Biblica Analytica

סַבָּל

sab.bal (H5449)

burden

5 verses 3 books OT 5 / NT 0
AI Word Study

# The Hebrew Word סַבָּל (Sab.bal): Burden The Hebrew word סַבָּל carries the fundamental meaning of "burden"—something heavy or onerous that must be carried or endured. With only five occurrences in the biblical text, this term appears to function as a straightforward noun denoting both literal and figurative loads that weigh upon a person. The rarity of this word in the biblical corpus suggests it may have been one of several Hebrew terms available to express the concept of burden, though the lexicon data provided does not indicate which other words competed for this semantic space or why סַבָּל might have been selected in its specific contexts. The limited occurrence count prevents drawing detailed conclusions about its full range of application, though the basic definition encompasses the sense of something burdensome that requires bearing or sustenance. Given the word's infrequency, its significance lies primarily in its straightforward denotation rather than in specialized theological meaning or rhetorical prominence within Hebrew scripture. Readers encountering סַבָּל in the biblical text can understand it as designating a burden in the most literal sense—a weight or load—though the five specific contexts where it appears would be necessary to examine for fuller understanding of its exact applications.

AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.

1 Kings 5:15

Solomon had seventy thousand who bore burdens, and eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains;

2 Chronicles 2:2

Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand men who were stone cutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

2 Chronicles 2:18

He set seventy thousand of them to bear burdens, eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred overseers to assign the people their work.

2 Chronicles 34:13

Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and directed all who did the work in every kind of service. Of the Levites, there were scribes, officials, and gatekeepers.

Nehemiah 4:10

Judah said, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading, and there is much rubble; so that we are not able to build the wall.”