H6643a H6643a
Beauty, splendor, glory; also the gazelle as emblem of grace; used as an epithet for the Promised Land.
Tsevi is one of those Hebrew words where a concrete image and an abstract quality illuminate each other. The gazelle — swift, elegant, the very picture of grace in the Near Eastern landscape — lends its name to the concept of beauty itself. When David laments over Saul and Jonathan, calling them 'the beauty of Israel' (2 Sam 1:19), the word resonates with both the animal's grace and the nation's lost splendor. The multilingual evidence shows how languages negotiate this range: German consistently selects Zierde ('ornament, distinction'), French oscillates between beaute and ornement, while Spanish moves from hermosura ('beauty') to gloria ('glory') depending on whether aesthetic or honorific weight dominates. In Daniel's visions, tsevi becomes a proper epithet — 'the Beautiful Land' — a crystallized sense that draws on all the word's accumulated associations of splendor and divine favor.
Senses
1. beauty, splendor — Abstract beauty, splendor, or comeliness — the largest cluster at nine occurrences, used in construct chains to describe the aesthetic glory of persons, places, or things. Isaiah's 'fading flower of its glorious beauty' (Isa 28:1, 4) describes Samaria's chaplet; the 'crown of beauty' in Isaiah 28:5 belongs to Yahweh himself. German Zierde ('distinction, adornment') and French beaute both consistently render this abstract-aesthetic sense. The word appears almost exclusively in prophetic and poetic literature, where physical beauty serves as metaphor for divine favor or its withdrawal. 9×
AR["الْبَهَاءِ","بَهَاءِ-","جَمَالٍ","جَمَالِ","لِلجَمَالِ","وَ-بَهاءَ"]·ben["-সুন্দর","-সৌন্দর্যের-জন্য","আর-শোভা","শোভা","সুন্দর-"]·DE["Zierde","und-Zierde","zu-Zierde"]·EN["and-beauty-of","beauty","beauty-of-","for-beauty","of-glory","of-his-glorious","the-beautiful"]·FR["beauté","et-beauté","ornement","à-ornement"]·heb["ה-צבי","ו-צבי","ל-צבי","צבי","צבי-"]·HI["और-शोभा","शोभा","शोभा-","शोभा-का","शोभा-के","सुन्दरता-के-लिए","सौन्दर्य-का"]·ID["Dan-keindahan","Keindahan","keindahan","keindahan-","kemegahan","sebagai-keindahan"]·IT["e-ornamento","ornamento","splendore"]·jav["Lan-endah","ingkang-éndah","kaendahan","kaendahanipun","kangge-kaendahan","éndah"]·KO["그-영광의","그리고-아름다움을","아름다움-으로","아름다움의","영광-"]·PT["E-beleza-de","Gloriosa","Glorioso-","esplendor","esplendor-de","para-beleza"]·RU["во-славу","и-красоту","красоты","красоты-","красы"]·ES["Y-hermosura-de","de-la-gloria-de","gloria","hermosura-de-","la-hermosura","para-hermosura"]·SW["Uzuri","Uzuri-wa-","kwa-uzuri","na-uzuri","uzuri","ya-Uzuri","ya-uzuri"]·TR["guzelligi","guzelligin","guzellik-icin","güzel","ha-güzel","ve-güzellik"]·urd["اور-خوبصورتی","خوبصورت","خوبصورتی-کے-لیے","زینت","زینت-کا","شوکت-کو"]
2. ornament, adornment — Ornament or adornment — four occurrences where tsevi shifts from abstract quality to something closer to a concrete embellishment or prized possession. Babylon is 'the beauty of kingdoms' (Isa 13:19); the land of Israel is a 'heritage of beauty' among the nations (Jer 3:19; Ezek 20:6, 15). French ornement and Spanish ornamento both select decorative-object vocabulary here, marking a subtle but real shift from sheer aesthetic quality to the idea of something precious that adorns or crowns its possessor. 4×
AR["زِينَةَ","زِينَةُ","زِينَةِ"]·ben["শোভা","সৌন্দর্য","সৌন্দর্যের"]·DE["Zierde"]·EN["beauty-of","glory","of-the-beauty"]·FR["beauté","ornement"]·heb["צבי"]·HI["शोभा","शोभा-","सुंदर"]·ID["keindahan"]·IT["ornamento","splendore"]·jav["kaendahan","kamulyanipun"]·KO["아름다운","영광이","영화가"]·PT["glória-de","ornamento","ornamento-de"]·RU["красой","она","украшение","украшения"]·ES["gloria-de","hermosura-de","ornamento"]·SW["utukufu","uzuri-wa"]·TR["goruntusu","güzelliği","güzelliğinin"]·urd["جلال","زینت","شاندار"]
3. glory, honor — Glory, honor, or dignified renown — three occurrences (Isa 24:16; Ezek 25:9, 26:20) where the emphasis falls on exalted status and prestige rather than visual beauty. When Isaiah hears 'Glory to the Righteous One' (Isa 24:16), tsevi carries the weight of public honor, not mere attractiveness. Spanish gloria and the LXX's doxa both confirm the shift toward reputation and majesty. Ezekiel's use for the 'glory' of Moab's frontier cities likewise foregrounds civic pride over aesthetics. 3×
AR["جَمَالًا","فَخْرَ","مَجْدًا"]·ben["মহিমা","শোভা"]·DE["Zierde"]·EN["glory","glory-of-"]·FR["beauté","ornement"]·heb["צבי"]·HI["महिमा"]·ID["keindahan-","kemuliaan"]·IT["ornamento","splendore"]·jav["kamulyan"]·KO["영광을","영광이라","영광인-"]·PT["beleza","glória","glória-de"]·RU["от-края","слава","славу"]·ES["gloria","gloria-de"]·SW["fahari-ya","utukufu"]·TR["güzellik","seref","süsü"]·urd["جلال","زینت"]
4. gazelle (animal) — The gazelle — the concrete zoological sense, appearing once in the problematic crux of 2 Samuel 1:19. David's lament 'the gazelle, O Israel, is slain on your high places' exploits the double meaning: Saul and Jonathan are both the 'beauty' and the 'gazelle' of Israel — graceful, swift, and now fallen. Spanish gacela, French gazelle, and German Gazelle all recognize the animal sense here. This is likely the etymological source from which the abstract meanings developed, the gazelle being the Near East's quintessential emblem of elegance. 1×
AR["الظَّبْيُ"]·ben["হরিণ"]·DE["der-gazelle"]·EN["the-gazelle"]·FR["le-gazelle"]·heb["ה-צבי"]·HI["हिरण"]·ID["kemuliaan"]·IT["il-gazelle"]·jav["Kaéndahan"]·KO["그-영광이"]·PT["¶ A-gazela"]·RU["краса"]·ES["La-gacela"]·SW["Uzuri"]·TR["güzelliği"]·urd["ہرن"]
5. the Beautiful Land (epithet) — The Beautiful Land — a crystallized titular epithet for the Land of Israel in Daniel 8:9, where the 'small horn' grows toward 'the Beautiful [Land].' This is not mere adjectival description but a fixed designation, almost a proper noun, for the Promised Land in apocalyptic discourse. Spanish la hermosa and German Zierde both treat it as a title. The sense draws on all the word's accumulated resonance — beauty, ornament, glory — compressed into a single geographic-theological reference. 1×
AR["الْبَهَاءِ"]·ben["-সুন্দর-দেশের"]·DE["Zierde"]·EN["the-beautiful-land"]·FR["beauté"]·heb["ה-צבי"]·HI["शोभा"]·ID["-Tanah-Permai"]·IT["ornamento"]·jav["tanah-ingkang-éndah"]·KO["영광"]·PT["a-Terra-Gloriosa"]·RU["красоте"]·ES["la-hermosa"]·SW["Nchi-Tukufu"]·TR["Güzel-Ülkeye"]·urd["خوبصورت-سرزمین-کی"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. צְבִי n.m.2 S 1:19 beauty, honour;—abs. צ 2 S 1:19 +, צֶ֑בִי Dn 8:9; cstr. צְבִי Is 13:19 +; pl. cstr. צִבְאוֹת Je 3:19 (so 𝔗 Ki Thes Hi Gf Ol§ 145 b Köii. 1, 584 al.; > from צבא 𝔙 Gie al.);— 1. a. beauty, decoration, צ׳ עֶדְיוֹ, of silver and gold Ez 7:20, of products of soil Is 4:2 (predict.). b. elsewhere in fig.: of drunkard’s chaplet, צ׳ תִפְאַרְתּוֹ Is 28:1, 4 (fig. of Samaria);…