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Hebrew noun (masculine) · H7628

שְׁבִי

shebisheb-ee'

captivity; captive

49 uses in the Hebrew text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key

Concordance spelling: shᵉbîy

Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's H7628is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.

  • 16 of 39
    Old Testament books
  • 40
    spellings
  • 2
    meanings

The definition in full

Strong's key (1890) · H7628

exiled; captured; as noun, exile (abstractly or concretely and collectively); by extension, booty

The King James renders it: captive(-ity), prisoners, [idiom] take away, that was taken.

James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.

Summary

shebi is rendered "captivity; captive". It stands 49 times in the Hebrew text, across sixteen books.

  • Ten of the uses stand in Jeremiah, more than in any other book.
  • The lexicon lists two meanings for it, beginning with "captivity".
  • Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.Exodus 12:29Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.
  • The Greek text spells it forty different ways.

The first use

Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.

Exodus 12:29הַשְּׁבִ֔י

The first use, in the order of the Old Testament's books.

Where the word stands

The word stands in sixteen of the 39 Old Testament books.

The other 23 Old Testament books never use the word.

What the word means

The word carries two meanings: captivity, and captive.

Each meaning, and the words it is translated by

The English STEP Bible gives each use, word by word, and how many times.
captivityStrong's entry ATagged aslisted under the tableWhereExodus 12:29Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt…
captiveStrong's entry BTagged aslisted under the tableWherein the ledger below

How the Greek text is glossed, word by word

  • in the captivity14
  • captive4
  • captivity their4
  • the captivity4
  • to the captivity3
  • captive of2
  • for the captivity2
  • from captivity of2
  • from the captivity2
  • a captive of1
  • and captive your1
  • by captivity1

and 9 more, 49 uses in all

The words built on the same word-part

Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.

שְׁבִיעִיshebiiseventhUses98
שְׁבוּתshebuthcaptivityUses32
שְׁבוּעָהshebuahoathUses30
שְׁבַחshebachto praiseUses5
שְׁבַקshebaqto be leftUses5
שְׁבוּshebuagateUses2
שְׁבַטshebattribeUses1
שְׁבָטShebatShebatUses1
שְׁבַשׁshebashbe perplexedUses1
שְׁבָאִיShebaiSabeanUses1

All 49, in canonical order

Every use, in order

Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.

40 spellings and their grammar

STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.

How it is spelled

  • בַּשְּׁבִ֥י3
  • שֶֽׁבִי׃3
  • בַּשְּׁבִ֖י2
  • בַּשְּׁבִ֣י2
  • הַשְּׁבִ֔י2
  • מִשְּׁבִ֣י2
  • שִׁבְיָ֑ם2
  • בִּשְׁבִ֥י1
  • בַשְּׁבִ֖י1
  • בַשְּׁבִי֙1
  • בַשֶּׁ֔בִי1
  • בַּשְּׁבִ֧י1

and 28 more spellings in the ledger below.

The grammar of each form

  • preposition with the article + noun · masculine singular20HRd/Ncmsa
  • the definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singular6HTd/Ncmsa
  • noun · masculine singular5HNcmsa
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)4HNcmsc
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine plural4HNcmsc/Sp3mp
  • preposition + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)2HR/Ncmsc
  • preposition + the definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singular2HR/Td/Ncmsa
  • conjunction (“and”) + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine plural1HC/Ncmsc/Sp2mp
  • noun · feminine singular1HNcfsa
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singular1HNcmsc/Sp2ms
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singular1HNcmsc/Sp3fs
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singular1HNcmsc/Sp3ms

Exodus

one use
  • Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.

    Exodus 12:29

    • הַשְּׁבִ֔יhashevithe definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singulartagged: the prisoner

Numbers

four uses
  • When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some prisoners.

    Numbers 21:1

    • שֶֽׁבִי׃shevinoun · masculine singulartagged: captive
  • They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

    Numbers 31:12

    • הַשְּׁבִ֧יhashevithe definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singulartagged: the captive
  • All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives.

    Numbers 31:19

    • וּשְׁבִיכֶֽם׃ushevikhemconjunction (“and”) + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine pluraltagged: and captive your
  • “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast.

    Numbers 31:26

    • הַשְּׁבִ֔יhashevithe definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singulartagged: the captivity

Deuteronomy

three uses
  • 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

    • שִׁבְיֽוֹ׃shivyonoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: captive his
  • and put aside the clothing of her captivity. After she has lived in your house a full month and mourned her father and mother, you may have relations with her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.

    Deuteronomy 21:13

    • שִׁבְיָ֜הּshivyahnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singulartagged: captivity her
  • You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will go into captivity.

    Deuteronomy 28:41

    • בַּשֶּֽׁבִי׃bashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity

Judges

one use
  • ‘Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, O Barak, and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’

    Judges 5:12

    • שֶׁבְיְךָ֖shevyekhanoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: captive your

2 Chronicles

four uses
  • and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’

    2 Chronicles 6:37

    • שִׁבְיָם֙shivyamnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: captivity their
  • and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name,

    2 Chronicles 6:38

    • שִׁבְיָ֖םshivyamnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: captivity their
  • The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away captives.

    2 Chronicles 28:17

    • שֶֽׁבִי׃shevinoun · masculine singulartagged: captive
  • For behold, this is why our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity.

    2 Chronicles 29:9

    • בַּשְּׁבִ֖יbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity

Ezra

four uses
  • Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,

    Ezra 2:1

    • מִשְּׁבִ֣יmishevipreposition + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: from captivity of
  • In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD.

    Ezra 3:8

    • מֵהַשְּׁבִ֣יmehashevipreposition + the definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singulartagged: from the captivity
  • Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

    Ezra 8:35

    • מֵֽהַשְּׁבִ֨יmehashevipreposition + the definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singulartagged: from the captivity
  • From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth and put to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation, as we are this day.

    Ezra 9:7

    • בַּשְּׁבִ֧יbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: by the captivity

Nehemiah

four uses
  • Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

    Nehemiah 1:2

    • הַשֶּׁ֖בִיhashevithe definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singulartagged: the captivity
  • And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

    Nehemiah 1:3

    • הַשְּׁבִי֙hashevithe definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singulartagged: the captivity
  • These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,

    Nehemiah 7:6

    • מִשְּׁבִ֣יmishevipreposition + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: from captivity of
  • The whole assembly who had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated like this. And there was great rejoicing.

    Nehemiah 8:17

    • הַשְּׁבִ֥י׀hashevithe definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singulartagged: the captivity

Psalms

two uses
  • You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.

    Psalms 68:18

    • שֶּׁ֗בִיshevinoun · masculine singulartagged: captive
  • He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.

    Psalms 78:61

    • לַשְּׁבִ֣יlashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: to the captivity

Isaiah

five uses
  • so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame.

    Isaiah 20:4

    • שְׁבִ֨יshevinoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: captive of
  • The gods cower; they crouch together, unable to relieve the burden; but they themselves go into captivity.

    Isaiah 46:2

    • בַּשְּׁבִ֥יbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity
  • Can the plunder be snatched from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?

    Isaiah 49:24

    • שְׁבִ֥יshevinoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: captive of
  • Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the plunder of the tyrant will be retrieved; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.

    Isaiah 49:25

    • שְׁבִ֤יshevinoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: a captive of
  • Shake off your dust! Rise up and sit on your throne, O Jerusalem. Remove the chains from your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.

    Isaiah 52:2

    • שְׁבִיָּ֖הsheviyahnoun · feminine singulartagged: O captive

Jeremiah

ten uses
  • If they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword; those destined for famine, to famine; and those destined for captivity, to captivity.’

    Jeremiah 15:2

    • לַשְּׁבִ֖יlashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: for the captivity
    • לַשֶּֽׁבִי׃lashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: to the captivity
  • And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon, and there you will die and be buried—you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied these lies.’”

    Jeremiah 20:6

    • בַּשֶּׁ֑בִיbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity
  • The wind will drive away all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. Then you will be ashamed and humiliated because of all your wickedness.

    Jeremiah 22:22

    • בַּשְּׁבִ֣יbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity
  • As for you, O Jacob My servant, do not be afraid, declares the LORD, and do not be dismayed, O Israel. For I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return to quiet and ease, with no one to make him afraid.

    Jeremiah 30:10

    • שִׁבְיָ֑םshivyamnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: captivity their
  • Nevertheless, all who devour you will be devoured, and all your adversaries—every one of them—will go off into exile. Those who plundered you will be plundered, and all who raided you will be raided.

    Jeremiah 30:16

    • בַּשְּׁבִ֣יbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity
  • He will come and strike down the land of Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword.

    Jeremiah 43:11

    • לַשְּׁבִי֙lashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: for the captivity
    • לַשֶּׁ֔בִיlashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: to the captivity
  • But you, O Jacob My servant, do not be afraid, and do not be dismayed, O Israel. For I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return to quiet and ease, with no one to make him afraid.

    Jeremiah 46:27

    • שִׁבְיָ֑םshivyamnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: captivity their
  • Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished; for your sons have been taken into exile and your daughters have gone into captivity.

    Jeremiah 48:46

    • בַּשֶּׁ֔בִיbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity

Lamentations

two uses
  • Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. For the LORD has brought her grief because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone away as captives before the enemy.

    Lamentations 1:5

    • שְׁבִ֖יshevinoun · masculine singulartagged: captivity
  • The LORD is righteous, for I have rebelled against His command. Listen, all you people; look upon my suffering. My young men and maidens have gone into captivity.

    Lamentations 1:18

    • בַשֶּֽׁבִי׃ סvashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity

Ezekiel

three uses
  • You are to say, ‘I am a sign to you.’ Just as it happened here, so will it be done to them; they will go into exile as captives.

    Ezekiel 12:11

    • בַשְּׁבִ֖יvashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity
  • The young men of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and those cities will go into captivity.

    Ezekiel 30:17

    • בַּשְּׁבִ֥יbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity
  • The day will be darkened in Tahpanhes when I break the yoke of Egypt and her proud strength comes to an end. A cloud will cover her, and her daughters will go into captivity.

    Ezekiel 30:18

    • בַּשְּׁבִ֥יbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity

Daniel

two uses
  • He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North,

    Daniel 11:8

    • בַּשְּׁבִ֖יbashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity
  • Those with insight will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by sword or flame, or be captured or plundered.

    Daniel 11:33

    • בִּשְׁבִ֥יbishvipreposition + noun · masculine singulartagged: by captivity

Amos

two uses
  • “I sent plagues among you like those of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camp, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.

    Amos 4:10

    • שְׁבִ֣יshevinoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: capture of
  • Though they are driven by their enemies into captivity, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix My eyes upon them for harm and not for good.”

    Amos 9:4

    • בַשְּׁבִי֙vashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity

Nahum

one use
  • Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains.

    Nahum 3:10

    • בַשֶּׁ֔בִיvashevipreposition with the article + noun · masculine singulartagged: in the captivity

Habakkuk

one use
  • All of them come bent on violence; their hordes advance like the east wind; they gather prisoners like sand.

    Habakkuk 1:9

    • שֶֽׁבִי׃shevinoun · masculine singulartagged: captive

The letters

Where it leads

How the numbers are counted

Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.

Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.

The words it stands beside are the nouns, verbs and adjectives immediately before or after it, counted in every verse where the word stands. The article, the conjunctions and the prepositions are left out, because they stand beside every word.

The family is read from the lexicon by the stem the two words share, with the accents off, and a person or a place named on the stem is left out.

Hebrew and Greek text, word tagging and grammar: STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org), Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0. Their grammar codes are written out in English here and shown as tagged beside each one.

Meaning and senses: STEP Bible TBESH gloss (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary key: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890, public domain). English verse text: Berean Standard Bible (public domain, 2023).

Revised 2026-09-05. Every cited work, the sources registry →