טָבַל (ta.val)
ta.val
to dip
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 16 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb tabal describes the physical act of dipping, plunging, or immersing something into a liquid. It appears sixteen times in the Old Testament, often in ritual contexts where objects or people are submerged to achieve a specific result. The word is concrete and tactile, focusing on the action of moving an item into a medium like water, blood, or oil.
This term carries significant weight in Levitical law, where it governs purification rites. For instance, the priest dips hyssop into sacrificial blood to sprinkle it on the altar or the people (Leviticus 14:6). It also appears in narrative passages, such as when Naaman dips himself seven times in the Jordan River to be healed of leprosy (2 Kings 5:14). In Ruth, the word describes dipping a piece of bread into vinegar, illustrating its use for simple, everyday actions alongside sacred ones.
Unlike words that might imply washing with soap or scrubbing, tabal emphasizes complete submersion. The action is total; the object is fully covered by the liquid. This distinction highlights the thoroughness required in biblical purification rituals. The physical immersion serves as a visible sign of spiritual cleansing or consecration, making the invisible reality of ritual purity tangible through a simple, decisive motion.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word tabal describes a simple, physical act: dipping or plunging something completely into a liquid. In the Old Testament, this action often marked a transition from impurity to purity, or from danger to safety. It was not a gentle washing but a decisive immersion, showing that God’s cleansing work is thorough and complete.
When Naaman dipped himself in the Jordan River, he did so in obedience to God’s instruction through Elisha. His healing came not from the water’s power alone, but from trusting the God who commanded it. Similarly, when the Israelites dipped hyssop in blood to mark their doors, they were protected by faith in God’s provision. These moments remind us that true cleansing and deliverance come from submitting to God’s way.
Today, this word invites us to consider how we approach spiritual renewal. Just as objects were fully immersed to be made clean, our hearts are called to be fully surrendered to God. We do not achieve purity by our own effort alone; we receive it through faith and obedience. This promise of complete cleansing is a gift we can trust in every season of life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 16 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ he will dip5×
- and/ he dipped3×
- you will dip/ me1×
- they were dipped1×
- and/ you will dip [it]1×
- and/ you will dip1×
- and/ they dipped1×
- and/ he will dip [it]1×
- and/ he dipped [it]1×
- and/ [one who] dips1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וַ/יִּטְבֹּ֤ל2×
- וְ/טָבַ֧ל2×
- וְ/טָבַ֣ל2×
- תִּטְבְּלֵ֑/נִי1×
- נִטְבְּל֖וּ1×
- וּ/טְבַלְתֶּם֮1×
- וַ/יִּטְבֹּ֥ל1×
- וַ/יִּטְבֹּ֣ל1×
- וַ/יִּטְבְּל֥וּ1×
- וְ/טֹבֵ֥ל1×
- וְ/טָבַ֨ל1×
- וְ/טָבַ֥לְתְּ1×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 5:14
Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Naaman’s dipping demonstrates that healing comes through obedient submission to God’s specific instruction, not merely the physical act itself.
-
Exodus 12:22
You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door posts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.
The blood-dipped hyssop shows how faith in God’s provided means of protection leads to deliverance from judgment.
-
Leviticus 4:6
The priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before Yahweh, before the veil of the sanctuary.
The priest’s dipping of his finger highlights the careful, deliberate nature of ritual purification required before a holy God.
-
Ruth 2:14
At meal time Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” She sat beside the reapers, and they passed her parched grain. She ate, was satisfied, and left some of it.
This everyday use of dipping bread in vinegar illustrates how the word applies to ordinary moments of provision and care.