7658. shibanah

Lexical Summary

shibanah: Captivity, Exile

Original Word: שִׂבְעָנָה
Part of Speech: Noun
Transliteration: shib`anah
Pronunciation: shi-BAH-nah
Phonetic Spelling: (shib-aw-naw')
KJV: seven
NASB: seven
Word Origin: [prol. for the masculine of H7651 (שֶׁבַע שִׁבעָה - seven)]

1. seven

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

seven

Prol. For the masculine of sheba'; seven -- seven.

see HEBREW sheba'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from sheba
Definition
seven (a card. number)
NASB Translation
seven (1).

Topical Lexicon

Form and Occurrence

שִׂבְעָנָה appears a single time in the Hebrew canon, at Job 42:13, where it is rendered “seven” in the phrase “seven sons.” The unusual form intensifies the idea of completeness.

Context in Job 42:13

“And he had seven sons and three daughters.” (Job 42:13)

The verse stands at the climax of Job’s restoration narrative. After loss, illness, and testing, Job’s fortunes are reversed by the Lord (Job 42:10). The specific number of sons underscores the fulness of God’s recompense—nothing partial or tentative, but perfect and abundant.

Biblical Theology of Seven

1. Creation and Sabbath rest (Genesis 2:2–3) set a pattern of divine completeness.
2. Covenantal sealing: seven ewe-lambs (Genesis 21:28–30).
3. Liturgical cycles: seven-day festivals (Leviticus 23).
4. Prophetic symbolism: seven lamps (Zechariah 4:2), seven Spirits (Revelation 4:5).

Across the canon, the number gathers associations of perfection, wholeness, and the finished work of God. Job’s “seven sons” therefore become a theologically charged emblem of total restoration.

Seven Sons Motif

Other texts link “seven sons” with extraordinary blessing or, conversely, with devastating loss:
• Ruth 4:15 – Naomi is praised as though Ruth “is worth more… than seven sons,” highlighting covenant faithfulness.
• 1 Samuel 2:5 – Hannah sings that “she who was barren has borne seven children,” celebrating reversal by divine power.
• Jeremiah 15:9 – the fall of a woman who “has borne seven” laments the nation’s collapse.

Within this wider motif, Job’s seven sons proclaim that God has repaid the righteous sufferer beyond ordinary measure.

Historical and Cultural Insights

In the Ancient Near East, a large male progeny secured family continuity, economic strength, and social standing. After losing all ten of his first children (Job 1:18–19), Job is given an equal number, restoring honor and security in a way readily understood by his contemporaries. The three daughters, named and celebrated for their beauty and inheritance rights (Job 42:14–15), further magnify the blessing, yet the seven sons remain the numeric core of the passage.

Ministry Significance

1. Assurance of Divine Completion: Believers facing protracted trials may look to Job 42:13 as evidence that God’s purposes, though sometimes hidden, culminate in perfect completeness (Romans 8:28).
2. Restoration Beyond Loss: The “seven” signals that the Lord restores not merely what was taken but grants an overflowing measure (Joel 2:25–26; Ephesians 3:20).
3. Hope for Generational Blessing: As Job’s latter days surpassed his beginning (Job 42:12), so the gospel promises a heritage for the righteous that transcends present suffering (Isaiah 54:13; Acts 2:39).
4. Worship and Gratitude: The narrative invites worship grounded in the character of God, who brings creation, redemption, and personal accounts to consummate wholeness.

Cross-References

Genesis 2:2–3; Genesis 21:28–30

Leviticus 23:6–8

Ruth 4:15

1 Samuel 2:5

Jeremiah 15:9

Zechariah 4:2

Matthew 18:22

Revelation 1:12; Revelation 4:5

Forms and Transliterations

שִׁבְעָ֥נָה שבענה shivAnah šiḇ‘ānāh šiḇ·‘ā·nāh

Englishman's Concordance

Job 42:13
HEB: וַֽיְהִי־ ל֛וֹ שִׁבְעָ֥נָה בָנִ֖ים וְשָׁל֥וֹשׁ
NAS: He had seven sons and three
KJV: He had also seven sons and three
INT: had seven sons and three

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7658
1 Occurrence

šiḇ·‘ā·nāh — 1 Occ.