🔼The name Shebuel: Summary
- Captive Of El
- Restored By El
- From (1) the verb שבה (shaba), to take captive, and (2) the word אל ('el), God.
- From (1) the verb שוב (shub), to restore, and (2) the word אל ('el), God.
🔼The name Shebuel in the Bible
There are two men named Shebuel (also known as Shubael) in the Bible:
- A distant descendant of Gershom, son of Moses (1 Chronicles 23:16; spelled שבואל). He was assigned priestly duties during the time of king David (1 Chronicles 24:20; spelled שובאל), and became officer over the treasuries of the temple of YHWH (1 Chronicles 26:24; spelled שבאל).
- One of the fourteen singing sons of Heman the renowned musician in service of king David (1 Chronicles 25:4; spelled שבואל). But singing and playing cymbals, harps and lyres were not the only duties of the sons of Heman. To divide the secondary duties (we don't know what those entailed) lots were cast, and Shebuel and twelve of his relatives caught the thirteenth lot (1 Chronicles 25:20; spelled שובאל).
🔼Etymology of the name Shebuel
The name Shebuel consists of two elements, the final one being אל (El), the prominent Canaanite deity, whose name became applied to the God of Israel, or the common abbreviation of Elohim, the genus God:
In names אל ('el) usually refers to אלהים ('elohim), that is Elohim, or God, also known as אלה ('eloah). In English, the words 'God' and 'god' exclusively refer to the deity but in Hebrew the words אל ('l) and אלה ('lh) are far more common and may express approach and negation, acts of wailing and pointing, and may even mean oak or terebinth.
The second part of our varyingly spelled name either comes from the verb שבה (shaba) meaning to take captive, or the verb שוב (shub), meaning to return or restore:
The verb שוב (shub) tells of a reversal in motion; the point where an upward motion becomes a downward one, or vice versa, or a westward motion an eastward one, and so on. This very frequently occurring verb is mostly translated with to turn or return, and is often used to mean to convert or return to a more fruitful way of life, and hence to restore, to retrieve or even to abstain, to reply and to repeat. Noun שובה (shuba) means withdrawal; noun שיבה (shiba) means restoration, and noun תשובה (teshuba) means answer. Adjectives שובב (shobab), שובב (shobeb) and משובה (meshuba) mean backsliding, or transitioning from a positive to a negative way of life.
Verb ישב (yashab) means to sit (the act which occurs precisely in between a person's descent and ascent) or to remain or dwell (in between traveling to and from some place). Nouns שבת (shebet) and מושב (moshab) mean both seat or dwelling place. Noun תושב (toshab) means sojourner.
The verb שבת (shabbat) means to rest or cease activity, and the familiar noun שבת (shabbat) means a rest or stoppage. Noun שבת (shebbet) means cessation and is closely similar to the noun שבת (shebet), meaning seat, mentioned above. Noun משבת (mishbat) also means cessation. Denominative verb שבת (shabat) means to keep the Sabbath and the noun שבתון (shabbaton) denotes a sabbatical observance.
Verb שבה (shaba) means to take captive, or to put a halt to someone's preferred trajectory and coerce them to go somewhere else. Nouns שבי (shebi) and שביה (shibya) mean captivity or captives collectively, but with the emphasis on being moved somewhere rather than the static condition of being imprisoned. Likewise, the noun שביה (shebiya) means captive. Noun שבית (shebit) or שבות (shebut) means captivity but since the parent verb speaks of a sudden change of destiny rather than a particular destination, this noun may also be used to mean restoration. The noun שבו (shebo) describes some sort of gem, apparently a real "head-turner."
For a meaning of the name Shebuel, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads a rather curious God Is Renown. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Captive Of God for שבואל and Restored Of God for שובאל. BDB Theological Dictionary doesn't interpret this name but does list all versions of it under the verb שבה (shaba) meaning to take captive.