שֻׁ֖ב

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 שֻׁ֖ב

   SHUV

   return or go back
2. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֕אמֶר שֻׁ֖ב שֶׁ֥בַע פְּעָמִֽים׃

   va-YO-mer SHUV SHE-va pe-a-MIM

   and he said return or go back seven times
3. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶֽל־נַעֲר֗וֹ עֲלֵֽה־נָא֙ הַבֵּ֣ט דֶּֽרֶךְ־יָ֔ם וַיַּ֙עַל֙ וַיַּבֵּ֔ט וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֵ֣ין מְא֑וּמָה וַיֹּ֕אמֶר שֻׁ֖ב שֶׁ֥בַע פְּעָמִֽים׃

   va-YO-mer el-na-a-RO a-le-NA ha-BET DE-rekh-YAM va-YA-al va-ya-BET va-YO-mer EN me-u-MA va-YO-mer SHUV SHE-va pe-a-MIM

   and he said to his young-man or servant go up, please look toward the way of the sea and he went up and he looked and he said there is not anything and he said return or go back seven times

Exegesis

Imperative verbs (’aleh-na {עֲלֵה־נָא | ’ă-lê-nā} ‘go up now’, habet {הַבֵּט | hab-bēṭ} ‘look’, shuv {שֻׁב | šûḇ} ‘return’) signal direct instruction.

The repetition of shuv {שֻׁב | šûḇ} with sheva peamim {שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִֽים | še-ḇā‘ pə-‘ā-mîm} underscores persistence, a Hebrew narrative motif for completeness. English renders VSO Hebrew into SVO order while preserving iterative commands and negation.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 ש־ב־טshin–bet–tet

“rod; clan; tribe”

• 🔊 שִׁבְטֵ֣יšivṯêtribes ofNumbers 1:2