סָבָא

Grandfather

SAH-bah

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Meanings

GrandfatherGrandpa

About “Grandfather” in Hebrew

In Jewish culture, grandparents hold a place of deep respect as transmitters of tradition and family history. Many Israeli children are named after deceased grandparents (Ashkenazi tradition) or living grandparents (Sephardi tradition). The word saba is also famously associated with Kibbutz Sde Boker, where David Ben-Gurion, known as 'Saba,' retired.

Example

סָבָא מְסַפֵּר סִפּוּרִים יָפִים.

Grandpa tells beautiful stories.

Gematria of “Grandfather” (סבא)

In Hebrew numerology (gematria), each letter has a numerical value. The word סבא (SAH-bah) has a gematria value of 63.

60ס+

2ב+

1א

total63

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“Grandfather” in the Bible

Verses from the Torah and Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) mentioning “grandfather”.

II Samuel 9:7שמואל ב 9:7

ויאמר לו דוד אל תירא כי עשה אעשה עמך חסד בעבור יהונתן אביך והשבתי לך את כל שדה שאול אביך ואתה תאכל לחם על שלחני תמיד

David said to him, “Don’t be afraid, for I will keep faith with you for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will give you back all the land of your grandfather Saul; moreover, you shall always eat at my table.”

II Samuel 16:3שמואל ב 16:3

ויאמר המלך ואיה בן אדניך ויאמר ציבא אל המלך הנה יושב בירושל͏ם כי אמר היום ישיבו לי בית ישראל את ממלכות אבי

“And where is your master’s son?” the king asked. “He is staying in Jerusalem,” Ziba replied to the king, “for he thinks that the House of Israel will now give him back the throne of his grandfather.”

English translation: THE JPS TANAKH, Revised Edition (2023) © Jewish Publication Society, via Sefaria. CC BY-NC 4.0

This word starts with the Hebrew letter samekh.