shava · take captive

What it means

shava (שָׁבָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “take captive”.

Carry off as prisoners in war.

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. To seize people in war and take them away.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To take captive: to take prisoners in a war or a raid and carry them off. The participle, ‘their captors’, are the victors. From this verb comes שְׁבִי, ‘captivity, captives’ (H7628).

• Taking captives in war Genesis 14:141 Samuel 30:22 Kings 5:2
• Solomon’s prayer for those carried captive 1 Kings 8:461 Kings 8:47
• Israel takes its brothers captive 2 Chronicles 28:82 Kings 6:22
• “You took captives” Psalms 68:18Judges 5:12
• “Our captors”: Babylon Psalms 137:3

Historical and cultural background

Solomon asks in his prayer that YHWH hear those who, carried captive for having sinned, return to him “in the land of their captors” (1 Kings 8:47). In 2 Chronicles 28 the prophet Oded has the captives Israel had taken from Judah sent back.

How we translate it

‘Take captive’ or ‘carry captive’ in its forms (“took captive” 7 times, “had taken captive”, “have been carried captive”), and “carried off” or “carried away” (5); the participle is “captors” (8): “the land of their captors” (1 Kings 8:47), “captors of their captors” (Isaiah 14:2). In Genesis 31:26 Laban accuses Jacob of carrying off his daughters “like captives of the sword”.

How it is translated

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

• captors ×8
• took captive ×7
• captives ×3
• carried off ×3
• carried away ×2
• carried them captive ×2
• carry them captive ×2
• had been taken captive ×2
• had taken captive ×2
• they have been carried captive ×2
• others ×14

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Genesis×3
• Exodus×1
• Numbers×3
• Deuteronomy×1
• Judges×1
• 1 Samuel×3
• 1 Kings×6
• 2 Kings×2
• 1 Chronicles×1
• 2 Chronicles×12
• Psalms×3
• Isaiah×3
• Jeremiah×6
• Ezekiel×1
• Obadiah×1

• Genesis 14:14

  When Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive, he called out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan.

• Genesis 31:26

  Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives of the sword.

• Genesis 34:29

  All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives they took captive and plundered, and all that was in the house.

• Exodus 22:10

  When a man gives his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a lamb or any animal to keep, and it dies or is injured or is carried off, with no one seeing,

• Numbers 21:1

  When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive.

• Numbers 24:22

  nevertheless, Cain shall be for burning. How long until Asshur takes you captive?”

• Numbers 31:9

  The sons of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and all their animals and all their livestock and all their wealth they looted.

• Deuteronomy 21:10

  When you go out to war against your enemies, and YHWH your Elohim gives them into your hand, and you take captives from them,

• Judges 5:12

  Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, son of Abinoam.

• 1 Samuel 30:2

  They had taken captive the women who were in it, from small to great; they had not put to death anyone, but carried them off and went on their way.

• 1 Samuel 30:3

  David and his men came to the town, and look, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive.

• 1 Samuel 30:5

  David’s two wives had also been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.

• 1 Kings 8:46

  When they sin against you — for there is no human being who does not sin — and you are angry with them and give them over before the enemy, and their captors carry them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near;

• 1 Kings 8:47

  and they bring it back to their heart in the land where they have been carried captive, and they return and make supplication to you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned, and we have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’;

• 1 Kings 8:48

  and they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who carried them captive, and they pray to you toward their land that you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name,

• 1 Kings 8:50

  and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have transgressed against you; and grant them mercy before their captors, that they may have mercy on them;

• 2 Kings 5:2

  Aram had gone out in raiding bands and had taken captive from the land of Israel a young girl, and she was before Naaman’s wife.

• 2 Kings 6:22

  He said, “You shall not strike them. Would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, and let them eat and drink and go to their master.”

• 1 Chronicles 5:21

  And they took captive their livestock: their camels, fifty thousand; and sheep, two hundred and fifty thousand; and donkeys, two thousand; and human persons, a hundred thousand.

• 2 Chronicles 6:36

  When they sin against you —for there is no human being who does not sin— and you are angry with them and give them over before an enemy, and their captors carry them captive to a land far or near,

• 2 Chronicles 6:37

  and they bring it back to their heart in the land where they have been carried captive, and they return and make supplication to you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, and we have acted wickedly,’

• 2 Chronicles 6:38

  and they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they carried them captive, and they pray toward their land that you gave to their fathers, and the city that you have chosen, and toward the house that I have built for your name,

• 2 Chronicles 14:15

  And also the tents of the herds they struck, and carried off sheep and goats in abundance and camels; and they returned to Jerusalem.

• 2 Chronicles 21:17

  They came up against Judah, broke into it, and carried away captive all the goods that were found in the house of the king, and also his sons and his wives; and there was not left to him a son except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

• 2 Chronicles 25:12

  The sons of Judah also took captive ten thousand alive, and brought them to the top of the rock and threw them down from the top of the rock, and all of them were dashed to pieces.

• 2 Chronicles 28:5

  YHWH his Elohim gave him into the hand of the king of Aram, and they struck him and took captive from him a great number of captives and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great blow.

• 2 Chronicles 28:8

  The sons of Israel took captive from their brothers two hundred thousand, women, sons and daughters; and they also plundered much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

• 2 Chronicles 28:11

  Now listen to me and send back the captives whom you have taken captive from your brothers, for the burning anger of YHWH is upon you.”

• 2 Chronicles 28:17

  Again the Edomites had come and struck Judah and carried away captives.

• 2 Chronicles 30:9

  For when you return to YHWH, your brothers and your sons will find mercy before their captors and return to this land; for YHWH your Elohim is gracious and merciful, and he will not turn away his face from you if you return to him.”

• Psalms 68:18

  You went up on high; you took captives; you took gifts among human beings, and even the rebellious, for Yah Elohim to dwell there.

• Psalms 106:46

  And he granted them compassion before all who took them captive.

• Psalms 137:3

  For there our captors asked us for words of song, and those who tormented us for joy: “Sing for us one of the songs of Zion.”

• Isaiah 14:2

  And peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance on the ground of YHWH as male slaves and female slaves; and they will be captors of their captors and will rule over their oppressors.

• Isaiah 61:1

  The spirit of Adonai YHWH is upon me, because YHWH has anointed me to bring good news to the humble; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to the prisoners opening of the prison,

• Jeremiah 13:17

  But if you do not hear it, in secret places my soul will weep because of pride, and will weep bitterly, and my eye will run down with tears, for the flock of YHWH has been taken captive.

• Jeremiah 41:10

  Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people who were at Mizpah, the daughters of the king and all the people who were left at Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard had entrusted to Gedaliah son of Ahikam; Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and went to cross over to the sons of Ammon.

• Jeremiah 41:14

  So all the people whom Ishmael had carried captive from Mizpah turned around and came back and went to Johanan son of Kareah.

• Jeremiah 43:12

  And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them captive; and he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as the shepherd wraps himself with his garment; and he will go out from there in peace.

• Jeremiah 50:33

  Thus says YHWH Tsevaot: Oppressed are the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah together; and all who took them captive have held them fast; they have refused to let them go.

And 7 more times.