סָבִיב336 H5439
Round about, all around; as a substantive, the surrounding area or neighboring peoples.
One of Hebrew's most spatially vivid words, sabib paints a picture of complete encirclement — whether a border running 'all around' a field (Gen 23:17), a molding encircling the altar (Exod 25:11), or enemies encamped on every side (Ps 3:7). It functions flexibly as adverb, preposition, or substantive, and frequently takes pronominal suffixes: 'around him,' 'around them.' When used as a noun it designates the surrounding region or the neighboring peoples, as in Psalm 44:13 where Israel becomes a reproach 'to those around us.' The repeated sabib sabib ('round and round') in Ecclesiastes 1:6 captures the endless circuit of the wind.
1. around, all around (spatial) — Adverbial and prepositional 'around, all around, on every side' (319x) — the dominant spatial sense indicating encirclement or surrounding position. Appears with prepositions (min-sabib 'from around,' al-sabib 'upon the circuit of') and pronominal suffixes. Genesis 23:17 uses it for Abraham's field boundaries; Ezekiel's temple visions are saturated with this word for architectural measurements. French tout autour, German ringsum, and Spanish alrededor all confirm a single unified spatial concept across every occurrence. 319×
AR["حَوالَيها","حَوالَيهِ","حَولَها","حَولَهُ","حَوْلَ","حَوْلَهُ"]·ben["চারদিকে","চারপাশে"]·DE["alle-um","ringsum-waren","um"]·EN["all-around","around"]·FR["autour","tout-autour"]·heb["סביב"]·HI["चारों-ओर"]·ID["sekeliling"]·IT["intorno","tutto-intorno"]·jav["mubeng","mubeng,","mubeng.","sak-ubenging","sakubengan"]·KO["둘레를","둘레에","둥레에"]·PT["ao-redor","ao-redor-de"]·RU["вокруг"]·ES["alrededor","alrededor-de-"]·SW["kuzunguka","pande-zote"]·TR["etrafında","çevreleyen","çevresinde"]·urd["چاروں-طرف"]
Gen 23:17, Exod 16:13, Exod 19:12, Exod 25:11, Exod 25:24, Exod 25:25, Exod 25:25, Exod 27:17, Exod 28:32, Exod 28:33, Exod 28:33, Exod 28:34 (+38 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. surroundings, those around (substantive) — Substantival use (17x) where sabib functions as a noun meaning 'the surroundings, the environs, the neighboring peoples or places.' Often with the article or in construct: ha-sabib 'the circuit' (1 Chr 11:8), or with suffixed forms meaning 'those around him/them.' Psalm 76:11 calls on 'all who are around Him' (sebibayw) to bring gifts. Arabic hawl used substantivally for 'the vicinity' provides a semantic parallel. The shift from spatial adverb to substantive designating people or territory is a natural metonymic extension. 17×
AR["المُحِيط","الَّذِينَ-حَوْلَهُم","حَوْلَهُ","حَوْلَيْهِ","حَوْلِهِمُ","لِ-حَوْلِنا","لِمَنْ-حَوْلَنَا","مَا-حَوْلَنَا","مَا-حَوْلَهَا","مَا-حَوْلَهُ","مَنْ-حَوْلَنَا","مَنْ-حَوْلَهُ","وَفِي-حَوَالَيْ"]·ben["আমাদের-চারপাশে","আমাদের-চারপাশের-কাছে","আর-চারপাশে","চারপাশ","চারপাশে","চারপাশের","তাঁর-চারপাশে","তাদের-চারপাশের-লোকেরা","তার-চতুর্দিককে।","তার-চতুর্দিকের","তার-চারপাশে","তার-চারপাশের","প্রতি-চারপাশে-আমাদের"]·DE["der-ringsum","der-sind-um-ihn","rings-um-sie","ringsum","um-ihn","und-ringsum","unser-surroundings","zu-jene-um-uns"]·EN["and-in-surroundings-of","around-him","around-them","our-surroundings","round-about-him","surroundings-her","the-surrounding","those-around-us","to-those-around-us","who-are-around-Him"]·FR["alentour","autour","der-autour","et-alentour","notre-surroundings","ses-alentours","tout-autour","à-tout-autour"]·heb["ה-סביב","ו-ב-סביבי","ל-סביבותינ-ו","ל-סביבותינו","סביב","סביבותיה","סביבותיו","סביבותינו","סביבותם","סביביו","סביבתיהם-ם"]·HI["आस-पास-उसके-वालियों","आस-पास-के","आस-पास-वालों-उनके","आस-पास-वालों-के-लिए","आसपास-उनके","उसके-चारों-ओर","और-आसपास","को-आस-पास-उसके","चारों-ओर","ले-आसपासवालों-हमारे-के-लिए","सेवीवाव","हमारे-आसपास","हमारे-आसपासों","हमारे-चारों-ओर-वालों-के-लिए"]·ID["-di-sekelilingnya,","bagi-yang-sekeliling-kami","dan-di-sekitar","di-sekitarnya","keliling","orang-di-sekitar-mereka","orang-di-sekitarnya","orang-sekitarnya","sekeliling-Nya","sekeliling-kami","sekeliling-kita","sekelilingnya","sekitar-mereka","sekitarnya","yang-di-sekitar-Nya"]·IT["e-intorno","il-intorno","intorno","intorno-a-lei","nostro-surroundings"]·jav["kanggé-sakiwa-tengen-kawula-sedaya","kanggé-saubengipun-kita","lan-ing-sakiwa-tengening","lan-wonten-ing-sakiwa-tengening-","sakiwa-tengen-kawula","sakiwa-tengenipun","sakubeng","sakubeng-ipun","sakubengipun","sakèliling-piyambakipun-sedaya","sapunika-ngubengipun","tiyang-ingkang-ngubengi-Panjenenganipun","tiyang-ingkang-sakiwa-tengen-ipun"]·KO["그-둘레","그-의-주위-의","그-주변에","그-주위-의","그-주위를","그녀의-주변들의","그리고-에-주위","그리고-주변들에서","그의-주변에게","그의-주변의","둘레의-그들의","사방을-그의","우리-의-둘레들-에게","우리-의-주변들-을","우리-의-주위-의","우리-주변-에게","주변-그들"]·PT["ao-redor-dela","ao-redor-deles","ao-seu-redor","aos-que-nos-rodeiam","e-nos-arredores-de","nossos-arredores","o-derredor","os-nossos-vizinhos","os-que-estavam-ao-redor-deles","os-que-estão-ao-redor-dele","os-que-estão-ao-seu-redor","para-os-que-nos-rodeiam","redor-dela"]·RU["вокруг-Него","вокруг-нас","вокруг-него","вокруг-неё","вокруг-них","для-окружающих-нас","и-в-окрестностях","окрестностей-её","окружающие-его","окружающими-Его","окружающих-его","окружающих-их","окружающих-нас","окружности"]·ES["a-alrededores-de-nosotros","a-su-alrededor","alrededor-de-ella","alrededor-de-ellos","alrededor-de-él","alrededores-de-el","alrededores-de-ella","alrededores-de-nosotros","el-alrededor","para-los-que-nos-rodean","sus-alrededores","y-en-alrededores-de"]·SW["jirani","jirani-zake","jirani-zao","kwa-wanaotuzunguka","mnaomzunguka","na-pembezoni-mwa","walio-karibu-naye","wanaomzunguka","wanaotuzunguka","wanaowazunguka","yanayomzunguka","yanayotuzunguka","yote-yanayomzunguka"]·TR["cevresindekiler","etrafımızdakilere","kızları","ve-çevresinde","çevre","çevrelerindeki","çevremizdekilere","çevremizi","çevresinde-onun","çevresindekiler","çevresindekilerine","çevresindekilerini","çevresini"]·urd["ارد-گرد-اُس-کے","اطراف-کو-اُس-کے","اور-گرد-و-نواح-میں","اُس-کے-آس-پاس-کی","اُس-کے-چاروں-طرف","اُس-کے-گرد","اُس-کے-گردونواح","لِ-ہمارے-اردگرد","چاروں-طرف","چاروں-طرف-اُن-کے","گرد-ان-کے","گرد-و-نواح-اُس-کے-کو","ہمارے-ارد-گرد","ہمارے-اطراف-کے-لئے"]
3. sense 3 — A single occurrence in Ecclesiastes 1:6 describing the wind's circular course: it goes south, turns north, 'round and round goes the wind' (sabib sabib). The doubling intensifies the sense of perpetual, cyclical motion. Some translations render this as 'its circuits' (English) or 'sus giros' (Spanish, 'its turns'), treating it more as a nominal than a pure adverb. This philosophical-cosmological usage — capturing nature's endless repetition — is distinctive to Qoheleth's vocabulary. 1×
AR["دَوَرَانِهَا"]·ben["চক্রসমূহের-তার"]·DE["ringsum"]·EN["its-circuits"]·FR["autour-lui"]·heb["סביבותיו"]·HI["अपने-चक्करों-पर"]·ID["peredarannya"]·IT["intorno-suo"]·jav["pangubenganipun"]·KO["순환들-그의"]·PT["circuitos-seus"]·RU["кругам-своим"]·ES["sus-giros"]·SW["mizunguko-yake"]·TR["cemberlerinin"]·urd["چکروں-اپنے"]
Related Senses
H0776 1. land, country, territory (2323×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)G3772 1. heaven, sky, heavens (278×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)G2889 1. world (185×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
סָבִיב336 subst., used mostly as adv. and prep., circuit, round about:—cstr. סְבִיב †Am 3:11; pl. cstr. סְבִיבֵי †Je 32:44; 33:13, sf. סְבִיבֶיךָ etc. (10 times), much oftener סְבִיבוֹת Ex 7:24 + 22 times, סְבִיבוֹתַי, תֶיךָ-, etc., Dt 17:14, etc. (48 times):— 1. in sg.:— a. as subst. 1 Ch 11:8 מן־המלוא וְעַד־הַסָּבִיב and to the parts round about. b. as adv.acc. סָבִיב (in) a circuit, i.e. round…