שׁוּב shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)
Translated in the KJV as ((break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice.
a primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again.
shûwb in each stem
Qal (Pa'al)
Imperfect (yiqtol) 179Wayyiqtol 159Imperative 88Perfect (qatal) 75Infinitive construct 64Sequential perfect (weqatal) 63Jussive 18Participle (active) 17Infinitive absolute 13Cohortative 13Participle (passive) 1
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
Hiph'il
Imperfect (yiqtol) 113Wayyiqtol 51Sequential perfect (weqatal) 44Infinitive construct 44Perfect (qatal) 40Imperative 37Participle (active) 17Jussive 8Infinitive absolute 7Cohortative 4
And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
Polel
Perfect (qatal) 3Sequential perfect (weqatal) 3Imperfect (yiqtol) 2Infinitive construct 2Participle (active) 1Participle (passive) 1
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.
For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
Hoph'al
Participle (passive) 3Perfect (qatal) 1Wayyiqtol 1
And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?
And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:
And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?
What the stems mean
A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›