שָׁבַע shava

Hebrew word for “to swear” · Strong’s H7650 · used 186 times in 175 verses

Explore it in the Word Atlas

Meaning

1) to swear, adjure; 1a) (Qal) sworn (participle);

How it is translated

Glosses given for shava in context, with how often each is used:

• swore 55
• swore an oath 24
• swear 13
• had sworn 10
• will swear an oath 5
• have sworn an oath 5
• one who swears an oath 5
• will swear 4
• made swear 4
• made to swear an oath 4
• adjure 4
• has sworn 4

Where it is used

Also in 15 more books.

Chapters where it is used most

1 Kings 1 (5), Genesis 24 (4), Genesis 50 (4), Deuteronomy 6 (4), Deuteronomy 31 (4), Joshua 9 (4), Genesis 21 (3), Exodus 13 (3), Deuteronomy 1 (3), Deuteronomy 7 (3)

Forms

• נשׁבע 45
• נשׁבעתי 27
• וישׁבע 24
• נשׁבעת 8
• נשׁבעו 7
• השׁבעה 5
• וישׁבעו 5
• תשׁבע 4
• נשׁבענו 4
• הנשׁבע 4

Words used with it

Words that share verses with shava more often than their overall frequency would suggest:

• אָב av “father” 46
• אִם im “if” 36
• הֶם hem “them” 33
• שְׁבוּעָה shevuah “oath” 12
• אַבְרָהָם avraham “Abraham” 15
• זֶה zeh “this” 23
• יַעֲקֹב yaaqov “Jacob” 16
• נִי ni “me” 20
• יִצְחָק yitschaq “Isaac” 12
• זֹאת zot “this” 17
• ךָּ ka “you” 17
• חַי chay “alive” 14

Key verses

The verses using shava that are most connected by cross-references (King James Version):

• Genesis 24:3 — And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the…
• Genesis 26:3 — Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the…
• Genesis 50:24 — And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and…
• Numbers 30:2 — If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out…
• Judges 2:1 — And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your…
• Psalms 24:4 — He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
• Isaiah 48:1 — Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and…
• Jeremiah 4:2 — And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
• Jeremiah 5:7 — How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed…
• Jeremiah 7:9 — Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
• Zechariah 5:3 — Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side…
• Malachi 3:5 — And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and…

See all 175 verses in the Word Atlas

Hebrew and Greek text, tagging, glosses and lexicon definitions: STEPBible.org, Tyndale House Cambridge (TAHOT, TAGNT, TBESH, TBESG; CC BY 4.0), adapted. Counts follow King James verse numbering; a word counts each time it is written.