Original Word: סָבָא
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: caba'
Pronunciation: tsaw-BAH
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-baw')
KJV: drunkard, fill self, Sabean, (wine-)bibber
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to quaff to satiety, i.e. become tipsy

drunkard, fill self, Sabean, winebibber

A primitive root; to quaff to satiety, i.e. Become tipsy -- drunkard, fill self, Sabean, (wine-)bibber.

[סָבָא] verb imbibe, drink largely (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic סְבָא id. (rare); compare Assyrian sabû, sesame-wine Dl^HWB; — Arabic wine, is probably loan-word and import foreign wine denominative, Frä^157f); —

Qal Imperfect1plural cohortative נִסְבְּאָה Isaiah 56:12; Participle active סֹבֵא Deuteronomy 21:20; Proverbs 23:21; plural סובאים Ezekiel 23:42 Kt (Qr סָבָאִים, see below); construct סֹבְאֵי Proverbs 23:20; passive סְבוּאִים Nahum 1:10; — imbibe, with accusative שֵׁכָר Isaiah 56:12; participle active = substantive wine-bibber, drunkard Deuteronomy 21:20; Proverbs 23:21 (both + זוֺלֵל); fully, סֹבְאֵי יָיִ֑ן Proverbs 23:20 (+ זֹלֲלֵי בָשָׂר); so also Ezekiel 23:42 Kt (Qr perhaps name of a people, so ᵑ6 AV, see below), which read Sm RV Sgfr^Kau Da; Co thinks dittograph of מוּבָאִים, but perhaps the reverse (Toy^Hpt omits מוּבָאִים): > Berthol (q. v.) מִסְּבָא; other conjectures see in Sm; וּכְסָבְאָם סְבוּאִים Nahum 1:10 is probably corrupt, passive participle of person dubious, and sense obscure; strike out both as dittograph Gunk^{ZAW xiii (1893), 235} Now; omitted in translation We Kau. On Hosea 4:18 see סֹבֶא.

[סָבָא] only plural סָבָאִים Ezekiel 23:42 Qr = drunkards, wine-bibbers (?) so Thes and others, but see סְבָאִים.

Semantic range and thematic focus

The term points to those who habitually saturate themselves with alcohol—“revelers,” “drinkers,” or “drunkards.” In every setting it appears, the word carries a negative moral valuation, portraying self-indulgence that dulls discernment, leads to social decay, and invites divine judgment.

Occurrences and contextual analysis

1. Proverbs 23:20–21 pairs the drunkard with the glutton. The parental exhortation, “Do not join those who drink too much wine” (23:20), warns that unrestrained appetite drains resources and degrades character: “the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty” (23:21). Wisdom literature therefore treats persistent inebriation as folly that impoverishes both body and soul.
2. Isaiah 56:12 records the cynical self-assurance of corrupt leaders: “Come… let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!” Their complacency reveals a society numbed to impending accountability, illustrating how intoxication feeds spiritual blindness.
3. Ezekiel 23:42 depicts revelers from the wilderness joining the adulterous “sisters” (Samaria and Jerusalem) in their political and religious harlotry. The drunkards’ bracelets and crowns mock covenant purity, showing how dissipation accompanies idolatry.
4. Nahum 1:10 likens Nineveh’s doomed elite to “drunkards drinking,” tangled in their own thorns and soon to be consumed. Intoxication here symbolizes the proud Assyrian confidence that will evaporate under God’s wrath.

Historical and cultural background

Wine was a staple in the ancient Near East, yet fermentation also made drunkenness a persistent social problem. Kings kept professional cupbearers, inns catered to travelers, and harvest festivals often turned into debauchery. Israel’s law permitted celebratory drinking (Deuteronomy 14:26) but condemned excess (Leviticus 10:9; Proverbs 20:1). The sages, prophets, and historians therefore confronted a practice that threatened communal stability, economic responsibility, and covenant fidelity.

Theological implications

1. Moral accountability: Scripture never blames alcohol itself but the willful loss of self-control. The drunkard embodies the fleshly mind set “on earthly things” (compare Philippians 3:19).
2. Social justice: Repeated links between drunkenness and poverty (Proverbs 23:21) or leadership failure (Isaiah 28:7) stress that personal vice has communal fallout.
3. Divine judgment: Nahum and Ezekiel use the image to portray nations staggering toward destruction. Inebriation foreshadows eschatological reckoning, when those who “sleep at night” will be overtaken by the Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:2-8).

Practical application for ministry

• Pastoral care must address substance abuse as a spiritual and relational issue, calling believers to sobriety and offering gospel-based restoration.
• Discipleship should emphasize Spirit-filled joy over chemical stimulation (Ephesians 5:18).
• Church leaders are to model temperance, being “not given to drunkenness” (1 Timothy 3:3).
• Outreach to addicted communities demonstrates Christ’s compassion while upholding biblical holiness.

Connections with New Testament teaching

The New Testament intensifies the Old Testament warning, contrasting drunkenness with life in the Spirit (Galatians 5:21). Jesus’ first miracle honored legitimate festive wine (John 2:1-11), yet He also cautioned, “Be careful… your hearts will be weighed down with carousing and drunkenness” (Luke 21:34). The apostles echo the prophetic stance: “Let us behave decently… not in carousing and drunkenness” (Romans 13:13). Thus the biblical canon presents one harmonious ethic: moderate enjoyment of God’s gifts, total rejection of the enslaving excess represented by סָבָא.

בְסֹֽבְאֵי־ בסבאי־ וְנִסְבְּאָ֣ה ונסבאה סְבוּאִ֑ים סָבָאִ֖ים סֹבֵ֣א סבא סבאים סבואים ḇə·sō·ḇə·’ê- ḇəsōḇə’ê- sā·ḇā·’îm sāḇā’îm savaIm sə·ḇū·’îm səḇū’îm sevuIm sō·ḇê sōḇê soVe venisbeAh vesoeei wə·nis·bə·’āh wənisbə’āhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts