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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Seba

Seba meaning

Seba in Biblical Hebrew
סבא
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Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Seba.html

🔼The name Seba: Summary

Meaning
Drunkard
Etymology
From the verb סבא (saba), to imbibe.
Related names
• Via סבא (saba): Barsabbas, Sheba

🔼The name Seba in the Bible

There's only one Seba in the Bible, and he's a son of Cush, son of Ham, son of Noah (Genesis 10:7).

🔼Etymology of the name Seba

There seems to be something secretive about this name. Neither BDB Theological Dictionary nor NOBSE Study Bible Name List dares to even hint at an interpretation. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names ignores any Hebrew words that may have to do with the name Seba and goes after an Arabic cognate and concludes Eminent.

Perhaps that's what the name Seba meant to those who made it up, but to a Hebrew audience the name Seba sounded very clearly like it came from the verb סבא (saba), meaning to imbibe:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
סבא

The verb סבא (saba') means to imbibe and is mostly associated with strong liquor and heavy drinking. Noun סבא (sobe) means a drink and noun סבא (saba) means drunkard.

— See the full Dictionary article —

🔼Seba meaning

Whatever the original name was intended to convey, to a Hebrew audience the name Seba must have looked like Drunkard. According to Klein's Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language, the name Seba means He Drank Wine.