H6633 H6633
To wage war, fight in battle; to serve or minister (especially at the tabernacle); to muster or enlist troops
A Hebrew verb whose semantic range unites the battlefield and the sanctuary under a single root. In its martial sense, tsava' describes armies going out to wage war (Num 31:7; Isa 29:7-8), and the multilingual evidence is emphatic — Spanish guerrear, Hindi yuddh karna, Arabic haraba, and Swahili kupigana all converge on armed conflict. Yet the same root in Exodus 38:8 describes the women who 'served' at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, a usage that Spanish servir and Hindi seva karna render with gentle domesticity. The connection is not accidental: both the soldier and the temple attendant belong to an organized 'host' (tsava') performing disciplined service under authority. A third, rarer Hiphil sense — mustering or enlisting troops, as in 2 Kings 25:19 and Jeremiah 52:25 — completes the picture of marshaling human resources for collective action, whether sacred or military.
Senses
1. to wage war, fight — To wage war, fight, or engage in military combat. The Qal stem is used of Israel's army going out to battle against Midian (Num 31:7, 42), of nations besieging Jerusalem (Isa 29:7-8), and of the hosts that fought against Zion (Isa 31:4). Spanish guerrear, French combattre, Hindi ladna, Arabic haraba, and Swahili kupigana all confirm the martial register. The participial form tsov'im functions as a substantive meaning 'warriors' or 'those who wage war,' and Zechariah 14:12 extends the root to describe the plague striking those who 'fought against Jerusalem.' 7×
AR["الْـ-مُحَارِبِينَ", "الْمُحَارِبِينَ", "الْمُحَارِبِينَ-لَهَا", "حَارَبَتْ", "فَحَارَبُوا", "لِيُحَارِبَ"]·ben["এবং-যুদ্ধ-করল", "তার-যুদ্ধকারীদের", "যারা-সৈন্যবৃত্তি-করেছিল", "যুদ্ধ-করতে", "যুদ্ধ-করেছে", "যুদ্ধকারীদের"]·DE["[הצבאים]", "[לצבא]", "[צבאו]", "[צביה]", "der-die-warring", "und-sie-waged-Krieg"]·EN["and-they-waged-war", "the-ones-warring", "to-fight", "warred", "who-war", "who-war-against-her"]·FR["combattre", "et-ils-waged-guerre", "le-ones-warring"]·heb["ה-צבאים", "ה-צובאים", "ו-יצבאו", "ל-צבוא", "צבאו", "צובאיה"]·HI["और-लड़े", "युद्ध-करने-के-लिए", "युद्ध-करने-वालों-उसके", "युद्ध-करने-वालों-की", "लड़े", "सैनिकों-के"]·ID["berperang", "dan-berperang", "untuk-berperang", "yang-berperang", "yang-menyerangnya"]·IT["[צבאו]", "e-essi-waged-guerra", "il-quelli-warring", "servire"]·jav["Lan-perang", "ingkang-perang", "ingkang-perang-nglawan", "kanggé-perang", "nyerang", "tiyang-ingkang-perang-lawan-nipun"]·KO["그-전쟁하는-자들의", "그것을-공격하는-자들과", "그리고-싸웠다", "싸우는", "싸웠던", "에-싸우시려고"]·PT["E-guerrearam", "guerrearam", "os-que-guerreavam", "para-guerrear", "que-guerreiam", "que-lutam-contra-ela"]·RU["воевавших", "воевали", "воюющие-против-неё", "воюющих", "и-воевали", "чтобы-сражаться"]·ES["Y-guerrearon", "las-que-guerrean", "los-guerreros", "los-que-la-atacan", "para-guerrear", "pelearon"]·SW["kupigana", "na-wakapigana", "walipigana", "wanaopigana-nayo", "wapigaji-vita", "yanayopigana"]·TR["-savaşanların", "savas-etmek", "savasanlari", "savasanlarin", "savaştılar", "ve-savaştılar"]·urd["اور-لڑے", "اُس-کے-لڑنے-والے", "لڑنے-والوں", "لڑنے-والوں-کی", "لڑنے-کے-لیے", "لڑیں"]
2. to serve, minister — To serve, perform duty, or minister, especially in a religious or cultic context. The women who served at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting (Exod 38:8; 1 Sam 2:22) and the Levites who enter service at age twenty-five (Num 4:23; 8:24) all employ this verb. Spanish servir, Hindi seva karna, and German dienen reflect the peaceful, devotional nature of this sense. The underlying metaphor of organized 'host' service connects this to the military sense: the Levitical server is a member of God's ordered company, performing disciplined duty under divine command. 5×
AR["الـ-مُجْتَمِعَاتِ", "الْمُتَجَمِّعَاتِ", "تَجَمَّعْنَ", "لِ-يَخْدِمَ", "لِيَخْدِمَ"]·ben["-তে-সৈন্যদলে", "যারা-সেবা-করত", "যুদ্ধ-করতে", "সেবা-করত", "সেবাকারিণী-স্ত্রীদের"]·DE["der-dienend", "der-dienend-Frauen", "diente", "zu-dienen"]·EN["served", "the-serving", "the-serving-women", "to-serve"]·FR["le-servant", "le-serving-femmes", "servit", "à-servir"]·heb["ה-צובאות", "ל-צבא", "צבאו"]·HI["के-सेना-करना", "टुकड़ी-में-जुटने-के-लिए", "सेवा-करती-थीं", "सेवा-करनेवालियों", "सेविकाओं-की"]·ID["melayani", "perempuan-perempuan-yang-melayani", "untuk-bertugas", "yang-melayani"]·IT["a-servire", "il-servendo", "il-serving-donne", "servì"]·jav["ingkang-ngladosi", "kangge-barisan", "ngladosi", "para-wanita-ingkang-ngladosi"]·KO["군대하기-위하여", "군무하기-위하여", "그-섬기는", "그-섬기는-여인들의", "섬겼던"]·PT["as-que-serviam", "as-servindo", "para-servir", "serviam"]·RU["для-войска", "служащими", "служащих-женщин", "служили", "чтобы-служить"]·ES["las-que-servían", "para-hacer-ejército", "para-servir", "servían"]·SW["kujiunga-na-kikosi", "kutumikia", "vya-wanawake-waliohudumu", "wa-majeshi", "walihudumu"]·TR["-hizmet-eden-kadınların", "-hizmet-edenler", "-için-orduda-hizmet-etmek", "hizmet-ettiler", "orduya-"]·urd["خادمہ-عورتوں-کے", "خدمت-کرتی-تھیں", "خدمت-کرنے-والیاں", "فوج-میں", "فوج-میں-شامل-ہونے-کو"]
3. to muster, enlist troops — To muster, conscript, or enlist troops — the Hiphil causative form describing the officer who assembles people for military service. In 2 Kings 25:19 and Jeremiah 52:25, among those taken captive is 'the officer who mustered the people of the land,' a specific military administrative role. Spanish alistar ('to enlist'), Hindi bharti karna ('to recruit'), and German mustern all capture the organizational function. This sense is distinct from actually fighting (sense 1) and from serving in the sanctuary (sense 2); it denotes the prior act of gathering and organizing the fighting force. 2×
AR["الَّذِي-يُجَنِّدُ", "الْمُجَنِّدَ"]·ben["নিয়োগকারী", "যে-নিযুক্ত-করত"]·DE["[המצבא]", "der-eins-mustering"]·EN["the-one-mustering", "who-mustered"]·FR["combattre", "le-un-mustering"]·heb["ה-מצביא"]·HI["जो-भरती-करता-था", "ह-भर्ती-करनेवाला"]·ID["yang-merekrut"]·IT["il-uno-mustering", "servire"]·jav["ingkang-ngerik", "ingkang-nglempakaken"]·KO["그-징집하는", "모집하는"]·PT["o-que-convocava", "o-que-recrutava"]·RU["набиравшего", "набирающего"]·ES["el-que-alistaba"]·SW["aliyeandikisha", "aliyewaandikisha"]·TR["toplayan"]·urd["جو-بھرتی-کرتا-تھا"]
Related Senses
H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)H8104 1. Qal: keep, observe (law/covenant) (399×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)G3101 1. disciple, learner (263×)H5674a 1. Qal: pass by, pass through (256×)H3381 1. Qal: to go down, descend (physical movement) (242×)G1831 1. go/come out physically (193×)H5337 1. deliver, rescue, save (Hifil) (188×)H7901 1. lie down, rest, sleep (183×)G1525 1. enter a place physically (179×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [צָבָא] vb. wage war, serve (Sab. צֿבא wage war with, also n. army, campaign HomChrest. 125 CIS iv. 299, 1. 2 DHM VOJ i. 28; Ethiopic ጸብአ: (> ፀብአ:) wage war; Assyrian ṣâbu, man, soldier; NöZMG xl (1886), 726 al. cp. (on account of Sab. Ethiopic ץֿ) Arabic ضَبَأَ conceal oneself, hence lie in wait; this is phonetically suitable, but better in meaning would be صَبَأَ go or come forth (against…