English · KJV
H7726

שׁוֹבָב

shôwbâb /sho-bawb'/ Ask about this word
Rootfrom שׁוּב
Meaningapostate, i.e. idolatrous
KJV usagebacksliding, frowardly, turn away (from margin).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of shôwbâb — 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 shôwbâb, represented by H7726, is a term for the apostate or backsliding. Derived from the root word for "to turn back" H7725, it describes a state of rebellion and turning away from God. It appears 4 times across 4 unique verses, primarily in the prophetic books to characterize Israel's unfaithfulness.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H7726 is used to describe the spiritual condition of God's people. In Jeremiah, the Lord addresses Israel as "backsliding children," pleading with them to return to their covenant relationship with Him (Jeremiah 3:14, Jeremiah 3:22). Isaiah uses the term to describe a person who, because of covetousness, "went on frowardly in the way of his heart," provoking God's wrath Isaiah 57:17. It is also used in a phrase with its root to describe how Israel's shepherds caused the people to go astray and turned them away on the mountains Jeremiah 50:6.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words expand upon the concept of turning away from God:

  • H7725 shûwb (to turn back): This is the root from which H7726 is derived. It is often used in direct contrast, as God calls the backsliding H7726 people to return H7725 to Him (Jeremiah 3:14, Jeremiah 3:22).
  • H4878 mᵉshûwbâh (apostasy, backsliding): This noun form describes the state or act of turning away. It is used alongside H7726 when God promises to heal the "backslidings" of his "backsliding children" Jeremiah 3:22.
  • H1121 bên (a son): This word for "son" or "children" is frequently paired with H7726, framing apostasy as a familial betrayal, like a child turning from their father (Jeremiah 3:14, Jeremiah 3:22).
  • H8582 tâʻâh (to go astray): This verb is linked to the actions that lead to the state of H7726. Unfaithful shepherds caused the people to go astray H8582 and turned them away Jeremiah 50:6.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H7726 is significant, highlighting the dynamics of sin and grace.

  • Relational Rebellion: By describing the people as "backsliding children" (Jeremiah 3:14, Jeremiah 3:22), the term emphasizes that sin is not merely breaking a law but violating a personal, covenant relationship with God as a Father.
  • Heart-Driven Apostasy: The state of being frowardly H7726 is explicitly linked to the inner condition of the "heart," driven by sins like covetousness, which in turn incurs divine wrath Isaiah 57:17.
  • The Divine Call to Return: The presence of shôwbâb is almost always accompanied by God's offer of restoration. The call to "Return, ye backsliding children" Jeremiah 3:22 demonstrates that God's desire is not to condemn but to heal the very backsliding He identifies.

Summary

In summary, H7726 is more than a simple descriptor of disobedience. It is a deeply relational term that captures the sorrowful state of turning away from a loving Father. It defines the core of Israel's apostasy as a stubborn, froward movement of the heart away from God. At the same time, its use in Scripture consistently sets the stage for God's persistent and gracious call for His people to return and be healed.

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 an adjective across 3 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.

  • שׁוֹבָבִים
  • שׁוֹבָב

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.

H7725 שׁוּב a primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily H4878 מְשׁוּבָה or מְשֻׁבָה; from שׁוּב; apostasy; backsliding, turning away. H1121 בֵּן from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, inclu H8582 תָּעָה a primitive root; to vacillate, i.e. reel or stray (literally or figuratively); also causative of both; (cause to) go as

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 4 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah (3 verses); never once in the other 37.

1
Isaiah
3
Jeremiah

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.