seb
שב
'seb' appears to be a nuanced word with a range of meaning around the idea of “resting” or “staying put”. It is in this context that it became the root word of the term “Sabbath”. However, things are not as straightforward as they appear.
Traditional interpretation has stretched the word somewhat into a series of similar but slightly different meanings including: “abide”, “remain”, “stop” and “broken”.
A number of words are built on the root of 'seb', including yeseb “ripen”, heseb “consider”, sebet “scheme”, sebeyeh “oath”. The logic here is quite feasible; the act of abiding allows time for consideration, consideration becomes scheming, often ripening into an oath. A parallel etymological path brings us to sebel “head of grain” (after having ripened) and probably also sebef “rod, staff or scepter” (as in a ripened stick of wood). This last meaning is also used metaphorically to refer to a “tribe”, for the same reasons that the scepter is still used as a symbolic artifact of royalty/governance.
The concept of sebet “Sabbath - a day of rest” stems from a novel interpretation beginning only in the book of Exodus and in the context of the Mosaic law. This also ties in with sebey “the number seven”, and possibly an implication of “fulfillment” or “satisfaction”.