H7716 H7716
A single head of small livestock — sheep or goat — from the flock; often specifically a lamb in sacrificial and figurative contexts.
The Hebrew שֶׂה is the unit-noun corresponding to the collective צֹאן (flock), designating one animal from among sheep and goats. It appears prominently in two registers: as ordinary livestock in property laws (Exod 22:1, 4) and as the sacrificial or symbolic lamb — most memorably the Passover lamb of Exodus 12 and the lamb led to slaughter of Isaiah 53:7. Multilingual evidence reflects this split: Spanish uses 'oveja' (sheep) for the generic sense but 'cordero' (lamb) for the sacrificial; French shifts between 'brebis' and 'agneau' along the same lines. Arabic cognate شَاة preserves the same generic range.
Senses
1. sheep, head of small cattle — A single animal from the flock, referring generically to a sheep or goat as a unit of small livestock, without emphasis on age or sacrificial purpose. Property laws in Exodus (22:1, 4, 9) list שֶׂה alongside שׁוֹר (ox) and חֲמוֹר (donkey) as standard livestock. Spanish 'oveja,' French 'brebis,' and German 'Schaf' all point to the adult, generic animal. Gen 30:32 uses it in the context of Laban's and Jacob's flock-sorting agreement. 27×
AR["الغَنَمِ", "شاةً", "شاةٍ", "شَاةٌ", "شَاةٍ", "شَاةَ", "شَاتَهُ", "وَ-شاةً", "وَ-شاةٍ", "وَ-شَاةٍ"]·ben["এবং-ভেড়া", "এবং-মেষ", "তার-মেষ", "পশু", "ভেড়া", "ভেড়ার", "মেষ", "মেষ,"]·DE["Schaf", "Schaf-", "Schafe", "[שה]", "ein-Schaf", "sein-Schaf", "und-Schaf", "und-Schafe"]·EN["a-lamb-of", "a-sheep", "and-sheep", "his-sheep", "sheep"]·FR["[שה]", "brebis", "et-brebis", "et-moutons", "mouton", "moutons", "son-mouton", "une-brebis"]·heb["ו-שה", "שה", "שה ׀", "שיו"]·HI["और-भेड़", "और-भेध", "बीच", "भेड़", "भेद"]·ID["bagi-TUHAN", "dan-domba", "domba", "domba-", "dombanya"]·IT["e-pecora", "e-pecore", "pecora", "pecore", "suo-pecora", "una-pecora"]·jav["domba", "lan-mènda", "lan-mènda.", "lan-wedhus", "menda", "mendanipun", "mènda", "wedhus", "wedhus,", "wédhus", "wédhus,"]·KO["그리고-양", "그리고-양을", "그리고-양의", "그의-양을", "양", "양과", "양을", "양의", "양이", "양이든"]·PT["Ovelha", "cordeiro", "cordeiro-", "e-cordeiro", "e-ovelha", "ovelha", "ovelha-de", "sua-ovelha"]·RU["Овца", "и-овцу", "и-овцы", "или-овцой", "ни-овцу", "овец", "овца", "овцою", "овцу", "овцу-", "овцу-его", "овцы"]·ES["ni-oveja", "oveja", "su-oveja", "y-oveja"]·SW["Kondoo", "kondoo", "kondoo-wake", "mwana-kondoo", "na-kondoo", "wala-kondoo"]·TR["koyun", "koyunu", "koyununu", "kuzu", "ve-koyun"]·urd["اور-بھیڑ", "اور-بھیڑ-کا", "اُس-کی-بھیڑ", "بھیڑ", "بھیڑ-اور", "جانور", "نہ-بھیڑ"]
2. lamb, young of the flock — A young animal of the flock — a lamb or kid — foregrounded by sacrificial, Passover, or figurative contexts. The Passover שֶׂה of Exod 12:3-5 must be a year-old male; Isa 53:7 likens the Servant to a שֶׂה led to slaughter. Spanish 'cordero,' French 'agneau,' and German 'Lamm' consistently render this younger, sacrificial reading. Gen 22:7-8, where Isaac asks 'where is the lamb?', pivots on precisely this sense. 20×
AR["الْ-حَمَلِ", "الْخَرُوفَ", "الْخَرُوفُ", "الْخَرُوفِ", "بِ-حَمَلٍ", "بِـ-شاةٍ", "حَمَلًا", "حَمَلٌ", "شَاةً", "شَاةٌ", "شَاةٍ", "كَـ-خَرُوفٍ", "لِلشَّاةِ", "مِنْ-حَمَلٍ", "وَ-شَاةٌ", "وَ-شَاةٌ-"]·ben["-মেষ", "এবং-মেষ-", "প্রতি-মেষশাবক", "ভেড়া", "ভেড়া-দিয়ে", "ভেড়া-ভেড়ি", "মেষ", "মেষ-দিয়ে", "মেষের", "মেষের-কাছে", "মেষের-মতো"]·DE["Lamm", "Schaf", "[השה]", "[ושה]", "[כשה]", "das-Lamm", "der-Lamm", "ein-Lamm", "fuer-der-Lamm", "jung-von", "mit-ein-Lamm", "und-jung-von", "von-ein-Lamm"]·EN["a-lamb", "and-lamb-", "and-young-of", "for-the-lamb", "from-a-lamb", "lamb", "like-the-lamb", "sheep", "the-lamb", "with-a-lamb", "young-of"]·FR["[השה]", "[כשה]", "agneau", "avec-un-agneau", "de-un-agneau", "et-brebis", "et-jeune-de", "jeune-de", "l'agneau", "mouton", "pour-le-agneau", "un-agneau"]·heb["ב-שה", "ה-שה", "ו-שה", "כ-שה", "ל-ה-שה", "מ-שה", "שה"]·HI["और-बच्चा", "और-भेड़-", "कन्या", "प्रति-भेड़", "बच्चा", "भेड़", "भेड़-से", "भेड़की-तरह", "भेड़ा", "भेध", "मेमना", "मेमने-के", "मेमने-से"]·ID["dan-anak", "dan-kambing-", "dengan-domba", "domba", "seekor-domba", "seperti-anak-domba", "untuk-domba"]·IT["agnello", "con-un-agnello", "da-un-agnello", "e-giovane-di", "e-pecora", "giovane-di", "il-agnello", "pecora", "per-il-agnello", "un-agnello"]·jav["Cempè", "Lan-wedhus-", "cempE", "cempe", "cempè", "kados-mènda", "kaliyan-cempè", "kanggé-cempe", "lan-wedhus-", "mawi-cèmpe,", "menda", "saking-cempè", "wedhus", "wedhus,", "wedhus-", "wedhus-gèmbèl"]·KO["그-어린-양", "그-어린-양을", "그-어린양은", "그-어린양을", "그리고-양", "그리고-양-", "양", "양같이-", "양에", "양으로", "양을", "양이라면", "어린-양", "어린-양에서", "어린-양을", "에-어린양", "에게-양"]·PT["E-ovelha-", "a-ovelha", "com-cordeiro", "com-cordeiro,", "como-cordeiro", "cordeiro", "de-cordeiro", "e-ovelha-de", "o-cordeiro", "ovelha", "ovelha-de", "para-a-ovelha"]·RU["hа-овцу", "Агнец", "агнец", "агнца", "агнцем", "для-ягнёнка", "достаточным-для-агнца", "и-овца", "и-овцу-", "как-агнец", "овца", "овцу", "овцы"]·ES["Cordero", "Y-cordero", "como-cordero", "con-cordero", "con-oveja", "cordero", "cría-de", "de-cordero", "el-cordero", "oveja", "para-la-oveja", "res", "un-cordero", "y-cría-de"]·SW["Mwana-kondoo", "Na-kondoo", "kama-mwana-kondoo", "kondoo", "kuliko-mwana-kondoo", "kwa-kondoo", "kwa-kondoo-mwana", "mwana-kondoo", "na-mbuzi"]·TR["-için-koyuna", "-kuzu", "-kuzuyu", "koyun", "koyunla", "koyunu", "kuzu", "kuzu-gibi", "kuzudan", "kuzunun", "kuzuyla", "ve-koyun", "ve-yavru"]·urd["-برّہ", "اور-بھیڑ", "اور-بھیڑ-", "بھیڑ", "بھیڑ-سے", "بھیڑ-کو", "بھیڑ-کی-طرح", "بھیڑ-کے-لیے"]
Related Senses
H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)H6499 1. young bull, bullock (130×)H3532 1. lamb, young male sheep (105×)H2543 1. donkey (male ass) (96×)H7794 1. ox, bull (79×)H7462b 1. shepherd (agent noun) (76×)H5795 1. she-goat(s), female goat(s) (68×)H7462b 2. to shepherd, tend, pasture (60×)H1581 1. camel (domestic animal) (54×)H0738b 1. lion (46×)G4263 1. sheep (39×)H5739 1. flock or herd of livestock (38×)H5695 1. calf, young bull (35×)H0738a 1. lion (large predatory feline) (34×)H0860 1. female donkey (34×)H3611 1. dog (animal) (32×)H3715a 1. young lion, lion cub (31×)G0721 1. Lamb (29×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שֶׂה n.m. Gn 30:32 and (less often) f. Je 50:17 one of a flock, a sheep (or goat) (Assyrian šuʾu, Arabic شَاةٌ, pl. شَآءٌ, شِوَاهٌ, etc. (also wild ox), cf. Egyptian sau, sheep Bondi65, cf. Id.Ba NB § 2 b δ);—abs. שֶׂה Gn 30:32 +, cstr. שֵׂה Is 43:23 +; sf. שֵׂיוֹ Dt 22:1, שְׂיֵ֫הוּ 1 S 14:34; not in pl.;— 1. a sheep, or goat, nom. unit. of צֹאן: as property Gn 30:32(×2) (E; + צֹאן coll.,…