7579. shaab
Lexical Summary
shaab: To draw (water), to scoop

Original Word: שָׁאַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: sha'ab
Pronunciation: shah-AB
Phonetic Spelling: (sahw-ab')
KJV: (woman to) draw(-er, water)
NASB: draw, drew, drawers, draw water, draws
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to bale up water

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
to bale up water

A primitive root; to bale up water -- (woman to) draw(-er, water).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to draw (water)
NASB Translation
draw (9), draw water (1), drawers (3), draws (1), drew (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[שָׁאַב] verb draw (water) (Late Hebrew id., also attract; Aramaic שְׁאֵיב, of magnet; Arabic be satisfied with drinking); —

Qal Perfect2masculine plural consecutive וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם Isaiah 12:3; Imperfect3feminine singular וַּתִּשְׁאַב Genesis 24:20, אָ֑ב- Genesis 24:45; 1singular אֶשְׁאָ֑ב Genesis 24:19; Genesis 24:44; 3masculine plural יִשְׁאֲבוּן Ruth 2:9, וַיִּשְׁאֲבוּ 1 Samuel 7:6 2t.; Imperative feminine singular שֹׁאֲבִי Nahum 3:14; Participle masculine singular שֹׁאֵב Deuteronomy 29:10, plural construct שֹׁאֲבֵי Joshua 9:21,23,27; feminine plural הַשֹּׁאֲבֹת Genesis 24:11; — draw water, with accusative מַיִם Genesis 24:13 (J), 1 Samuel 7:6; 1 Samuel 9:11, + מִן of source 2 Samuel 23:16 = 1 Chronicles 11:18; Isaiah 12:3 (figurative); לָךְ׳מֵי מָצוֺר שׁ Nahum 3:14; מַיִם omitted Genesis 24:20,43,45 and (+ ל of animals) Genesis 24:19; Genesis 24:20; Genesis 24:44 (all J); with accusative אֲשֶׁר Ruth 2:9 drink of that which the young men drew; Participle feminine plural Genesis 24:11 the water-drawing women; masculine שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ Deuteronomy 29:10 (servile labour, "" חֹטֵב עֵצֶיּךָ), so masculine plural Joshua 9:21,23,27 (P; all with ל, and all "" חֹטְבֵי עֵצִים).

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Conceptual Scope

The verb שָׁאַב (shaʾav) depicts the purposeful act of drawing, scooping, or lifting water from a well, spring, cistern, or river. While a routine chore in the ancient Near East, Scripture employs the action in ways that reveal covenant kindness, communal obligation, courageous devotion, and prophetic promise.

Physical Act and Daily Necessity

Drawing water shaped the cadence of village life. It typically fell to women, servants, and low‐ranking laborers who came at morning or evening when temperatures were cooler (Genesis 24:11; Genesis 24:13). Wells and springs thus became social hubs, places where strangers could be greeted, information exchanged, and divine appointments unfold.

Hospitality and Covenant Formation (Genesis 24)

Eight of the nineteen occurrences cluster in the courtship narrative of Isaac and Rebekah. Abraham’s servant sets a test of hospitality:

“Let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master” (Genesis 24:14).

Rebekah’s eagerness to “draw” (shaʾav) water for both man and camels (Genesis 24:19–20) signals covenant faithfulness and becomes the decisive sign of God’s guidance. The text elevates an ordinary task into a medium of divine blessing and family continuity.

Community Life and Servitude (Deuteronomy 29; Joshua 9)

In Moses’ renewal of the covenant, the phrase “your woodcutters and water drawers” (Deuteronomy 29:11) denotes social strata down to the most menial roles; all stand equally bound to Yahweh’s words.

The Gibeonites, spared but made “woodcutters and water drawers for the congregation” (Joshua 9:21, 23, 27), illustrate how the role could mark perpetual servitude. Yet their inclusion at the altar also hints at mercy extended to foreigners under Israel’s covenant framework.

Provision for the Vulnerable (Ruth 2:9)

Boaz instructs Ruth, “When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.” Although the verb is passive here, the context portrays drawing water as a gesture of protection toward the marginalized, prefiguring the kinsman‐redeemer’s grace.

Worship and Repentance (1 Samuel 7:6)

At Mizpah Israel “drew water and poured it out before the LORD.” While the action may imply symbolic cleansing or lament, it surely reflects wholehearted repentance. Ordinary water, once lifted from the earth, becomes an offering signifying contrition.

Heroic Devotion (2 Samuel 23:16; 1 Chronicles 11:18)

Three mighty men “broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem” and brought it to David. Their daring effort to perform this simple act under fire transforms shaʾav into a picture of sacrificial loyalty. David’s refusal to drink and his libation to the LORD underscore the sacred value assigned to such devotion.

Prophetic Imagery (Isaiah 12:3; Nahum 3:14)

Isaiah foretells, “With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3), converting a commonplace chore into an emblem of eschatological rejoicing. Conversely, Nahum urges Nineveh to “draw water for the siege” (Nahum 3:14), turning the same verb into a warning of impending judgment. The juxtaposition reveals how the mundane can signify either deliverance or doom depending on one’s covenant standing.

Theological Reflections

1. Divine Sovereignty in the Ordinary: God often guides and confirms His purposes through everyday actions such as drawing water.
2. Servanthood as Honor: Though menial, the task becomes a platform for covenant inclusion, heroic loyalty, and prophetic hope.
3. Living Water Motif: Isaiah 12:3 lays groundwork for later New Testament themes where Jesus offers “living water,” tying the physical act of drawing to spiritual renewal.

Ministry Applications

• Encourage believers to see routine service—setting up chairs, preparing meals, cleaning facilities—as arenas for God’s providence and testimony.
• Use Genesis 24 to teach youth about discerning God’s leading through character‐revealing acts of kindness.
• In outreach, highlight how even those relegated to “water‐drawing” tasks are welcomed into covenant privilege (Joshua 9; Deuteronomy 29).
• Preach Isaiah 12:3 as an invitation to joyful participation in salvation, contrasting it with the desperate water‐drawing of Nahum 3:14 to urge repentance today.

Forms and Transliterations
אֶשְׁאָ֑ב אֶשְׁאָ֔ב אשאב הַשֹּׁאֲבֹֽת׃ השאבת׃ וְשֹֽׁאֲבֵי־ וְשֹׁ֥אֲבֵי וַיִּֽשְׁאֲבוּ־ וַתִּשְׁאַ֖ב וַתִּשְׁאָ֑ב וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם־ וישאבו־ ושאבי ושאבי־ ושאבתם־ ותשאב יִשְׁאֲב֖וּן ישאבון לִשְׁאֹ֑ב לִשְׁאֹ֔ב לִשְׁאֹ֣ב לִשְׁאֹ֥ב לשאב שַֽׁאֲבִי־ שֹׁאֵ֥ב שאב שאבי־ ’eš’āḇ ’eš·’āḇ eshAv haš·šō·’ă·ḇōṯ hashshoaVot haššō’ăḇōṯ liš’ōḇ liš·’ōḇ lishO ša’ăḇî- ša·’ă·ḇî- shaavi shoEv šō’êḇ šō·’êḇ ū·šə·’aḇ·tem- ūšə’aḇtem- usheavtem vaiyishavu vattishAv veshoavei wat·tiš·’aḇ wat·tiš·’āḇ wattiš’aḇ wattiš’āḇ way·yiš·’ă·ḇū- wayyiš’ăḇū- wə·šō·’ă·ḇê wə·šō·’ă·ḇê- wəšō’ăḇê wəšō’ăḇê- yiš’ăḇūn yiš·’ă·ḇūn yishaVun
Links
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 24:11
HEB: לְעֵ֖ת צֵ֥את הַשֹּׁאֲבֹֽת׃
NAS: when women go out to draw water.
KJV: that women go out to draw [water].
INT: the time go to draw

Genesis 24:13
HEB: הָעִ֔יר יֹצְאֹ֖ת לִשְׁאֹ֥ב מָֽיִם׃
NAS: are coming out to draw water;
KJV: of the city come out to draw water:
INT: of the city are coming to draw water

Genesis 24:19
HEB: גַּ֤ם לִגְמַלֶּ֙יךָ֙ אֶשְׁאָ֔ב עַ֥ד אִם־
NAS: she said, I will draw also
KJV: she said, I will draw [water] for thy camels
INT: also your camels will draw against lo

Genesis 24:20
HEB: אֶֽל־ הַבְּאֵ֖ר לִשְׁאֹ֑ב וַתִּשְׁאַ֖ב לְכָל־
NAS: to the well to draw, and she drew
KJV: again unto the well to draw [water], and drew
INT: to the well to draw drew for all

Genesis 24:20
HEB: הַבְּאֵ֖ר לִשְׁאֹ֑ב וַתִּשְׁאַ֖ב לְכָל־ גְּמַלָּֽיו׃
NAS: to draw, and she drew for all
KJV: to draw [water], and drew for all his camels.
INT: the well to draw drew for all his camels

Genesis 24:43
HEB: הָֽעַלְמָה֙ הַיֹּצֵ֣את לִשְׁאֹ֔ב וְאָמַרְתִּ֣י אֵלֶ֔יהָ
NAS: who comes out to draw, and to whom I say,
KJV: cometh forth to draw [water], and I say
INT: the maiden comes to draw say about

Genesis 24:44
HEB: וְגַ֥ם לִגְמַלֶּ֖יךָ אֶשְׁאָ֑ב הִ֣וא הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה
NAS: to me, You drink, and I will draw for your camels
KJV: to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels:
INT: also your camels will draw he her be the woman

Genesis 24:45
HEB: וַתֵּ֥רֶד הָעַ֖יְנָה וַתִּשְׁאָ֑ב וָאֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יהָ
NAS: to the spring and drew, and I said
KJV: unto the well, and drew [water]: and I said
INT: and went the well and drew said unto

Deuteronomy 29:11
HEB: עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ׃
NAS: from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water,
KJV: of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
INT: wood who draws your water

Joshua 9:21
HEB: חֹטְבֵ֨י עֵצִ֤ים וְשֹֽׁאֲבֵי־ מַ֙יִם֙ לְכָל־
NAS: hewers of wood and drawers of water
KJV: of wood and drawers of water
INT: hewers of wood and drawers of water the whole

Joshua 9:23
HEB: וְחֹטְבֵ֥י עֵצִ֛ים וְשֹֽׁאֲבֵי־ מַ֖יִם לְבֵ֥ית
NAS: both hewers of wood and drawers of water
KJV: of wood and drawers of water
INT: hewers of wood and drawers of water the house

Joshua 9:27
HEB: חֹטְבֵ֥י עֵצִ֛ים וְשֹׁ֥אֲבֵי מַ֖יִם לָֽעֵדָ֑ה
NAS: hewers of wood and drawers of water
KJV: of wood and drawers of water
INT: hewers of wood and drawers of water the congregation

Ruth 2:9
HEB: וְשָׁתִ֕ית מֵאֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשְׁאֲב֖וּן הַנְּעָרִֽים׃
NAS: from what the servants draw.
KJV: of [that] which the young men have drawn.
INT: and drink what draw the servants

1 Samuel 7:6
HEB: וַיִּקָּבְצ֣וּ הַ֠מִּצְפָּתָה וַיִּֽשְׁאֲבוּ־ מַ֜יִם וַֽיִּשְׁפְּכ֣וּ ׀
NAS: to Mizpah, and drew water
KJV: to Mizpeh, and drew water,
INT: gathered to Mizpah and drew water and poured

1 Samuel 9:11
HEB: נְעָר֔וֹת יֹצְא֖וֹת לִשְׁאֹ֣ב מָ֑יִם וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ
NAS: going out to draw water
KJV: going out to draw water,
INT: young going to draw water and said

2 Samuel 23:16
HEB: בְּמַחֲנֵ֣ה פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים וַיִּֽשְׁאֲבוּ־ מַ֙יִם֙ מִבֹּ֤אר
NAS: of the Philistines, and drew water
KJV: of the Philistines, and drew water
INT: the camp of the Philistines and drew water the well

1 Chronicles 11:18
HEB: בְּמַחֲנֵ֣ה פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים וַיִּֽשְׁאֲבוּ־ מַ֙יִם֙ מִבּ֤וֹר
NAS: of the Philistines and drew water
KJV: of the Philistines, and drew water
INT: the camp of the Philistines and drew water the well

Isaiah 12:3
HEB: וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם־ מַ֖יִם בְּשָׂשׂ֑וֹן
NAS: Therefore you will joyously draw water
KJV: Therefore with joy shall ye draw water
INT: draw water will joyously

Nahum 3:14
HEB: מֵ֤י מָצוֹר֙ שַֽׁאֲבִי־ לָ֔ךְ חַזְּקִ֖י
NAS: Draw for yourself water for the siege!
KJV: Draw thee waters for the siege,
INT: water the siege Draw Strengthen your fortifications

19 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7579
19 Occurrences


’eš·’āḇ — 2 Occ.
haš·šō·’ă·ḇōṯ — 1 Occ.
liš·’ōḇ — 4 Occ.
ša·’ă·ḇî- — 1 Occ.
šō·’êḇ — 1 Occ.
ū·šə·’aḇ·tem- — 1 Occ.
way·yiš·’ă·ḇū- — 3 Occ.
wat·tiš·’aḇ — 2 Occ.
wə·šō·’ă·ḇê- — 3 Occ.
yiš·’ă·ḇūn — 1 Occ.

7578
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