🔼The name Zibiah: Summary
- Meaning
- Gazelle, Beautiful Lady
- Etymology
- From the verb צבא (saba'), to be a collective.
🔼The name Zibiah in the Bible
There's only one Zibiah in the Bible, but the name צביא (Zibia) is probably the same name, just spelled slightly different.
Zibiah of Beersheba is the mother of king Jehoash or Joash of Judah (2 Kings 12:1, 2 Chronicles 24:1), and that's all we know about her.
🔼Etymology of the name Zibiah
The name Zibiah comes from the root group צבה (saba) and is identical to the noun צביה (sebiya), meaning gazelle:
צבא
The verb צבא (saba') means to ally; to combine and integrate. It describes the formation of a distinct group, its inner economy and its interactions with neighboring groups. It's often used for military encounters but certainly not restricted to that use. Noun צבא (saba') describes a group that functions internally and externally as a distinct unit: a team, a league, a sodality, a collective, an army division.
צבה
Verb צבה (saba) means to swell up, but tends to describe the growing, getting better organized and more thoroughly engaging of the troop described by noun צבא (saba'). Noun צבה (sabeh) mostly describes a physical swelling. Noun צבי (sebi) mostly describes a swelling in the social sense: a becoming more honored or increasing in perceived beauty. In later parts of the Bible the verb צבה (saba) may be used to mean to wish. Noun צבו (sebu) means "desired thing."
Noun צבי (sebi) describes a gazelle, and is identical to the one meaning beauty but may also reflect the gazelle's herd behavior. Noun צביה (sebiya) also means gazelle.
Noun צב (sab) probably stems from an otherwise unused root צבב (sabab) and means cart. It's unclear how it fits in but perhaps as a thing upon which to pile things? Identical noun צב (sab) is thought to describe a kind of lizard (listed as unclean), possibly also because this animal tended to congregate.