ze.va.ah denotes a condition of dread or trembling, especially as people are made an object of horror before other kingdoms.

The attested usage consistently depicts dread associated with public calamity: people are made an object of horror or trembling among other kingdoms, and the report of an overwhelming event produces trembling. The same noun form occurs throughout, while the surrounding clauses portray this dread as the result of judgment, disaster, or alarming news.

1. Dread as a public object of horror · dominant

   In 2 Chronicles 29:8 the noun occurs in the statement that Judah and Jerusalem were made an object of trembling, horror, desolation, and hissing. Jeremiah 15:4, Jeremiah 24:9, Jeremiah 29:18, and Jeremiah 34:17 likewise place it in declarations that people will become a horror or object of trembling among the kingdoms; in Jeremiah 24:9 the APB renders the clause "an object of trembling and distress."

   2 Chronicles 29:8Jeremiah 15:4Jeremiah 24:9Jeremiah 29:18Jeremiah 34:17
2. Trembling prompted by a report · occasional

   In Isaiah 28:19 the noun stands in the clause concerning understanding the report after an event repeatedly passes through; the APB renders the result as "sheer trembling to understand the report."

   Isaiah 28:19

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the relevant clauses with "trembling" in 2 Chronicles 29:8 and Jeremiah 24:9, "sheer trembling" in Isaiah 28:19, and "horror" in Jeremiah 15:4, Jeremiah 29:18, and Jeremiah 34:17. These renderings show the verses' presentation rather than fixed English equivalents for the noun.