שֵׁ֫בֶט189 H7626
tribe, tribal division; rod, staff, stick; scepter, ruler's staff
3. scepter, ruler's staff — A rod of authority or royal scepter symbolizing sovereignty and the right to rule, as in Gen 49:10 ('the scepter shall not depart from Judah') and Num 24:17 ('a scepter shall rise out of Israel'). Arabic distinctively uses صَوْلَجَان (ṣawlajān, a Persian loanword for 'royal scepter/mace') and قَضِيب (qaḍīb, 'slender rod of authority') — both entirely different lexemes from عَصَا (generic staff) and سِبْط (tribe), providing the strongest evidence that this is a separate sense. Korean uses 홀 (hol, 'royal scepter'), a Sino-Korean borrowing specifically for the ceremonial rod of sovereignty, sharply distinct from 막대기 (stick) and 지파 (tribe). Swahili uses the expanded phrases fimbo ya enzi ('rod of majesty') and fimbo ya utawala ('rod of rulership'), marking the authority sense through nominal modification. Hindi राजदंड (rājdaṇḍ, lit. 'king-rod') is a compound that lexicalizes the royal sense. 12×
AR["الصَّوْلَجَانُ","الصَّوْلَجِ","الْعَصَا","صَولَجانُ","صَوْلَجَانٌ","صَوْلَجَانِ","عَصَا","قَضيبُ","وَصَوْلَجَانُ"]·ben["এবং-রাজদণ্ড","দণ্ড","দন্ড","রাজদণ্ড","রাজদন্ড"]·DE["Stab","Stab-","Staemme-von","Stamm","das-Zepter","der-Stab-","ein-Stab-","ein-scepter","und-Stab"]·EN["a-scepter","a-scepter-of","and-scepter-of","is-scepter-of","of-scepter","scepter","scepter-of","scepters-of","the-scepter-of"]·FR["et-tribu","scepter","tribu","un-scepter"]·heb["ו-שבט","שבט","שבטי"]·HI["और-राजदंड","राजदंड","राजदंडों","राजदण्ड","राजदण्ड-है","लाठी"]·ID["dan-tongkat-kerajaan","tongkat","tongkat-kerajaan","tongkat-tongkat"]·IT["e-tribù","scepter","tribu'","tribù","un-scepter"]·jav["cethi","lan-téken","setik","teken","tekening","tekenipun","tekken","tongkat","tongkat-kerajaan"]·KO["그리고-홀이","지팡이가","지팡이들을","지팡이를","홀","홀-이","홀-이도다","홀을","홀이"]·PT["cetro","cetro-de","cetros-de-","e-cetro-de","o-cetro","é-cetro-de"]·RU["всякое","жезл","и-скипетр","скипетр","скипетра","скипетров"]·ES["Vara-de","cetro","cetro-de","cetros-de","vara","y-cetro-de"]·SW["fimbo","fimbo-ya","fimbo-ya-enzi","fimbo-ya-utawala","fimbo-za","na-fimbo-ya","ondoka"]·TR["asa","asalarına","asası","asayı","oturuyor"]·urd["اور-عصا","عصا","عصائے"]
Gen 49:10, Num 24:17, Ps 45:6, Ps 45:6, Ps 125:3, Ezek 19:11, Ezek 19:14, Ezek 21:10, Ezek 21:13, Amos 1:5, Amos 1:8, Zech 10:11
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. tribe, tribal division — A tribal division or clan of Israel, one of the twelve (or more) socio-political units descended from the sons of Jacob. Arabic cognate سِبْط (sibṭ, pl. أَسْبَاط asbāṭ) is a direct Semitic cognate sharing the same triconsonantal root š-b-ṭ, used exclusively for tribal/genealogical groupings and never for physical objects. Korean 지파 (jipa) is the dedicated term for 'tribe' in biblical Korean, morphologically unambiguous and entirely distinct from 막대기 (makdaegi, 'rod') or 홀 (hol, 'scepter'). Swahili uses kabila (sg.) / makabila (pl.) = 'tribe(s)', a noun class 5/6 pair that is never used for implements. Hindi गोत्र (gotra) = 'clan/tribe' confirms the same semantic field. All grammatical inflections — construct state, pronominal suffixes (your/his/their tribes), prepositional prefixes (ל to, ב in/among, מ from) — reflect morphological variation of a single sense. 144×
AR["أسباطِ","أَسباطِ","أَسْبَاطُ","أَسْبَاطِ"]·ben["গোত্রগুলির","গোত্রের","গোষ্ঠী","গোষ্ঠীগুলিকে","গোষ্ঠীগুলির","বংশ","বংশগুলি","বংশগুলির","বংশসমূহের","বংশের","শ্খেমা"]·DE["Staemme-von","Stämme","der-Stämme"]·EN["tribes-of"]·FR["tribus-de"]·heb["שִׁבְטֵי","שבט","שבטי"]·HI["गोतोन-के","गोत्र","गोत्रों","गोत्रों-के","गोत्रों-को","गोत्रों-ने","गोत्रों-में"]·ID["suku","suku-","suku-suku"]·IT["tribu-di","tribù-di"]·jav["suku","suku-bangsa-","taler","taler-taler","trah-trah"]·KO["지파들","지파들(접)","지파들-","지파들에","지파들에서","지파들을","지파들의","지파들이","지파들이다","지파의"]·PT["tribos-de"]·RU["колен","колена","колено-из"]·ES["las-tribus-de","los-tribus-de","tribus-de"]·SW["kabila","makabila","makabila-ya","makabila-ya-","makabila-yote-ya"]·TR["kabileleri","kabilelerinden","kabilelerini","kabilelerinin","kabilesinin","oymakları","oymaklarına","oymaklarından","oymaklarını","oymaklarının","sıbtları"]·urd["قبائل","قبیلوں","قبیلوں-نے","قبیلوں-کے","قبیلے"]
2. rod, staff, stick — A physical rod, staff, or stick used as a walking aid, implement of striking, instrument of discipline, or shepherd's tool. Arabic عَصَا (ʿaṣā) is the consistent translation — a common Semitic word for 'stick/staff' from a root meaning 'to be rigid/strong,' entirely distinct from سِبْط (tribe) or صَوْلَجَان (scepter). Korean shows 막대기 (makdaegi, 'rod/stick'), 지팡이 (jipangi, 'walking staff/cane'), and 매 (mae, 'switch/whipping rod') — all physical implements, never confused with 지파 (tribe) or 홀 (scepter). Swahili fimbo = 'stick/rod' consistently, sometimes with possessive fimbo yake/yako. Hindi uses लाठी (lāṭhī, 'staff/club'), डंडा (ḍaṇḍā, 'stick'), and छड़ी (chaṛī, 'rod/switch'). Includes the disciplinary/corrective usage (Prov 13:24 etc.) where Arabic translates as لِلتَّأْدِيبِ (lit-taʾdīb, 'for discipline') and Swahili as kwa adhabu ('for punishment'), and the threshing-stick usage (Isa 28:27) where English 'cumin' is a mistranslation but Arabic بِالْقَضِيبِ (bil-qaḍīb, 'with the rod') and Swahili kwa ufito ('with a stick') confirm the rod sense. 33×
AR["بِ-العَصا","بِ-الْعَصا","بِ-الْعَصَا","بِ-عَصَا","بِالْعَصَا","بِـ-العَصَا","بِـ-الْعَصَا","بِـ-عَصَا","عَصا","عَصًا","عَصَا","قَضِيبَ","وَ-عَصا","وَ-عَصاً","وَ-عَصَا"]·ben["-লাঠি-দিয়ে","এবং-বেত্র","এবং-লাঠি","দণ্ডে-","দন্ড","দন্ডে","লাঠি","লাঠি-দিয়ে","লাঠি-দিয়ে-","লাঠি-দ্বারা"]·DE["Stab","Stamm","mit-der-Stab","mit-der-staff","mit-ein-Stab","mit-ein-Stab-","und-Stab"]·EN["and-a-rod","and-the-rod-of","but-a-rod","rod","rod-of","scepter-of","the-rod-of","with-a-rod","with-a-rod-of","with-rod-of","with-the-rod","with-the-staff"]·FR["avec-le-bâton","avec-le-verge","bâton","dans-tribu","et-bâton","tribu"]·heb["ב-שבט","ו-שבט","שבט"]·HI["और-छड़ी","और-लाठी","डंडा","डंडा-","डंडे-से","में-छड़ी","लाठी","लाठी-","लाठी-से","से-छड़ी","से-डंडे-","से-डण्डा","से-लाठी"]·ID["dan-tongkat","dengan-tongkat","gada","tetapi-tongkat","tongkat"]·IT["con-il-bastone","con-il-verga","e-verga","nel-verga","tribu","tribu'","tribù","verga"]·jav["Kaliyan-tongkat","kalayan-teken","kalayan-tongkat","kaliyan-teken","kaliyan-tongkat","kanthi-gegatèn","lan-gebèg","lan-tongkat","lan-tongkat-saking","ngangge-teken","nganggo-teken,","teken","tekennipun","tongkat","tongkat-saking"]·KO["-로","그러나-매-는","그리고-막대가","그리고-막대는","막대-로","막대가","막대기-로","막대기가","막대기야","매-로","에-막대기-로","에-막대기로","에-지팡이","지팡이를"]·PT["Com-a-vara","a-vara-de","bastão-de","com-a-vara","com-o-bordão","com-vara","com-vara-de","e-vara","e-vara-de","o-cetro-de","vara","vara-de"]·RU["а-жезл","жезл","жезла","жезлом","жезлу","и-жезл","посохом","с-палкой"]·ES["Con-la-vara","cetro-de","cetro-del","con-el-palo","con-la-vara","con-vara","con-vara-de","la-vara-de","vara","vara-de","y-la-vara-de","y-vara"]·SW["fimbo","fimbo-ya","kwa-fimbo","lakini-fimbo","mkongojo","na-fimbo"]·TR["asasini","değnekle","ile-asası","sopa","sopasi","sopası","sopasıyla","sopayla","sopayla-o","ve-değnek","ve-sopa","ve-sopası"]·urd["-چھڑی-سے","اور-لاٹھی","اور-چھڑی","بِ-لاٹھی","لاٹھی","لاٹھی-سے","چھڑی"]
Exod 21:20, Lev 27:32, Judg 5:14, 2 Sam 7:14, 2 Sam 23:21, 1 Chr 11:23, Job 9:34, Job 21:9, Job 37:13, Ps 2:9, Ps 23:4, Ps 89:32 (+21 more)
4. sense 4 1×
AR["سِهامٍ"]·ben["তীর"]·DE["darts"]·EN["darts"]·FR["darts"]·heb["שבטים"]·HI["छड़ों"]·ID["tongkat-tongkat"]·IT["darts"]·jav["tumbak-alit"]·KO["막대기들을"]·PT["dardos"]·RU["копья"]·ES["dardos"]·SW["mikuki"]·TR["mızrak"]·urd["تیر"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
שֵׁ֫בֶט189 n.m. Nu 24:17 (f. Ez 21:15, 18 but corrupt): 1. rod, staff, club, sceptre. 2. tribe;—שׁ׳ abs. Gn 49:10 +, cstr. 1 S 10:20 +; שָׁ֑בֶט Dt 1:23 +; sf. שִׁבְטוֹ Ju 21:24 +, etc.; pl. שְׁבָטִים 1 K 11:31 +, cstr. שִׁבְטֵי Gn 49:16 +, sf. שְׁבָטֶיךָ Dt 12:14 +, etc.;— †1. a. rod, staff (evidently common article), for smiting (especially הִכָּה בַשּׁ׳) Ex 21:20 (E), Mi 4:14; Is 10:15 (in…