Ṣ-B-Y means to want, with decision behind the wanting. You hear it in scenes of choosing, refusal, healing, and prayer, and in God's words, "I want compassion." The Qala renders the verb want, where most translations say will, wish, or desire. It appears 134 times in the Gospels.
| Form | Pattern | Script | Standard | Qala rendering |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tsave (ṣbā) | Peal verb: active participle | צבא ܨܳܒ݂ܶܐ | to will, to wish | to want, to be willing |
| tsevyana (ṣebyānā) | noun in -ānā: the thing willed | צבינא ܨܒܝܢܐ | will | will: "let your will unfold" (Matthew 6:10, tsebyanakh) |
| dtsavya (dṣābyā) | participle, feminine: "that you (f.) want" | דצביא ܕ݁ܨܳܒ݂ܝܳܐ | as you desire | as you want (Matthew 15:28) |
| dtsaveyn (dṣābeyn) | participle, plural: "that you (pl.) want" | דצבין ܕ݁ܨܳܒ݂ܶܝܢ | whatever you wish | what you want (Matthew 7:12) |
In the Gospels the verb appears 134 times, in the Peal, tsva (ṣbā), to want or be willing, and in the Ethpeel ʾeṣṭvi, to be well pleased, as in "In him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17; 17:5) and "In you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11), a stem where the ṣ turns the t into ṭ.
Three times today, stop and ask what you actually want. Say tsave-na, I want, and finish the sentence, then say yehwe tsebyanakh, let your will unfold.