Original Word: צָבָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tsabah
Pronunciation: tsaw-BAH
Phonetic Spelling: (tsaw-baw')
KJV: fight swell
NASB: swell
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to amass, i.e. grow turgid
2. specifically, to array an army against

fight swell

A primitive root; to amass, i.e. Grow turgid; specifically, to array an army against -- fight swell.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to swell, swell up
NASB Translation
swell (2).

I. [צָבָה] verb swell, swell up (Late Hebrew id.); —

Qal Perfect3feminine singular consecutive וְצָֽבְתָה Numbers 5:27; apparently

Hiph`il Infinitive construct לַצְבּוֺת Numbers 5:22, < read

Qal לִצְבּוֺת Di Ol^{§ 78 c} Sta^{§ 114 a, 2}; both of adulteress' belly. — צֹבֶיהָ Isaiah 29:7 see צבא.

Root Imagery and Symbolic Range

The verb צָבָה conveys the physical picture of an abnormal swelling in the body. In Hebrew thought a sudden expansion of flesh was not merely a medical event but a visible sign of hidden corruption coming to the surface. Scripture often uses bodily ailments to expose spiritual realities (Deuteronomy 28:27; 1 Samuel 5:6; Acts 12:23). Swelling therefore functions as a metaphor for sin that has moved from the secret place of the heart to undeniable public evidence.

Occurrences in Numbers 5 and Literary Setting

All three biblical occurrences appear in the ritual for a suspected adulteress (Numbers 5:11-31). Twice the narrator speaks prospectively (Numbers 5:21-22), once retrospectively after the woman drinks the “water of bitterness” (Numbers 5:27).

Numbers 5:27 records the result if guilt is present:

“Then it will enter her body, causing her abdomen to swell and her womb to miscarry, and she will become a curse among her people.”

Here צָבָה pinpoints the physical manifestation of Divine judgment. Because the infidelity was concealed, the Lord Himself supplies trustworthy evidence; the swelling is His verdict rendered in flesh.

Historical-Cultural Context: The Ordeal of Bitter Water

1. Purpose: The rite protected both husband and wife. The husband was restrained from private vengeance, and the wife, if innocent, received public vindication.
2. Procedure: Dust from the tabernacle floor was mixed with water, placing the case before the holy presence of God (Numbers 5:17). A written curse was washed into the mixture, dramatizing that the word of judgment would be ingested.
3. Outcome: Should guilt exist, the concealed sin materialized as swelling of the abdomen—a punishment that matched the crime of hidden sexual impurity by targeting the very seat of procreation.

Theological Themes: Covenant Faithfulness and Divine Disclosure

1. God’s Omniscience. Psalm 44:21 affirms, “He knows the secrets of the heart.” Numbers 5 illustrates this by an observable miracle.
2. Holiness of Marriage. By linking marital fidelity to the tabernacle, the text underscores that adultery is first a sin against God (Genesis 39:9; Malachi 2:14).
3. Justice and Mercy. The same ordeal that uncovered guilt also protected the innocent woman from lifelong suspicion. If she remained physically unaffected, “she will be cleared and able to conceive children” (Numbers 5:28).

Intercanonical Echoes and Typology

• Swelling as Divine rebuke recurs when pride or covenant breach surfaces (2 Chronicles 26:16-21; Herod in Acts 12:23).
• The written curse dissolved in water foreshadows the gospel reversal where the written record of our debt is wiped out at the cross (Colossians 2:14).
• The cup of judgment that exposes sin anticipates the cup that Christ drinks on behalf of His people (Matthew 26:39), transferring the curse from the guilty to the innocent substitute.

Ministry Reflections and Application

1. Hidden sin eventually manifests. Pastoral counsel should therefore stress repentance before exposure (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9).
2. Church discipline parallels the Numbers 5 principle: public credibility is preserved when objective processes replace rumor (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Timothy 5:19-20).
3. Physical consequences of sin still warn today, though not always as directly as in Numbers 5. Wise ministry discerns but resists simplistic cause-and-effect judgments (John 9:3).
4. The gospel offers a better cup—one of blessing instead of swelling judgment (1 Corinthians 10:16). Proclaiming Christ’s atonement satisfies both the divine demand for truth and the human longing for mercy.

Tsabah’s brief scriptural footprint thus illumines the seriousness with which God regards marital fidelity, the certainty of His knowledge of hidden things, and the grace that ultimately provides a way for the curse of sin to be borne and removed.

וְצָבְתָ֣ה וצבתה לַצְבּ֥וֹת לצבות צָבָֽה׃ צבה׃ laṣ·bō·wṯ laṣbōwṯ latzBot ṣā·ḇāh ṣāḇāh tzaVah vetzaveTah wə·ṣā·ḇə·ṯāh wəṣāḇəṯāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts