Original Word: שִׁבְיָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: shibyah
Pronunciation: shib-yaw'
Phonetic Spelling: (shib-yaw')
KJV: captives(-ity)
NASB: captives, captivity
Word Origin: [feminine of H7628 (שְׁבִי - Captivity)]

1. exile (abstractly or concretely and collectively)

captives

Feminine of shbiy; exile (abstractly or concretely and collectively) -- captives(-ity).

see HEBREW shbiy

Word Origin
from shabah
Definition
captivity, captives
NASB Translation
captives (7), captivity (2).

שִׁבְיָה noun feminine captivity, captives (collective), compareשְׁבִי; — always absolute ׳שׁ; —

1 state of captivity, Jeremiah 48:46 (of בָּבוֺת ,"" שְׁבִי of בָּנִים); ׳אֶרֶץ שׁ Nehemiah 3:36.

2 body of captives, Deuteronomy 21:11; Deuteronomy 32:42 "" חָלָל), 2 Chronicles 28:14,15, object of שָׁבָה, 2 Chronicles 28:5 (גדולה ׳שׁ), ׳הָשִׁיבוּ הַשּׁ אֲשֶׁר שְׁבִיתֶם 2 Chronicles 28:11.

Definition and Scope

Shibyah denotes the state of captivity and those taken as captives. The term embraces both the physical removal of people by force and the broader experience of subjugation that follows defeat. Its occurrences span the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Poetic-Prophetic literature, and the post-exilic period, reflecting Israel’s varied encounters with war, exile, and divine discipline.

Contexts of Military Conflict

1. Deuteronomy 21 introduces shibyah at the battlefield’s edge. “When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand and you take them captive…” (Deuteronomy 21:10-11). Israel’s wars would inevitably create prisoners; shibyah names that new social reality.
2. Deuteronomy 32:42 pictures the other side of the conflict: the nations that oppose the LORD suffer “the blood of the slain and captives.” Captivity becomes evidence of divine judgment.
3. 2 Chronicles 28 records a major internal Hebrew conflict. Pekah of Israel routed Judah, “and carried away from them a great number of captives” (2 Chronicles 28:5). Yet prophetic rebuke—“Send back the captives you have taken” (28:11)—led the Northern tribes to clothe, feed, and escort the captives home (28:14-15). Shibyah thus becomes a test of covenant fidelity even toward enemy brethren.

Compassionate Provisions for Captives

The Mosaic law tempers the harsh reality of shibyah with humane instruction. The captive woman of Deuteronomy 21:13 is granted a month to mourn and must never be treated as disposable property. The regulation affirms the imago Dei in the most vulnerable and points forward to the gospel ethic, where “there is neither slave nor free” (Galatians 3:28).

National Exile and Covenant Discipline

Solomon foresaw an era when shibyah would befall the whole nation: “When they come to their senses in the land where they were taken captive… and pray toward this place” (2 Chronicles 6:37-38). The Babylonian exile validated that prayer. Shibyah shifted from the fate of individuals to the collective punishment and eventual purification of Israel. The language of captivity becomes covenant language: sin births exile; repentance births restoration.

Prophetic Lament and Warning to the Nations

Jeremiah’s oracle against Moab ends with the grim words, “Your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity” (Jeremiah 48:46). Shibyah is the last word on a nation that trusted Chemosh rather than the LORD. Similarly, Nehemiah, rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls under threat, pleads, “Give them as plunder in a land of captivity” (Nehemiah 4:4), asking God to reverse the tactic of the enemy. In both cases captivity operates as a theological cipher: the LORD alone determines who is free and who is bound.

Foreshadowing Spiritual Captivity and Redemption

While shibyah is historical, its theological trajectory leads to the gospel. Physical captivity mirrors humanity’s slavery to sin (John 8:34; Romans 6:16). The prophetic promise that the Servant will “proclaim liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1) finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who declared, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Thus every Old Testament shibyah passage hints at the ultimate emancipation wrought at the cross and empty tomb.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Intercession: Solomon’s template urges believers to pray specifically for those in physical or spiritual captivity, confident that repentance moves the heart of God.
• Compassionate Justice: The Chronicles narrative shows that power over captives must be exercised with mercy—feeding, clothing, and restoring dignity—principles that animate prison ministry and refugee care today.
• Spiritual Vigilance: Just as shibyah came upon Israel for covenant unfaithfulness, the church must heed the warning against complacency, lest sin reenslave believers who were “called to freedom” (Galatians 5:13).

Shibyah, therefore, is more than a historical footnote. It is a recurring thread that binds together God’s holiness, human responsibility, and the redemptive hope that culminates in Jesus Christ, who alone can say, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

בַּשִּׁבְיָ֔ה בַּשִּׁבְיָֽה׃ בַשִּׁבְיָ֗ה בשביה בשביה׃ הַשִּׁבְיָ֔ה הַשִּׁבְיָה֙ השביה וְשִׁבְיָ֔ה ושביה שִׁבְיָ֖ם שִׁבְיָ֜הּ שִׁבְיָ֣ה שִׁבְיָֽה׃ שִׁבְיָם֙ שביה שביה׃ שבים baš·šiḇ·yāh ḇaš·šiḇ·yāh bashshivYah baššiḇyāh ḇaššiḇyāh haš·šiḇ·yāh hashshivYah haššiḇyāh shivYah shivYam šiḇ·yāh šiḇ·yām šiḇyāh šiḇyām vashshivYah veshivYah wə·šiḇ·yāh wəšiḇyāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts