סָבַב

חוּל chûwl · H2342 · to turn, to whirl, to rage

Both terms include turning or circular-motion senses — one "writhing, whirling, dancing," the other "going around, encircling, turning." Both words have broad, diverse semantic profiles spanning many other senses, making "turn" only one facet of each, but that facet genuinely overlaps.

גָּלַל gâlal · H1556 · to roll, to roll up

Both words carry the sense of turning. גָּלַל means to roll or turn by rolling, while סָבַב means to turn, go around in a circuit or surround, and they overlap in the sense of rotation.

κυκλόω kyklóō · G2944 · to surround, to be around

Greek κυκλόω specifically denotes encircling or surrounding motion, corresponding to the 'round about' and 'compass' senses within Hebrew סָבַב's broader semantic range of turning, surrounding, and circular movement.

ἀποστρέφω apostréphō · G654 · to cause to turn away from, to cause to change one’s belief, to mislead

Greek ἀποστρέφω focuses specifically on turning away/back with directional emphasis (apo- prefix), whereas Hebrew סָבַב encompasses broader circular motion, surrounding, and encompassing actions; the overlap occurs primarily in contexts of turning back or away from a position.

στρέφω stréphō · G4762 · to turn, to change, to turn into

Greek στρέφω focuses on the action of turning or twisting in a specific direction or reversing course, while Hebrew סָבַב encompasses a broader range of circular or surrounding motion including encompassing, encircling, going around, and turning about, often with spatial implications of surrounding or besieging.

Turn002002001020

The word describes turning or changing direction, as Joseph turns away from his brothers to weep (Genesis 42:24), tying the word to a reorientation of movement.

Bear002003003003

This entry carries no independent “Bear” sense of its own; every tagged occurrence is the verb “turn” or “go around”, as in “The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah” (Genesis 2:11). The “Bear” domain is bundle-shared with the related lexeme מוּסַבָּה (mûwçabbâh, H4142) rather than independently attested here.

Change002001003002

סָבַב describes changing or altering something, illustrated at Numbers 32:38 (Nebo and Baal-meon, "their names being changed").

Different002001001019

This entry carries no independent "Different" sense of its own distinct from the change-of-name sense already illustrated; the genuine tagged occurrence of change (Numbers 32:38) concerns renaming, and the domain is bundle-shared with that sense.

Non-Engage002003003012

The word describes turning away from an engagement or confrontation, as Joseph turns away to compose himself before returning (Genesis 42:24), tying the word to a temporary withdrawal.

Move002002001012

The word's most basic sense is going around or circling something, as the Pishon river flows around the whole land of Havilah (Genesis 2:11) and the Gihon flows around Cush (Genesis 2:13), tying the word to this encircling motion.

Control002003002007

This entry carries no independent "Control" sense of its own distinct from ordinary turning or surrounding; the genuine tagged occurrences (e.g. Genesis 19:4, 2 Kings 6:15) concern surrounding or turning, not exercising control. The domain is bundle-shared with the lexeme's own broader sense range.

Engage002003003011

The word describes actively surrounding and confronting a party, as the men of Sodom surround Lot's house (Genesis 19:4), tying the word to hostile engagement.

Non-Possess002003002018

This entry carries no independent "Non-Possess" sense of its own; the genuine tagged occurrences concern surrounding or turning, not relinquishing possession. The domain is bundle-shared with the lexeme's own broader sense range.

Space002002001017

The word's encircling sense ties it directly to occupying or defining a bounded area of space, as sheaves gather around another sheaf (Genesis 37:7).

Arrange002002001001

This entry carries no independent "Arrange" sense of its own distinct from ordinary military maneuvering; the genuine tagged occurrence at 2 Samuel 5:23 ("circle around behind them") concerns a tactical movement, and the domain is bundle-shared with the lexeme's own broader sense of turning/circling.

Cover002003001005

סָבַב describes surrounding or enclosing, illustrated at Genesis 19:4 ("the men of the city... surrounded the house") and 2 Kings 6:15 ("an army with horses and chariots was circling the city").

Dimension002001001020

This entry carries no independent "Dimension" sense of its own distinct from ordinary surrounding; the genuine tagged occurrences (e.g. Genesis 19:4) concern encircling a place, not measuring a dimension. The domain is bundle-shared with the lexeme's own broader sense range.

Safe002003003019

This entry carries no independent "Safe" sense of its own; the genuine tagged occurrence of surrounding at 2 Kings 6:15 ("an army... was circling the city") describes a threat to safety, not safety itself, and the domain is bundle-shared with that sense.

Non-Space002002001018

This entry carries no independent "Non-Space" sense of its own; every genuine tagged occurrence of סָבַב concerns physical movement or position — turning, surrounding, circling — which is inherently spatial. The domain is bundle-shared with the lexeme's own broader sense range.

Stance002001001061

This entry carries no independent "Stance" sense of its own distinct from ordinary turning or surrounding; the genuine tagged occurrences concern movement or encirclement, not bodily posture. The domain is bundle-shared with the lexeme's own broader sense range.

Think002004002013

This entry carries no independent “Think” sense of its own; every tagged occurrence is the verb “turn” or “go around”, as in “The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah” (Genesis 2:11). The “Think” domain is bundle-shared with the related lexeme מוּסַבָּה (mûwçabbâh, H4142) rather than independently attested here.

Willing002001002028

סָבַב describes an unwillingness expressed by turning away, illustrated at 1 Samuel 22:17 ("the servants of the king were unwilling to reach out with their hands" — turning away from the command).

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.