tsava · host, army

What it means

tsava (צָבָא) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “host, army”.

A great ordered company, like an army. "All their host" is everything that fills the heavens and the earth: the stars and the created beings. From this word comes the title "YHWH of hosts" (YHWH Tsevaot).

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. An army.
2. War, going out to fight.
3. The host of heaven: stars and heavenly beings.
4. Literally "army": duty done by turns, or a hard life.
5. A name of God: the one who commands the armies of heaven and earth.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Army: a large, ordered company, above all people organized for war. BDB notes that by extension it also means a campaign, service or hardship.

• The army of the heavens: the stars and all that fills the heavens Genesis 2:1Deuteronomy 4:19
• An army of men Genesis 21:22Numbers 1:3
• The service of the Levites in the tent of meeting Numbers 4:3
• In the name “YHWH Tsevaot” 1 Samuel 1:3

Historical and cultural background

Deuteronomy 4:19 warns against worshiping “all the army of the heavens”, the sun, the moon and the stars.

How we translate it

“Tsevaot” 285 times, “army” 158, “armies” 30, “ranks” 8. In the title יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת this edition keeps the Hebrew form, “YHWH Tsevaot”, like the other names of God, with a note the first time (1 Samuel 1:3). For the service of the Levites it uses “the ranks” (Numbers 4:3), and elsewhere “army”, the form this edition's glossary fixes for this word.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• Tsevaot ×285
• army ×158
• armies ×30
• ranks ×8
• service ×3
• conflict ×1
• most beautiful ×1

Where it appears

• Genesis×4
• Exodus×5
• Numbers×77
• Deuteronomy×4
• Joshua×5
• Judges×4
• 1 Samuel×10
• 2 Samuel×15
• 1 Kings×14
• 2 Kings×10
• 1 Chronicles×26
• 2 Chronicles×12
• Nehemiah×2
• Job×3
• Psalms×23
• Isaiah×70
• Jeremiah×88
• Daniel×6
• Hosea×1
• Amos×9
• Micah×1
• Nahum×2
• Habakkuk×1
• Zephaniah×3
• Haggai×14
• Zechariah×53
• Malachi×24

• Genesis 2:1

  So the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their army.

• Genesis 21:22

  It happened at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “Elohim is with you in all that you do.

• Genesis 21:32

  So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines.

• Genesis 26:26

  Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol, the commander of his army.

• Exodus 6:26

  These are the Aaron and Moses to whom YHWH said, “Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt by their armies.”

• Exodus 7:4

  Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring out my armies, my people, the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments.

• Exodus 12:17

  You shall keep the festival of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought out your armies from the land of Egypt; and you shall keep this day throughout your generations as a statute forever.

• Exodus 12:41

  At the end of the four hundred and thirty years, on that very day, all the armies of YHWH went out from the land of Egypt.

• Exodus 12:51

  And on that very day YHWH brought out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt by their armies.

• Numbers 1:3

  From twenty years old and upward, everyone in Israel who goes out to the army, you shall count them by their armies, you and Aaron.

• Numbers 1:20

  The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:22

  Of the sons of Simeon, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, those of them counted, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:24

  Of the sons of Gad, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:26

  Of the sons of Judah, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:28

  Of the sons of Issachar, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:30

  Of the sons of Zebulun, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:32

  Of the sons of Joseph, of the sons of Ephraim, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:34

  Of the sons of Manasseh, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:36

  Of the sons of Benjamin, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:38

  Of the sons of Dan, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:40

  Of the sons of Asher, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:42

  The sons of Naphtali, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

• Numbers 1:45

  So all those counted of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, everyone in Israel who went out to the army,

• Numbers 1:52

  The sons of Israel shall camp, each man in his camp and each man by his banner, by their armies.

• Numbers 2:3

  Those who camp on the east side, toward the sunrise, shall be the banner of the camp of Judah by their armies; and the chief of the sons of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab,

• Numbers 2:4

  and his army, those of them counted, are seventy-four thousand six hundred.

• Numbers 2:6

  and his army, those of them counted, are fifty-four thousand four hundred.

• Numbers 2:8

  and his army, those of them counted, are fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

• Numbers 2:9

  All those counted of the camp of Judah are one hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred, by their armies. They shall set out first.

• Numbers 2:10

  The banner of the camp of Reuben shall be on the south side by their armies; and the chief of the sons of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur,

• Numbers 2:11

  and his army, those of them counted, are forty-six thousand five hundred.

• Numbers 2:13

  and his army, those of them counted, are fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

• Numbers 2:15

  and his army, those of them counted, are forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.

• Numbers 2:16

  All those counted of the camp of Reuben are one hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred fifty, by their armies. They shall set out second.

• Numbers 2:18

  The banner of the camp of Ephraim by their armies shall be on the west side; and the chief of the sons of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud,

• Numbers 2:19

  and his army, those of them counted, are forty thousand five hundred.

• Numbers 2:21

  and his army, those of them counted, are thirty-two thousand two hundred.

• Numbers 2:23

  and his army, those of them counted, are thirty-five thousand four hundred.

• Numbers 2:24

  All those counted of the camp of Ephraim are one hundred eight thousand one hundred, by their armies. They shall set out third.

• Numbers 2:25

  The banner of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies; and the chief of the sons of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai,

And 446 more times.