H7667 H7667
Breaking, fracture, breach; destruction, ruin; wound, affliction; interpretation of a dream; crashing waves
From the root shavar ('to break'), this noun captures every shade of shattering — from the snap of a potter's vessel to the ruin of an entire nation. Its prophetic usage is overwhelming: Jeremiah alone uses it over a dozen times for the catastrophic 'breaking' of Judah and her neighbors, often in the haunting phrase shever bat-'ammi, 'the wound of the daughter of my people' (Jer 6:14; 8:11, 21). Isaiah, Nahum, and the wisdom literature deploy it for the destruction that follows pride (Prov 16:18: 'pride goes before destruction'). A completely separate homonymic sense appears in Judges 7:15, where Gideon hears a dream and its shivro — 'its interpretation' — likely from a different Semitic root related to Akkadian shabaru. At the margins, the plural form describes geological breaches (Ps 60:4) and even the terrifying crash of ocean breakers (Job 41:25).
Senses
1. destruction, ruin (catastrophic) — The dominant prophetic sense of catastrophic destruction, ruin, or national collapse — appearing in 26 occurrences concentrated in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Proverbs. This is the shever of judgment oracles: the shattering of cities, kingdoms, and proud individuals. Proverbs 16:18 crystallized it into a proverb known worldwide: 'pride goes before destruction (shever).' Spanish quebranto/quebrantamiento and German Bruch ('break') consistently map to this macro-level devastation. Isaiah 1:28 and 15:5 deploy it for Judah's and Moab's ruin; Jeremiah 48:3-5 uses it three times in a single oracle against Moab. 26×
AR["الْكَسْرِ","كَسْرًا","كَسْرٌ","كَسْرٍ","كَسْرَكَ","كَسْرُكِ","كَسْرِ","وَ-انسِحَاقُ","وَ-انْكِسَارًا","وَ-انْكِسَارٌ","وَ-كَسْرٌ","وَكَسْرٌ"]·ben["-এবং-বিনাশ","আর-ভাঙন","এবং-ধ্বংস","এবং-ভঙ্গ","এবং-ভাঙন","ও-ধ্বংস","ও-ভাঙন","তোমার-ধ্বংস","ধ্বংস","ধ্বংসের","ভঙ্গের","ভাঙন","ভাঙন-","ভাঙনের"]·DE["Bruch","und-zerbrach","welcher-segnete","zerbrach"]·EN["and-destruction","and-destruction-of","and-ruin","destruction","ruin","the-destruction","the-ruin-of-","your-destruction"]·FR["brisement","brisure","et-brisement"]·heb["ו-שבר","שבר","שברך"]·HI["और-टूटना","और-टूटने","और-तबाही","और-विनाश","को-तेरे-टूटने","टूटना-को","टूटने","टूटने-की","तेरी-टूट","विनाश","विनाश-की","विनाश-के"]·ID["Dan-kehancuran","Kehancuran","dan-kehancuran","kehancuran","kehancuranmu"]·IT["e-spezzo","rottura","rovina","spezzo"]·jav["Lan-karusakan","karisakan","karisakan-Panjenengan","karisakan-panjenengan","karusakan","lan-geger","lan-karisakan","lan-remuk","lan-remukan","remukan"]·KO["그리고-부서짐이","그리고-아픔을","그리고-아픔이","그리고-파괴가","너의-파멸을","네-파멸-이","부서짐이","파괴의","파멸","파멸-의","파멸을","파멸의","패망이"]·PT["Destruição","E-destruição-de","destruição","destruição-de","destruição-tua","e-destruição","e-quebra","e-quebrantamento","quebrantamento","ruina-de","tua-destruição"]·RU["и-погибель","и-разрушение","и-сокрушение","погибели","разрушение","разрушения","сокрушение-твоё","сокрушением","сокрушения"]·ES["Quebranto","Y-quebrantamiento-de","es-tu-quebranto","la-destrucción-de","la-ruina-de","ni-quebrantamiento","quebrantamiento","quebranto","tu-destrucción","y-quebrantamiento","y-quebranto"]·SW["cha-uharibifu","kuangamia-kwa","msiba","na-kuvunjika-kwa","na-maangamizo","na-msiba","na-uharibifu","uharibifu","uharibifu-wa","uharibifu-wako"]·TR["kirilmanin","kırılman-senin","kırılmanı","kırılması","kırılış","ve-kirilma","ve-kırılma","ve-kırılması","ve-yıkım","yıkımı","yıkımın"]·urd["اور-بربادی","اور-تباہی","تباہی","تباہی-سے","تباہی-کی","تیری-تباہی","تیری-تباہی-کو","ٹوٹنا"]
Prov 16:18, Prov 17:19, Prov 18:12, Isa 1:28, Isa 15:5, Isa 51:19, Isa 59:7, Isa 60:18, Isa 65:14, Jer 4:6, Jer 4:20, Jer 4:20 (+14 more)
2. breaking, fracture (physical) — The concrete physical sense of a break, fracture, or breaking of an object or body part — covering 8 occurrences in legal and wisdom texts. Leviticus 21:19 and 24:20 use it in the lex talionis: 'fracture for fracture' (shever tachat shever), where the legal precision demands a literal, anatomical meaning. Isaiah 30:14 compares judgment to the 'breaking of a potter's vessel, shattered so ruthlessly that not a shard remains.' Spanish fractura and French brisement preserve the clean physical sense. Proverbs 15:4 extends it metaphorically: 'a perverse tongue is a shever of spirit.' 8×
AR["انْكِسَارُهَا","اِنْكِسَارًا","كَسْرٌ","كَسْرٍ","كَسْرُ","كَـ-كَسْرِ"]·ben["তার-ভাঙন","ভঙ্গ","ভাঙা","ভাঙা,","যেমন-ভাঙন"]·DE["Bruch","Umbruch","ein-gebrochen","wie-zerbrach","zerbrach"]·EN["a-broken","break","breaking","is-a-breaking-of","its-breaking","shall-be-like-the-breaking"]·FR["brisement","briser","comme-brisement","un-brisé"]·heb["כ-שבר","שבר","שברה"]·HI["जैसे-टूटना","टूटना","टूटना-उसका","टूटने","टूटा"]·ID["Patah","adalah-patahnya","kehancuran","keruntuhannya","patah","seperti-pecahnya"]·IT["come-spezzo","rompere","rottura","rovina","spezzo","un-rotto"]·jav["Tugel","kados-pecahipun","karisakan","pecahipun","remuk","tugel","tugel,"]·KO["같이-깨어짐","그-무너짐이","부러뜨림","부러짐-의","상함이니라","파멸로"]·PT["Fratura","como-quebra-de","fratura","fratura-de","quebrantamento","quebranto","sua-quebra"]·RU["как-разрушение","перелом","разрушение-её","разрушением","сокрушение"]·ES["Fractura","como-quebradura-de","fractura","fractura-de","quebrantamiento","quebranto","su-quebrantamiento"]·SW["Kuvunjika","kama-kuvunjika","kuvunjika","kuvunjika-kwa-","kuvunjika-kwake","kwa-uvunjaji","ni-kuvunja"]·TR["kirilma-gibi","kirilmasi","kırık","kırılma","kırılmasıdır"]·urd["اُس-کی-ٹوٹ","شکست","ٹوٹ","ٹوٹ-کی-طرح","ٹوٹ-کے","ٹوٹنا"]
3. wound, affliction (personal hurt) — A wound or affliction requiring healing — 7 occurrences characterized by pairing with rapha ('to heal') or related medical vocabulary. Jeremiah's great lament over Jerusalem yields the recurring phrase 'they have healed the wound (shever) of my people lightly' (Jer 6:14; 8:11), where the prophets indict superficial remedies for deep spiritual injury. Isaiah 30:26 promises God will 'bind up the wound (shever) of his people and heal the blow of his wound.' Spanish quebranto de and German Bruch in these contexts carry the personal, medical nuance of an injury that cries out for treatment, distinguishing this from the irreversible ruin of sense 1. 7×
AR["كَسْرَ","كَسْرُكِ","كَسْرِ","كَسْرِكِ","كَسْرِي"]·ben["ক্ষত","ক্ষতের","ভঙ্গ-আমার","ভাঙন","ভাঙা-তোমার"]·DE["Bruch","zerbrach"]·EN["my-wound","of-His-people","the-wound-of","wound-of","your-break"]·FR["brisement"]·heb["ל-שברך","שבר","שברי","שברך"]·HI["घाव","टूटन","तेरी-चोट","मेरे-टूटने"]·ID["kehancuran","kehancuranku","luka","lukamu"]·IT["rovina","spezzo"]·jav["tatu","tatu-Kula","tatu-panjenengan","tatunipun"]·KO["내-상처를","네-상처","네-상처를","상처","상처를"]·PT["ferida-de","fratura-de","minha-ferida","tua-fratura"]·RU["перелом-","рана-твоя","ране","ране-твоей","рану","раны-моей"]·ES["el-quebranto-de","quebradura-de","quebranto-de","quebranto-mi","tu-quebranto"]·SW["jeraha","jeraha-lako","jeraha-langu","uvunjiko"]·TR["kirigini","kırılmamın","kırılman-senin","kırılmanın-senin","kırılmasını","kırılmasının","kırılışını"]·urd["زخم","زخم-اپنے","زخم-تیرا","میری-شکستگی"]
4. interpretation (of a dream) — The interpretation of a dream — a single occurrence in Judges 7:15 standing apart from all other senses. When Gideon overhears a Midianite soldier recount a dream and 'its interpretation' (shivro), the word likely derives from a distinct homonymic root cognate with Akkadian shabaru ('to interpret, divine'). Spanish interpretacion and German Interpretation confirm this wholly separate semantic domain. The multilingual evidence is unanimous in treating this as 'interpretation' rather than 'breaking,' supporting the view that Hebrew preserves two distinct shever roots that have fallen together in form. 1×
AR["تَفْسِيرِهِ"]·ben["তার-ব্যাখ্যা"]·DE["sein-interpretation"]·EN["its-interpretation"]·FR["son-interpretation"]·heb["שברו"]·HI["अर्थ-उसका"]·ID["tafsirannya"]·IT["suo-interpretation"]·jav["tegesnipun"]·KO["그-해석을"]·PT["sua-interpretação"]·RU["толкование-его"]·ES["su-interpretación"]·SW["tafsiri-yake"]·TR["yorumunu"]·urd["تعبیر-اُس-کی"]
5. breaches, cracks (structural plural) — Structural breaches or cracks requiring repair — a single plural occurrence in Psalm 60:4 [Hebrew 60:4], where the psalmist pleads 'heal its breaches (shevareha),' speaking of the land fractured as if by an earthquake after military defeat. Spanish grietas ('cracks') precisely captures the structural-geological metaphor. The plural form and the appeal to 'heal' (rapha) place this at the intersection of senses 2 (physical fracture) and 3 (wound needing healing), applied to the land itself as a wounded body. 1×
AR["كُسورَها"]·ben["তার-ভাঙন"]·DE["sein-fractures"]·EN["its-fractures"]·FR["brisure"]·heb["שברי-ה"]·HI["उसकी-दरारों-को"]·IT["[שבריה]"]·jav["lan"]·KO["그것의-깨어짐을"]·PT["suas-fendas"]·RU["трещины-её"]·ES["sus-grietas"]·SW["nyufa-zake"]·TR["çatlaklarını"]·urd["ڈرارے-اُس-کے"]
6. breakers (crashing waves) — Crashing waves or breakers of the sea — a single occurrence in Job 41:25 (Hebrew 41:17) within the Leviathan poem, where the mighty sea creature's thrashing causes shavarim, 'crashes' or 'breakers.' Spanish quebrantos ('smashings') and French brisement ('breaking') preserve the root's core meaning while the maritime context transforms it into the thundering impact of water. This extends the noun's semantic range from human destruction to the raw, terrifying power of the untamed sea, fitting Job's theological meditation on forces beyond human control. 1×
AR["مِنَ-الانْكِسَارِ"]·ben["-ভয়ের-কারণে"]·DE["Bruch"]·EN["at-the-crashing"]·FR["de-brisement"]·heb["מ-שברים"]·HI["लहरों-से"]·ID["dari-kehancuran"]·IT["da-rottura"]·jav["saking-gegeripun"]·KO["부서짐들-에서"]·PT["de-espanto"]·RU["от-ударов"]·ES["de-quebrantos"]·SW["kutoka-kuvunjika-mawimbi"]·TR["kırılmadan"]·urd["لہروں-سے"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)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×)H???? 1. (4670×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)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×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. שֶׁ֫בֶר, שֵׁ֫בֶר n.m. Je 4:5 breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash;—abs. שֶׁבֶר Is 51:19 +, שָׁ֑בֶר La 3:47; Pr 17;19, cstr. שֶׁבֶר Is 1:28 +, שֵׁבֶר Am 6:6 +; sf. שִׁבְרִי Je 10:19, etc.; pl. שְׁבָרִים Jos 7:5 Jb 41:17 (dub., v. infr.), sf. שְׁכָרֶיהָ ψ 60:4;— 1. breaking of pottery Is 30:14, fracture of member, limb Lv 21:19; 24:20 (H), especially fig. of people personif. שׁ׳ יוֹסֵף…