. שִׁבְעַת, before plural noun Numbers 23:4 (E), Numbers 8:2 (P), Ezekiel 45:23 (twice in verse); Job 2:13 (twice in verse) + 97 t., incl יָמִים ׳שׁ Genesis 8:10 (J), + 88 t. + Ezekiel 45:21 (read שִׁבְעַת for שְׁבֻעוֺת Vrss and modern),

d. = ordinal, שְׁנַת (הַ)שֶּׁבַעDeuteronomy 15:2; 2 Kings 12:2 3t., בְּשִׁבְעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ Ezekiel 30:20, compare Ezekiel 45:20; לְשִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים Genesis 7:10 (J), 1 Chronicles 9:25

2 שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה17years Genesis 37:2 3t. + 1 Kings 14:21, also as ordinal ׳עֶשׂ ׳בִּשְׁנַת שׁ 1 Kings 22:52, שָׁנָה ׳עֶשׂ ׳בִּשְׁנַת שׁ 2 Kings 16:1.

b. שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר (that is הַגּוֺרָל lot) 1 Chronicles 24:15; 1 Chronicles 25:24 (compare also, + other number, 1 Chronicles 7:11; Ezra 2:30; Nehemiah 7:42), + יוֺם 17th day Genesis 7:11; Genesis 8:4; unusual is שְׁקָלִים וַעֲשָׂרָה הַכֶּסֶף ׳שׁ Jeremiah 32:9 7shekels and 10 the silver

3 שְׁבַע מֵאוֺת = 700 Judges 8:26 39t. (but Nehemiah 7:68 omitted by Masora Baer Gi q. v.).

4 שִׁבְעָה אֶלֶף = 7000 1 Kings 20:30 2t.; שִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים = id. 1 Kings 20:15+ 15 t.; 57,000 is 7 50x 1000 Numbers 1:31; Numbers 2:8,31.

5 ׳שׁ + other number:

a. ׳שׁ follows 18 t.: (1) singular noun after ׳שׁ Judges 8:14; also (= ordinal number) Ezekiel 29:17 2t., שְׁנַת שָׁנָה ׳שְׁלשִׁים וָשׁ 2 Kings 13:10, compare 2 Kings 15:1; (2) plural noun before other number Ezra 8:35; Nehemiah 7:1:[72]; Nehemiah 7:71; (3) singular noun construct precedes ׳בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וָשׁ 1 Kings 16:10,15 (ordinal); (4) noun after each number Genesis 23:1; Genesis 23:25 (both P), etc.

b. ׳שׁ precedes 10 t. (P and Esther): (1) noun singular after other number Genesis 8:14; Exodus 6:16,20 3t. Esther; (2) noun repeated Genesis 5:7; Genesis 11:21; Genesis 47:28, compare Genesis 5:25,31.

c.100017 Ezra 2:39 = Nehemiah 7:42 — ׳שׁ often with sacred significance: Genesis 21:28ff. (J), Exodus 37:23; Leviticus 4:6,17; Leviticus 8:11; Leviticus 14:27 + (P); as round number Genesis 4:24 (song in J), Genesis 29:18ff; Genesis 31:23; Genesis 41:2ff (all E), etc.; on bowing 7 t. Genesis 33:3 (J; in great humility), compare Wkl^{TelAm. nos. 143, 230, 246} Ne^{Mar,11 f.}; all these probably originating with week of seven days; compare especially Kö^{Hast. DB NUMBER, 562 f.}, 565.

שִׁבְעָ֫נָה Job 42:13 read שִׁבְעָה Ges^{§ 97c} and most.

Concept Summary

שֶׁבַע (seven) functions in Scripture as the number of divine completion and covenantal fullness. Its 394 appearances span the Law, Prophets, and Writings, shaping Israel’s calendar, worship, and prophetic hope.

Foundational Role in Creation

“By the seventh day God had completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day” (Genesis 2:2-3). The creation week establishes seven as the rhythm of time itself. Everything that follows—Sabbath, sabbatical years, Jubilee—echoes this inaugural pattern of work crowned by rest and blessing.

Sabbath and Israel’s Worship Life

1. Weekly Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11) marks Israel as a people who trust God’s provision.
2. Sabbatical year: “In the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land” (Leviticus 25:4).
3. Jubilee after “seven Sabbaths of years, forty-nine years” (Leviticus 25:8-10) emancipates slaves and restores inheritance—an economic gospel preview.

Sacred Festivals and Rituals

• Passover-Unleavened Bread: “Seven days you must eat unleavened bread” (Exodus 12:15).
• Feast of Weeks stems from “seven full weeks” after Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:15-16).
• Feast of Booths lasts seven days (Leviticus 23:34).

Ritual blood and oil are sprinkled seven times (Leviticus 4:6; 8:11), portraying perfect purification.

Covenant and Oath Language

The root of שֶׁבַע intertwines with the verb “to swear.” Abraham set apart “seven ewe lambs” so that the well was named Beer Sheba, “well of the oath” (Genesis 21:28-31). Seven thus seals agreements and underscores God’s faithfulness to His word.

Judgment and Completion

• Protection: “Whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over” (Genesis 4:15).
• Plagues: Egypt’s hail struck “from the seventh to the first” (Exodus 9:24); Leviticus threatens punishment “seven times over” (Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28).
• Cleansing: Naaman is told, “Wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored” (2 Kings 5:10). Judgment and restoration alike reach their appointed completeness in sevenfold measure.

Historical Narrative Emphasis

Joshua’s conquest hinges on sevens: “Seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times” (Joshua 6:4). Victory flows from patterned obedience rather than military might. Solomon dedicates the temple with a seven-day feast (1 Kings 8:65), underscoring that God’s house crowns Israel’s history with covenantal wholeness.

Wisdom and Worship

• “The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6).
• “Seven times a day I praise You” (Psalm 119:164) models continual devotion.
• Proverbs uses the number to frame moral completeness: “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him” (Proverbs 6:16); “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he will rise again” (Proverbs 24:16).

Prophetic and Eschatological Foreshadowing

Isaiah envisions a future in which “the light of the sun will be sevenfold” (Isaiah 30:26), signaling consummate glory. Zechariah’s lampstand bears “seven lamps with seven spouts” (Zechariah 4:2), the Spirit’s perfect illumination later echoed in Revelation’s seven churches and seven Spirits of God. Daniel’s seventy weeks (Daniel 9:24-27) multiply sevens toward Messiah’s advent, affirming God’s sovereign timeline.

Liturgical and Poetic Usage

Seven strengthens acrostic structures (Psalm 119), chiasms, and parallelism, aiding memorization and worship. Repeated sevens in lament or praise assure readers of God’s ordered governance even amid chaos (for example, Lamentations 1-4’s acrostic dirges).

New Testament Echoes

While Greek ἑπτά bears the load, New Testament writers lean on the established symbolism. Jesus instructs forgiving “seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22), an escalation of Genesis 4:24’s vengeance; He multiplies bread from “seven loaves” (Mark 8:6-9), embodying covenant provision. Revelation’s cascades of sevens (churches, seals, trumpets, bowls) consummate the biblical motif of complete redemption and judgment.

Pastoral and Discipleship Applications

1. Rhythm of Rest: Weekly Sabbath principles encourage ministry pace modeled on God’s own rest.
2. Integrity of Oaths: Seven’s link to covenant underscores truthful speech and promise-keeping.
3. Hope of Completion: The prevalence of seven assures believers that God finishes what He begins (Philippians 1:6), anchoring perseverance.
4. Worship Pattern: “Seven times a day I praise You” invites structured yet heartfelt devotion.

Summary

שֶׁבַע threads through Scripture as the divine signature of completion, rest, and covenant faithfulness. From Genesis creation to Revelation consummation, it reinforces that God’s works are perfectly ordered, His promises sure, and His redemptive plan unwaveringly complete.

בְּשִׁבְעָ֛ה בְּשִׁבְעָ֣ה בְּשִׁבְעָ֧ה בְּשִׁבְעָֽה־ בְּשִׁבְעָה־ בְּשֶׁ֖בַע בַּשְּׁבִיעִ֡י בע בשביעי בשבע בשבעה בשבעה־ הַשִּׁבְעָ֗ה הַשֶּׁבַע֮ השבע השבעה וְ֝שֶׁ֗בַע וְשִׁבְעַ֣ת וְשִׁבְעַ֤ת וְשִׁבְעַ֥ת וְשִׁבְעַ֨ת וְשִׁבְעָ֑ה וְשִׁבְעָ֔ה וְשִׁבְעָ֖ה וְשִׁבְעָ֣ה וְשִׁבְעָ֤ה וְשִׁבְעָ֥ה וְשִׁבְעָ֧ה וְשִׁבְעָ֨ה וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃ וְשִׁבְעָה֙ וְשֶׁ֣בַע וְשֶׁ֤בַע וָשֶׁ֔בַע וָשֶׁ֙בַע֙ וָשֶׁ֜בַע וּֽשֲׁבַ֨ע וּבְשִׁבְעָ֥ה וּבְשֶׁ֓בַע ׀ וּשְׁבַ֣ע וּשְׁבַ֤ע וּשְׁבַ֥ע וּשְׁבַ֨ע וּשְׁבַע־ ובשבע ובשבעה ושבע ושבע־ ושבעה ושבעה׃ ושבעת לְשִׁבְעַ֖ת לְשִׁבְעַ֣ת לְשִׁבְעַ֧ת לְשִׁבְעָ֖ה לְשִׁבְעָ֣ה לְשִׁבְעָ֤ה לְשִׁבְעָ֥ה לְשֶׁ֙בַע֙ לשבע לשבעה לשבעת מִ֝שִּׁבְעָ֗ה מִשִּׁבְעָ֖ה משבעה שְׁבַ֣ע שְׁבַ֤ע שְׁבַ֥ע שְׁבַֽע־ שְׁבַע־ שִֽׁבְעַ֨ת שִׁבְעַ֖ת שִׁבְעַ֞ת שִׁבְעַ֣ת שִׁבְעַ֤ת שִׁבְעַ֥ת שִׁבְעַ֨ת שִׁבְעַת֙ שִׁבְעַת־ שִׁבְעָ֑ה שִׁבְעָ֔ה שִׁבְעָ֖ה שִׁבְעָ֗ה שִׁבְעָ֛ה שִׁבְעָ֜ה שִׁבְעָ֣ה שִׁבְעָ֤ה שִׁבְעָ֥ה שִׁבְעָ֧ה שִׁבְעָ֨ה שִׁבְעָֽה־ שִׁבְעָֽה׃ שִׁבְעָה֙ שִׁבְעָה֩ שִׁבְעָה־ שֶֽׁבַע שֶֽׁבַע־ שֶׁ֕בַע שֶׁ֖בַע שֶׁ֙בַע֙ שֶׁ֚בַע שֶׁ֛בַע שֶׁ֣בַע שֶׁ֤בַע שֶׁ֥בַע שֶׁ֧בַע שֶׁ֨בַע שֶׁ֨בַע ׀ שְׁבַעְתָּ֖ם שבע שבע־ שבעה שבעה־ שבעה׃ שבעת שבעת־ שבעתם ḇa‘ baš·šə·ḇî·‘î bashsheviI baššəḇî‘î bə·še·ḇa‘ bə·šiḇ·‘āh bə·šiḇ·‘āh- bəšeḇa‘ beSheva beshivah bəšiḇ‘āh bəšiḇ‘āh- haš·še·ḇa‘ haš·šiḇ·‘āh hashsheVa hashshivAh haššeḇa‘ haššiḇ‘āh lə·še·ḇa‘ lə·šiḇ·‘āh lə·šiḇ·‘aṯ ləšeḇa‘ leSheva leshivAh leshivAt ləšiḇ‘āh ləšiḇ‘aṯ miš·šiḇ·‘āh mishshivAh miššiḇ‘āh še·ḇa‘ šə·ḇa‘ še·ḇa‘- šə·ḇa‘- šə·ḇa‘·tām šeḇa‘ šəḇa‘ šeḇa‘- šəḇa‘- šəḇa‘tām Sheva shevaTam shivAh shivAt šiḇ‘āh šiḇ‘āh- šiḇ‘aṯ šiḇ‘aṯ- šiḇ·‘āh šiḇ·‘āh- šiḇ·‘aṯ šiḇ·‘aṯ- ū·ḇə·še·ḇa‘ ū·ḇə·šiḇ·‘āh ū·šă·ḇa‘ ū·šə·ḇa‘ ū·šə·ḇa‘- ūḇəšeḇa‘ ūḇəšiḇ‘āh ūšăḇa‘ ūšəḇa‘ ūšəḇa‘- ushaVa usheVa uveSheva uveshivAh va vaSheva veSheva veshivAh veshivAt wā·še·ḇa‘ wāšeḇa‘ wə·še·ḇa‘ wə·šiḇ·‘āh wə·šiḇ·‘aṯ wəšeḇa‘ wəšiḇ‘āh wəšiḇ‘aṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts