6678. Tsoba or Tsobah
Lexical Summary
Tsoba or Tsobah: Zobah

Original Word: צוֹבָא
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Tsowba'
Pronunciation: tso-BAH
Phonetic Spelling: (tso-baw')
KJV: Zoba, Zobah
NASB: Zobah
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to station]

1. a station
2. Zoba or Zobah, a region of Syria

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Zoba, Zobah

Or Tsowbah {tso-baw'}; or Tsobah {tso-baw'}; from an unused root meaning to station; a station; Zoba or Zobah, a region of Syria -- Zoba, Zobah.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
an Aramean (Syrian) kingdom
NASB Translation
Zobah (12).

Topical Lexicon
Geographical and Historical Setting

Zobah was an Aramean kingdom situated north of Israel, extending from the northern Beqaa Valley toward the Euphrates. Its fertile highlands, control of caravan routes, and access to Syrian trade centers made it a strategic power in the tenth and eleventh centuries B.C. Operating as a loose confederation of city-states, Zobah often pressed southward, threatening Israel’s northern frontier and the Trans-Jordan.

Biblical Survey of the Twelve Occurrences

1 Samuel 14:47 records Saul’s early clashes: “Saul fought against all their enemies on every side—against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed them.”
2 Samuel 8:3-8, 12; 1 Chronicles 18:3-8 detail David’s decisive victories over Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, yielding gold shields, vast bronze, chariot horses, and dominion “as he went to restore his control along the Euphrates River” (2 Samuel 8:3).
2 Samuel 8:5; 1 Chronicles 18:5 recount the Arameans of Damascus rushing to aid Zobah, only to lose twenty-two thousand soldiers. This defeat curbed Aramean expansion and opened the way for garrisons in Damascus.
2 Samuel 10:6-8; 1 Chronicles 19:6 show Zobah renting itself out as mercenaries to the Ammonites. The alliance fell before Joab’s forces, illustrating that Israel’s foes could not withstand covenant obedience.
2 Samuel 23:36 lists Igal son of Nathan of Zobah among David’s mighty men, marking individual assimilation into Israel’s ranks.
1 Kings 11:23 names Rezon son of Eliada, a fugitive from Hadadezer, whom the LORD later “raised up against Solomon,” reminding readers that compromise invites renewed foreign pressure.
1 Chronicles 18:9 records the diplomatic response of Tou king of Hamath, who, upon hearing of Zobah’s defeat, sent gifts and sought peace with David—an early picture of Gentile submission to the throne of Zion.

Key Rulers and Figures

• Hadadezer son of Rehob—aggressive monarch whose defeat signaled the zenith of Davidic power.
• Rezon son of Eliada—an exile who turned guerrilla leader and later ruled in Damascus, harassing Solomon.
• Igal son of Nathan—possibly an Israelite missionary presence or hostage-turned-hero, showing the kingdom’s drawing power.
• Tou (or Toi) king of Hamath—ally by pragmatism, highlighting how God’s victories open doors for peaceful relations.

Theological Themes

1. Sovereignty of God over Nations

The swift overthrow of Zobah underscores that “the LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing” (Psalm 33:10). Military might, strategic alliances, and geography bow to divine decree.
2. Covenant Faithfulness Rewarded

Saul’s partial obedience produced temporary relief; David’s wholehearted reliance produced lasting dominion. The contrast warns leaders that victory flows from covenant fidelity, not merely force of arms.
3. Foreshadowing of Universal Messianic Rule

David’s subjugation of Zobah prefigures the Messiah who “will rule from sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 72:8). Gentile tribute from Hamath anticipates the nations bringing glory to the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24).
4. Divine Discipline and Mercy

Rezon’s rise during Solomon’s later years (1 Kings 11:23-25) reveals the LORD using external adversaries to chastise covenant breach, yet still preserving the Davidic line.

Ministry Significance and Practical Applications

• Spiritual Warfare: Zobah typifies entrenched strongholds that loom large yet fall when God’s people act in faith. Leaders today should confront cultural and personal “Zobahs” with unwavering confidence in God’s promises.
• Missional Mindset: Igal’s inclusion among the mighty men models how former enemies can become valiant servants when brought under the authority of the true King. Evangelism turns adversaries into allies.
• Leadership Integrity: Saul’s mixed results and Solomon’s later troubles warn that compromise erodes spiritual authority, giving old enemies new openings. Persistent obedience secures generational blessing.
• Prayer for the Nations: The narrative calls believers to intercede for modern “Zobahs”—regions resistant to the gospel—trusting that the risen Son of David will, in His timing, bring every people under His gracious reign.

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 6678 marks Zobah as a recurring antagonist whose rise and fall illuminate God’s hand in history, the blessings of covenant loyalty, and the forward-looking hope of universal peace under the perfect King.

Forms and Transliterations
וּמִצּוֹבָ֔ה ומצובה מִצֹּבָ֔ה מצבה צוֹבָ֑ה צוֹבָ֖ה צוֹבָ֗א צוֹבָ֤א צוֹבָֽה׃ צוֹבָה֙ צובא צובה צובה׃ miṣ·ṣō·ḇāh miṣṣōḇāh mitztzoVah ṣō·w·ḇā ṣō·w·ḇāh ṣōwḇā ṣōwḇāh tzoVa tzoVah ū·miṣ·ṣō·w·ḇāh ūmiṣṣōwḇāh umitztzoVah
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Englishman's Concordance
1 Samuel 14:47
HEB: וּבֶאֱד֜וֹם וּבְמַלְכֵ֤י צוֹבָה֙ וּבַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וּבְכֹ֥ל
NAS: the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines;
KJV: and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines:
INT: Edom the kings of Zobah and the Philistines all

2 Samuel 8:3
HEB: רְחֹ֖ב מֶ֣לֶךְ צוֹבָ֑ה בְּלֶכְתּ֕וֹ לְהָשִׁ֥יב
NAS: king of Zobah, as he went
KJV: king of Zobah, as he went
INT: of Rehob king of Zobah went to restore

2 Samuel 8:5
HEB: לַהֲדַדְעֶ֖זֶר מֶ֣לֶךְ צוֹבָ֑ה וַיַּ֤ךְ דָּוִד֙
NAS: Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David killed
KJV: Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew
INT: Hadadezer king of Zobah slew David

2 Samuel 8:12
HEB: רְחֹ֖ב מֶ֥לֶךְ צוֹבָֽה׃
NAS: of Rehob, king of Zobah.
KJV: of Rehob, king of Zobah.
INT: of Rehob king of Zobah

2 Samuel 10:6
HEB: וְאֶת־ אֲרַ֣ם צוֹבָ֗א עֶשְׂרִ֥ים אֶ֙לֶף֙
NAS: and the Arameans of Zobah, 20000
KJV: and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty
INT: of Bethrehob and the Syrians of Zoba twenty thousand

2 Samuel 10:8
HEB: הַשָּׁ֑עַר וַאֲרַ֨ם צוֹבָ֤א וּרְחוֹב֙ וְאִֽישׁ־
NAS: while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob
KJV: and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob,
INT: of the city the Arameans of Zobah Rehob he

2 Samuel 23:36
HEB: בֶּן־ נָתָן֙ מִצֹּבָ֔ה ס בָּנִ֖י
NAS: of Nathan of Zobah, Bani
KJV: of Nathan of Zobah, Bani
INT: the son of Nathan of Zobah Bani the Gadite

1 Kings 11:23
HEB: הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־ צוֹבָ֖ה אֲדֹנָֽיו׃
NAS: Hadadezer king of Zobah.
KJV: Hadadezer king of Zobah:
INT: Hadadezer king of Zobah his lord

1 Chronicles 18:3
HEB: הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־ צוֹבָ֖ה חֲמָ֑תָה בְּלֶכְתּ֕וֹ
NAS: king of Zobah [as far as] Hamath,
KJV: king of Zobah unto Hamath,
INT: Hadadezer king of Zobah Hamath went

1 Chronicles 18:5
HEB: לַהֲדַדְעֶ֖זֶר מֶ֣לֶךְ צוֹבָ֑ה וַיַּ֤ךְ דָּוִיד֙
NAS: Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed
KJV: Hadarezer king of Zobah, David slew
INT: Hadadezer king of Zobah slew David

1 Chronicles 18:9
HEB: הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־ צוֹבָֽה׃
NAS: of Hadadezer king of Zobah,
KJV: of Hadarezer king of Zobah;
INT: of Hadadezer king of Zobah

1 Chronicles 19:6
HEB: אֲרַ֤ם מַעֲכָה֙ וּמִצּוֹבָ֔ה רֶ֖כֶב וּפָרָשִֽׁים׃
NAS: from Aram-maacah and from Zobah.
KJV: and out of Syriamaachah, and out of Zobah.
INT: Aram Maachah Zobah chariots and horsemen

12 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6678
12 Occurrences


miṣ·ṣō·ḇāh — 1 Occ.
ṣō·w·ḇā — 2 Occ.
ṣō·w·ḇāh — 8 Occ.
ū·miṣ·ṣō·w·ḇāh — 1 Occ.

6677
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