Original Word: שׁוֹבָל
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Showbal
Pronunciation: SHO-bal
Phonetic Spelling: (sho-bawl')
KJV: Shobal
NASB: Shobal
Word Origin: [from the same as H7640 (שׁוֹבֶל - skirt)]

1. overflowing
2. Shobal, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites

Shobal

From the same as shebel; overflowing; Shobal, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites -- Shobal.

see HEBREW shebel

Word Origin
from the same as shobel
Definition
"flowing," an Edomite, also two Isr.
NASB Translation
Shobal (9).

שׁוֺבָל proper name, masculine 1. Edomite name Genesis 36:20,23,29 = 1 Chronicles 1:38; 1 Chronicles 1:40.

2. a. in Caleb 1 Chronicles 2:50,52.

b. in Judah 1 Chronicles 4:1,2. — Σωβα(λ), Σουβαλ.

שַׁבְּלוּל see בלל.

שׁבן (√ of following; meaning dubious).

Summary of Biblical Appearances

Shobal is the personal name of two distinct patriarchal figures whose lines are traced nine times in Scripture. One branch belongs to the pre-Edomite Horites inhabiting Mount Seir (Genesis 36; 1 Chronicles 1). The other springs from the tribe of Judah through Caleb and Hur and becomes associated with Kiriath Jearim and the towns of the Shephelah (1 Chronicles 2; 1 Chronicles 4). Though never a central narrative character, Shobal’s houses help frame the territorial, political, and redemptive contours of Israel’s story.

Shobal among the Horites (Genesis 36; 1 Chronicles 1)

1. Genesis 36:20 lists him second after Lotan among “the sons of Seir the Horite.” These are indigenous, non-Israelite chiefs whose land Esau’s descendants eventually occupy.
2. Genesis 36:23 gives Shobal five sons, signaling that his clan was numerous enough to subdivide into further tribal heads: “The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam”.
3. Genesis 36:29 and the parallel 1 Chronicles 1:38–40 rank him as one of the dukes or chiefs of the Horites. The status term “chief” (Hebrew ʾallûph) implies recognized authority and an established settlement network in Seir before Israel’s arrival on the eastern side of the Jordan.

Historical Implications
• By preserving Horite genealogies, Moses demonstrates that the covenant people must respect boundaries established by earlier inhabitants (Deuteronomy 2:4–5).
• Shobal’s clan, later absorbed into Edomite rule, provides a snapshot of the complex ethnic mosaic through which Israel would pass during the Exodus and conquest periods.
• The Edomite linkage supplies an early biblical bridge to later prophetic oracles against Edom (Obadiah; Ezekiel 35), showing that the enmity between Jacob and Esau is rooted in real tribal structures, not abstract symbolism.

Shobal in the Tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2; 4)

1. 1 Chronicles 2:50 names him “the father of Kiriath Jearim,” placing him in the Calebite line.
2. 1 Chronicles 2:52 adds detail: “Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim had sons: Haroeh and half of the Manahathites”.
3. In Judah’s later clan list we read: “The descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal” (1 Chronicles 4:1).
4. 1 Chronicles 4:2 traces Shobal’s grandson line through Reaiah to “the clans of the Zorathites,” locating his posterity in the Shephelah’s north-south ridge overlooking the Valley of Sorek.

Geographic Significance
• Kiriath Jearim lay on the border of Judah and Benjamin, later hosting the ark of the covenant for nearly a century (1 Samuel 7:1–2). By calling Shobal its “father,” the Chronicler links this holy city to Judah’s faithful heritage.
• The Manahathites and Zorathites occupy valleys important for agriculture, trade, and military corridors from Philistia to the Judean hill country. Shobal’s line thus becomes part of Judah’s strategic western flank.

Theological and Redemptive Note

Shobal’s double appearance—one branch outside the covenant (Horite/Edomite), the other within (Judah)—highlights a recurring biblical motif: God separates peoples yet turns even peripheral genealogies toward His messianic agenda. The Chronicler’s placement of Shobal alongside Perez and Hezron situates him in the ancestry of David and, ultimately, of the Messiah (Matthew 1:3–6), underscoring that every recorded lineage fits within the larger tapestry of redemption.

Ministry Reflections

• Genealogies confirm Scripture’s historical reliability. Every Shobal reference is rooted in real geography and tribal organization, reminding modern readers that faith is grounded in verifiable events.
• God values lineage and family heritage while still calling individuals to covenant faithfulness. The Horite Shobal fades from redemptive history; the Judahite Shobal flourishes within God’s people.
• Local leaders matter. By naming Shobal “father” of key towns, the Bible affirms the importance of generational influence on communities. Contemporary ministry likewise thrives when believers plant deep, multi-generational roots in their locales.

Key References for Study

Genesis 36:20, 23, 29; 1 Chronicles 1:38, 40; 1 Chronicles 2:50, 52; 1 Chronicles 4:1–2

וְשׁוֹבָ֖ל וְשׁוֹבָֽל׃ ושובל ושובל׃ לְשׁוֹבָ֔ל לשובל שׁוֹבָ֔ל שׁוֹבָ֕ל שׁוֹבָל֙ שובל lə·šō·w·ḇāl leshoVal ləšōwḇāl shoVal šō·w·ḇāl šōwḇāl veshoVal wə·šō·w·ḇāl wəšōwḇālInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts