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שׁוּב

shuv · return, turn back

Hebrew word · Strong’s number H7725 · appears 1058 times in the Bible

What is the Strong number?Strong’s number identifies this word: use it to find the same word in other study tools.

What it means

shuv (שׁוּב) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “return, turn back”.

Turn back, return. Also turn away; in the causative form, bring back, give back, answer. Figuratively, turn back to God (change course). Often adverbial: "again".

How to say it

shuv

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. To go back to a place.
  2. To go back to YHWH, or move away from him.
  3. To do something one more time.
  4. To return something, restore.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Turn back, return. BDB: to turn back, not necessarily to the starting point; to retreat; and it often works as an adverb, “again”. In the causative form, “bring back”, give back, restore.

Historical and cultural background

Ezra 2:1 uses the verb for the exiles who “returned to Jerusalem” from Babylon.

How we translate it

“Return” 277 times, “returned” 141, “turn back” 70, “turn” 66, “turned back” 46, “bring back” 45, “again” 43. This edition keeps “return” also when the movement is back to YHWH (“you will return to YHWH your Elohim”, Deuteronomy 4:30), so the reader sees that it is the same word for going back to a place and going back to YHWH. In the fixed expression שׁוּב שְׁבוּת it writes “restore your captivity” (Deuteronomy 30:3).

How it is translated

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

  • return ×277
  • returned ×141
  • turn back ×70
  • turn ×66
  • turned back ×46
  • bring back ×45
  • again ×43
  • brought back ×38
  • back ×20
  • turned ×20
  • others ×292

Related words

Words that come from it

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

  • Genesis 3:19

    By the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for from it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you will return.”

  • Genesis 8:3

    And the waters receded from the earth, going and receding; and at the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters had decreased.

  • Genesis 8:7

    and he sent out the raven, and it went going out and returning until the waters had dried up from the earth.

  • Genesis 8:9

    But the dove did not find a resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were on the face of all the earth. And he reached out his hand and took her and brought her to himself into the ark.

  • Genesis 8:12

    And he waited yet another seven days, and sent out the dove, and she did not return to him again.

  • Genesis 14:7

    Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated the whole territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

  • Genesis 14:16

    He brought back all the possessions, and also Lot his brother and his possessions he brought back, and also the women and the people.

  • Genesis 14:17

    After he returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the Valley of the King).

  • Genesis 15:16

    And in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

  • Genesis 16:9

    The angel of YHWH said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”

  • Genesis 18:10

    Then he said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and look, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, and it was behind him.

  • Genesis 18:14

    Is anything too hard for YHWH? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

  • Genesis 18:33

    YHWH went his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

  • Genesis 20:7

    Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will surely die, you and all who are yours.”

  • Genesis 20:14

    Then Abimelech took sheep and cattle, and male slaves and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and he returned to him Sarah his wife.

  • 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 22:5

    Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go over there; we will bow down and come back to you.”

  • Genesis 22:19

    Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived in Beersheba.

  • Genesis 24:5

    The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to come after me to this land. Must I then take back your son to the land from which you came?”

  • Genesis 24:6

    Abraham said to him, “Take care that you do not take back my son there.

  • Genesis 24:8

    But if the woman is not willing to come after you, you will be free from this oath of mine; only do not take back my son there.”

  • Genesis 26:18

    Isaac again dug the wells of water that they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped up after the death of Abraham; and he called them by names like the names by which his father had called them.

  • Genesis 27:44

    and stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away,

  • Genesis 27:45

    until your brother’s anger turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”

  • Genesis 28:15

    Look, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not abandon you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

  • Genesis 28:21

    and I return in peace to the house of my father, then YHWH will be my Elohim,

  • Genesis 29:3

    When all the flocks were gathered there, they would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put back the stone on the mouth of the well in its place.

  • Genesis 30:31

    He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do for me this thing, I will again pasture your flock and keep it.

  • Genesis 31:3

    Then YHWH said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

  • Genesis 31:13

    I am El of Bethel, where you anointed a standing stone, where you made to me a vow. Now get up, leave this land and return to the land of your kindred.’”

  • Genesis 31:55

    Laban rose early in the morning, kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban went and returned to his place.

  • Genesis 32:6

    The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother, to Esau, and he is also coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”

  • Genesis 32:9

    And Jacob said, “Elohim of my father Abraham and Elohim of my father Isaac, YHWH, who said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you,’

  • Genesis 33:16

    So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

  • Genesis 37:14

    He said to him, “Go, please, see the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

  • Genesis 37:22

    Reuben said to them, “Do not shed blood; throw him into this cistern that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him,” so that he might deliver him from their hands to bring him back to his father.

  • Genesis 37:29

    Reuben returned to the cistern, and look, Joseph was not in the cistern; and he tore his clothes.

  • Genesis 37:30

    He returned to his brothers and said, “The child is gone! And I, where am I to go?”

  • Genesis 38:22

    He returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no sacred prostitute here.’”

  • Genesis 38:29

    But as he drew back his hand, look, his brother came out; and she said, “What a breach you have broken for yourself!” So he called his name Perez.

And 1018 more times.