English · KJV
H5435

סֹבֶא

çôbeʼ /so'-beh/ Ask about this word
Rootfrom סָבָא
Meaningpotation, concretely (wine), or abstractly (carousal)
KJV usagedrink, drunken, wine.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of çôbeʼ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word çôbeʼ, represented by H5435, refers to drink or wine, and can describe the abstract concept of carousal or being drunken. It is derived from the root word H5433. This term appears 3 times across 3 unique verses, where it is used to signify both a literal substance and a state of being associated with moral and spiritual decline.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H5435 consistently appears in contexts of judgment and corruption. In Isaiah, it is used metaphorically to describe the degradation of Jerusalem, where the "thy wine mixed with water" symbolizes a loss of purity and value Isaiah 1:22. In Hosea, the "sour drink" of the people is directly linked to their spiritual unfaithfulness, as they have "committed whoredom continually" Hosea 4:18. Finally, Nahum uses the term to describe the wicked as "drunkards" who, in their drunken state, will be devoured and judged Nahum 1:10.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help illuminate the context of H5435:

  • H5433 çâbâʼ (to quaff to satiety, i.e. become tipsy): This is the primitive root from which H5435 is derived. It appears alongside it in Nahum 1:10, where the people are "drunken as drunkards," emphasizing a state of being completely filled with intoxicating drink.
  • H2181 zânâh (to commit adultery): This term is used figuratively for idolatry and is linked with H5435 in Hosea 4:18, where the people's sour drink accompanies their act of committing "whoredom continually" against God.
  • H157 ʼâhab (to have affection for, love): This word appears in Hosea 4:18, where the rulers' corrupted state is highlighted by their "love" for shame, tying their unfaithful actions and sour drink to a perverted affection.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H5435 is significant, consistently symbolizing negative spiritual conditions.

  • Symbol of Degradation: Just as silver becoming dross is a sign of impurity, so is wine mixed with water. It illustrates a fall from a state of purity and honor into one of worthless corruption Isaiah 1:22.
  • Indicator of Spiritual Adultery: The term is directly connected with idolatry. The "sour drink" in Hosea is a symptom of a heart that has turned away from God to commit spiritual "whoredom" Hosea 4:18.
  • A Precursor to Judgment: Being "drunken as drunkards" is not portrayed as a state of revelry, but as a condition of vulnerability and helplessness that precedes imminent destruction from God Nahum 1:10.

Summary

In summary, H5435 is not merely a word for wine or drink, but a powerful biblical symbol for moral decay, spiritual unfaithfulness, and impending judgment. Whether describing diluted wine, a soured drink, or the state of a drunkard, its presence in Scripture serves as a stark warning against the kind of corruption that invites divine consequence. It demonstrates how a physical substance can represent a profound spiritual reality.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun and a verb across 4 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • סָבְאָ
  • סֹבֵא

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H5433 סָבָא a primitive root; to quaff to satiety, i.e. become tipsy; drunkard, fill self, Sabean, (wine-) bibber. H2181 זָנָה a primitive root (highly-fed and therefore wanton); to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple H157 אָהַב or אָהֵב ; a primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise); (be-) love(-d, -ly, -r), like, friend.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 3 verses across 3 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Isaiah, Hosea, and Nahum (1 verse each); never once in the other 36.

1
Isaiah
1
Hosea
1
Nahum

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.