7872. sebah
Lexical Summary
sebah: Old age, gray hair

Original Word: שֵׂיבָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: seybah
Pronunciation: say-VAH
Phonetic Spelling: (say-baw')
KJV: (be) gray (grey hoar,-y) hairs (head,-ed), old age
NASB: gray hair, old age, gray, gray hairs, gray head, gray-haired
Word Origin: [feminine of H7869 (שֵׂיבּ - age)]

1. old age

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be gray grey hoar, old age

Feminine of seyb; old age -- (be) gray (grey hoar,-y) hairs (head,-ed), old age.

see HEBREW seyb

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from sib
Definition
hoary head, old age
NASB Translation
gray (1), gray hair (7), gray hairs (1), gray head (1), gray-haired (1), grayheaded (1), graying years (1), old age (6).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
שֵׂיבָה noun feminine hoary head, old age; — absolute ׳שׂ Hosea 7:9 +; construct שֵׂיבַת Genesis 44:31; suffix שֵׂיבָתִי Genesis 42:38; Genesis 44:29, etc.; —

1 grey hair, hoary Hosea 7:9(figurative), Genesis 42:38; Genesis 44:29,31(all J), 1 Kings 2:6,9; Proverbs 16:31; Proverbs 20:29; ׳אִישׁ שׂ Deuteronomy 32:25 (opposed to יוֺנֵק); "" זָקִן Leviticus 19:32 (H), "" זִקְנָה Isaiah 46:4, + id. Psalm 71:18 (in these transition to following); figurative of sea Job 41:24.

2 old age, טוֺבָה ׳שׂ Genesis 15:15 (JE), Genesis 25:8 (P), Judges 8:32; 1 Chronicles 29:28; ׳שׂ also Psalm 92:15 (trees, in figure of righteous), Ruth 4:15, + 2 Samuel 19:34 (ᵐ5 Ew Th Bu Kit, compare We Dr HPS, אֶתשֵֿׂיבָֽתְךָ, for אֹתְךָ).

שִׂיג see [I. סוג].

שׂיד (√ of following: Late Hebrew סִיד lime, סַיָּד white-washer; Aramaic סִידָא, lime, Arabic (not loan-word, compare Frä8)).

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The Hebrew term שֵׂיבָה occurs nineteen times in the Old Testament and consistently denotes gray hair and the stage of life commonly called old age. In Scripture this season is never treated as incidental; it is invested with spiritual, communal, and theological weight. Gray hair may signal blessing, dignity, responsibility, or, when coupled with disobedience, impending judgment.

Symbol of Honor and Blessing

Several patriarchal narratives portray gray‐haired longevity as a divinely granted good. Abraham “breathed his last and died in a good old age” (Genesis 25:8), echoing the promise to Abram in Genesis 15:15. Gideon (Judges 8:32) and David (1 Chronicles 29:28) receive the same commendation. Proverbs underlines the theme: “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is attained along the path of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31). Rather than merely marking time, gray hair evidences the favor of God that accompanies a life ordered according to wisdom.

Wisdom and Continuity of Testimony

The aged are called to remain spiritually fruitful. Psalm 92:14 celebrates that the righteous “will still bear fruit in old age,” and Psalm 71:18 makes old age a platform for proclamation: “Even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation.” Far from retirement, Scripture envisions seasoned believers transmitting faith to emerging generations.

The Call to Honor the Elderly

Leviticus 19:32 legislates respect: “You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, show respect for the aged, and fear your God.” Honoring gray hair is inseparably linked to revering God, rooting social ethics in worship. Proverbs 20:29 balances youthful strength with the “splendor of old men,” reminding the covenant community that each stage has its God‐ordained glory.

Gray Hair and Parental Grief

Twice Jacob fears that harm to Benjamin will “bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow” (Genesis 42:38; 44:29, 31). Gray hair here highlights vulnerability: the sorrow of bereaved parents whose years should end in peace, not tragedy. The passages urge family faithfulness toward aging parents, lest their closing days be clouded with unnecessary grief.

Instrument of Judgment or Warning

When loyalty to the covenant collapses, gray hair becomes a motif of loss. Deuteronomy 32:25 foresees both infant and elder perishing under the sword, signaling total judgment. In Hosea 7:9 Israel’s unperceived decline is captured by the image: “Gray hairs are sprinkled on him, but he does not notice.” Unacknowledged aging parallels unacknowledged spiritual decay. Likewise, David orders Solomon not to let Joab’s or Shimei’s “gray hair go down to Sheol in peace” (1 Kings 2:6, 9), showing that gray headship does not exempt one from justice.

Divine Faithfulness Through Life’s Seasons

Isaiah 46:4 gives one of the tenderest assurances in Scripture: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I will carry you.” The God who formed His people in youth remains their sustainer when strength has faded, reinforcing the perpetual covenant care that undergirds every stage of life.

A Metaphorical Usage

Job 41:32 compares the foaming wake of Leviathan to gray hair: “One would think the deep had white hair.” Here שֵׂיבָה poetically pictures the sea’s froth, illustrating how the image of whitened hair can be extended beyond humankind to nature itself.

Ministry Applications

• Shepherding a multi‐generational congregation demands intentional honor for the elderly, public acknowledgment of their testimony, and opportunities for them to serve.
• Pastoral care should address the unique burdens and fears of advanced years, echoing Isaiah 46:4 by pointing to God’s sustaining presence.
• Intergenerational discipleship draws on the mandate of Psalm 71:18; older saints are invaluable storytellers of God’s power.
• Churches safeguard families by encouraging children and grandchildren to ensure that gray‐haired parents finish life in peace, not sorrow.

Key References

Genesis 15:15; Genesis 25:8; Genesis 42:38; Genesis 44:29, 31

Leviticus 19:32

Deuteronomy 32:25

Judges 8:32

Ruth 4:15

1 Kings 2:6, 9

1 Chronicles 29:28

Job 41:32

Psalm 71:18; Psalm 92:14

Proverbs 16:31; Proverbs 20:29

Isaiah 46:4

Hosea 7:9

Forms and Transliterations
בְּשֵׂיבָ֑ה בְּשֵׂיבָ֣ה בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה בשיבה וְשֵׂיבָה֮ ושיבה לְשֵׂיבָֽה׃ לשיבה׃ שֵׂיבַ֨ת שֵׂיבָ֑ה שֵׂיבָֽה׃ שֵׂיבָה֙ שֵׂיבָת֛וֹ שֵׂיבָתִ֛י שֵׂיבָתֵ֑ךְ שֵיבָ֖ה שיבה שיבה׃ שיבת שיבתו שיבתי שיבתך bə·śê·ḇāh bəśêḇāh beseiVah lə·śê·ḇāh ləśêḇāh leseiVah śê·ḇā·ṯêḵ śê·ḇā·ṯî śê·ḇā·ṯōw śê·ḇāh šê·ḇāh śê·ḇaṯ śêḇāh šêḇāh śêḇaṯ śêḇāṯêḵ śêḇāṯî śêḇāṯōw seiVah seiVat seivaTech seivaTi seivaTo sheiVah veseiVah wə·śê·ḇāh wəśêḇāh
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 15:15
HEB: בְּשָׁל֑וֹם תִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָֽה׃
NAS: you will be buried at a good old age.
KJV: in a good old age.
INT: peace will be buried old A good

Genesis 25:8
HEB: וַיָּ֧מָת אַבְרָהָ֛ם בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָ֖ה זָקֵ֣ן
NAS: in a ripe old age, an old man
KJV: in a good old age, an old man,
INT: and died Abraham old A ripe an old

Genesis 42:38
HEB: וְהוֹרַדְתֶּ֧ם אֶת־ שֵׂיבָתִ֛י בְּיָג֖וֹן שְׁאֽוֹלָה׃
NAS: then you will bring my gray hair down
KJV: then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow
INT: are taking down my gray sorrow to Sheol

Genesis 44:29
HEB: וְהֽוֹרַדְתֶּ֧ם אֶת־ שֵׂיבָתִ֛י בְּרָעָ֖ה שְׁאֹֽלָה׃
NAS: him, you will bring my gray hair down
KJV: ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow
INT: and harm will bring my gray sorrow to Sheol

Genesis 44:31
HEB: עֲבָדֶ֜יךָ אֶת־ שֵׂיבַ֨ת עַבְדְּךָ֥ אָבִ֛ינוּ
NAS: will bring the gray hair of your servant
KJV: shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant
INT: will bring your servants the gray of your servant our father

Leviticus 19:32
HEB: מִפְּנֵ֤י שֵׂיבָה֙ תָּק֔וּם וְהָדַרְתָּ֖
NAS: up before the grayheaded and honor
KJV: before the hoary head, and honour
INT: before the grayheaded shall rise and honor

Deuteronomy 32:25
HEB: עִם־ אִ֥ישׁ שֵׂיבָֽה׃
NAS: with the man of gray hair.
KJV: [also] with the man of gray hairs.
INT: with the man of gray

Judges 8:32
HEB: בֶּן־ יוֹאָ֖שׁ בְּשֵׂיבָ֣ה טוֹבָ֑ה וַיִּקָּבֵ֗ר
NAS: at a ripe old age and was buried
KJV: in a good old age, and was buried
INT: the son of Joash old A ripe was buried

Ruth 4:15
HEB: וּלְכַלְכֵּ֖ל אֶת־ שֵׂיבָתֵ֑ךְ כִּ֣י כַלָּתֵ֤ךְ
NAS: and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law,
KJV: and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law,
INT: of life sustainer of your old for your daughter-in-law

1 Kings 2:6
HEB: וְלֹֽא־ תוֹרֵ֧ד שֵׂיבָת֛וֹ בְּשָׁלֹ֖ם שְׁאֹֽל׃
NAS: according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down
KJV: therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down
INT: not go his gray peace to Sheol

1 Kings 2:9
HEB: וְהוֹרַדְתָּ֧ אֶת־ שֵׂיבָת֛וֹ בְּדָ֖ם שְׁאֽוֹל׃
NAS: to him, and you will bring his gray hair down
KJV: what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down
INT: to do will bring his gray blood to Sheol

1 Chronicles 29:28
HEB: וַיָּ֙מָת֙ בְּשֵׂיבָ֣ה טוֹבָ֔ה שְׂבַ֥ע
NAS: in a ripe old age, full
KJV: in a good old age, full
INT: died old A ripe full

Job 41:32
HEB: יַחְשֹׁ֖ב תְּה֣וֹם לְשֵׂיבָֽה׃ אֵֽין־ עַל־
NAS: the deep to be gray-haired.
KJV: the deep [to be] hoary.
INT: think the deep to be gray-haired else on

Psalm 71:18
HEB: עַד־ זִקְנָ֨ה ׀ וְשֵׂיבָה֮ אֱלֹהִ֪ים אַֽל־
NAS: [I am] old and gray, O God,
KJV: I am old and grayheaded, O God,
INT: when old and gray God not

Psalm 92:14
HEB: ע֭וֹד יְנוּב֣וּן בְּשֵׂיבָ֑ה דְּשֵׁנִ֖ים וְרַֽעֲנַנִּ֣ים
NAS: yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap
KJV: They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat
INT: will still yield old shall be full and very

Proverbs 16:31
HEB: עֲטֶ֣רֶת תִּפְאֶ֣רֶת שֵׂיבָ֑ה בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ צְ֝דָקָ֗ה
NAS: A gray head is a crown of glory;
KJV: The hoary head [is] a crown of glory,
INT: crown of glory A gray the way of righteousness

Proverbs 20:29
HEB: וַהֲדַ֖ר זְקֵנִ֣ים שֵׂיבָֽה׃
NAS: of old men is their gray hair.
KJV: of old men [is] the gray head.
INT: and the honor of old is their gray

Isaiah 46:4
HEB: ה֔וּא וְעַד־ שֵיבָ֖ה אֲנִ֣י אֶסְבֹּ֑ל
NAS: And even to [your] graying years I will bear
KJV: And [even] to [your] old age I [am] he; and [even] to hoar hairs will I carry
INT: will be the same and even to graying I will bear

Hosea 7:9
HEB: יָדָ֑ע גַּם־ שֵׂיבָה֙ זָ֣רְקָה בּ֔וֹ
NAS: Yet he does not know [it]; Gray hairs also
KJV: and he knoweth [it] not: yea, gray hairs are here and there
INT: know also Gray are sprinkled he

19 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7872
19 Occurrences


bə·śê·ḇāh — 5 Occ.
lə·śê·ḇāh — 1 Occ.
śê·ḇāh — 5 Occ.
śê·ḇaṯ — 1 Occ.
śê·ḇā·ṯêḵ — 1 Occ.
śê·ḇā·ṯî — 2 Occ.
śê·ḇā·ṯōw — 2 Occ.
šê·ḇāh — 1 Occ.
wə·śê·ḇāh — 1 Occ.

7871
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