שְׁבָרִים
Shebarim, a place in Palestine
Definition
Shebarim is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Palestine, mentioned only once in the Bible. The name itself means 'ruins' or 'broken places,' derived from the Hebrew root for 'to break.' In its sole biblical occurrence, it designates a geographical point, likely a landmark or settlement, to which Israelite soldiers fled during a military defeat. The context suggests it was a known place in the vicinity of Ai and Bethel.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Joshua 7:5. It appears in a narrative context describing the route of the Israelite retreat after their initial, unsuccessful attack on the city of Ai, following Achan's sin. The text states the men of Ai 'chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and smote them in the going down.' Its usage is purely geographical, identifying a point in the flight path.
Etymology
Shebarim (שְׁבָרִים) is the masculine plural form of the noun shever (שֶׁבֶר, H7667), which means 'a breaking, fracture, crushing, or ruin.' The root verb is shavar (שָׁבַר, H7665), 'to break, break in pieces.' The plural form likely denotes a place characterized by multiple breaks or ruins, possibly referring to a rocky, fractured terrain or the remains of destroyed structures.
Semantic Range
While the place name itself is not theologically loaded, its context in Joshua 7 is highly significant. The defeat at Ai and the flight to Shebarim was a direct consequence of Achan's disobedience and the breach of the covenant (Joshua 7:1, 11-12). Thus, 'Shebarim' (Ruins) becomes a tangible marker of the spiritual 'breaking' or ruin that sin brings upon the community, highlighting themes of corporate responsibility, holiness, and the serious consequences of covenant violation.
In the ancient Near East, place names were often descriptive of the landscape or historical events. A name meaning 'ruins' would immediately convey to an ancient Israelite that this was a place of destruction or broken terrain, possibly uninhabited. It served as a practical geographical identifier in a culture reliant on oral transmission of routes and landmarks.
Ai (H5857) — A nearby Canaanite city, the target of the Israelite attack. Bethel (H1008) — A major city in the same general region. Jericho (H3405) — The city conquered just prior to the events at Ai.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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