תֵּבָה (te.vah)

te.vah

ark

H8392 · Hebrew · Old Testament · 25 verses

H:N-F

Language: Biblical Hebrew
Testament: Old Testament
Occurrences: 25 verses
Root: —
Part of speech: H:N-F

Word Overview

The Hebrew noun tebah refers to a large chest or box-like vessel, appearing only in two specific narratives within the Old Testament. It describes the structure Noah built to survive the flood and the waterproof basket that carried the infant Moses down the Nile. Although the word is rare, it carries significant weight by linking these two pivotal moments of divine preservation.

Linguists suggest the term may be of foreign origin, possibly related to words for "coffer" in Aramaic or Arabic. The Bible does not use a different word for Noah’s ship and Moses’ basket; instead, it applies tebah to both, emphasizing their shared function as protective containers. This choice highlights that both vessels were designed to keep life safe from destructive waters.

Translators typically render tebah as "ark," which can imply a large sailing ship in modern English. However, the Hebrew image is more akin to a sturdy chest or box than a traditional vessel with masts and sails. By using this single term for both stories, the text creates a thematic bridge between the preservation of humanity through Noah and the preservation of Israel’s deliverer through Moses.

Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).

What This Word Means for Your Faith

The word tebah describes a simple box or chest built to keep life safe from dangerous waters. It appears in the story of Noah’s flood and the basket that carried baby Moses down the Nile. This shared term shows that God uses ordinary materials to protect His people during times of chaos.

When you feel overwhelmed by circumstances beyond your control, this word reminds you that preservation is often quiet and practical. God does not always remove the storm immediately; sometimes He provides a steady place to wait until the waters recede. Your safety rests in His care, even when the situation seems unstable.

How it's translated

How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 25 verses where it appears, by frequency.

the/ ark22×
in the/ ark2×
the/ basket1×
for the/ ark1×
an ark of1×
a basket of1×

Forms in the text

The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.

הַ/תֵּבָ֔ה7×
הַ/תֵּבָ֖ה5×
הַ/תֵּבָ֑ה5×
הַ/תֵּבָֽה\׃4×
הַ/תֵּבָה֙2×
תֵּבַ֣ת1×
תֵּ֣בַת1×
לַ/תֵּבָ֗ה1×
בַּ/תֵּבָֽה\׃1×
בַּ/תֵּבָ֑ה1×

Key Verses

Genesis 7:1
Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.

Noah enters the tebah by God’s specific command, showing that obedience leads to safety.
Genesis 8:1
God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.

God remembers Noah and the animals in the tebah, initiating the end of the flood.
Exodus 2:3
When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.

Moses’ mother places him in a tebah to save him from Pharaoh’s decree, linking his survival to divine providence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does tebah mean in the Bible?

Tebah refers to a chest, box, or basket made to hold something safe. It is used for Noah’s vessel and Moses’ basket. The word emphasizes protection rather than navigation.

Is tebah the same as a ship?

Modern translations often use 'ship' for Noah’s tebah, but the Hebrew word describes a box-like structure. It was not designed for sailing but for floating and staying intact in floodwaters.

Why is the same word used for Noah’s ark and Moses’ basket?

Using tebah for both stories highlights a theme of preservation through water. God saves humanity through Noah and preserves Israel’s leader through Moses using similar protective containers.

Every Occurrence (25 verses across 2 books)

Genesis 23 verses

Genesis 6:14

Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch.

Genesis 6:15

This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its…

Genesis 6:16

You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its…

Genesis 6:18

But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’…

Genesis 6:19

Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They…

Genesis 7:1

Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in…

Genesis 7:7

Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters.

Genesis 7:9

went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah.

Genesis 7:13

In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with…

Genesis 7:15

Pairs from all flesh with the breath of life in them went into the ship to Noah.

Genesis 7:17

The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the…

Genesis 7:18

The waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.

Genesis 7:23

Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and…

Genesis 8:1

God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass…

Genesis 8:4

The ship rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat’s mountains.

Genesis 8:6

At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made,

Genesis 8:9

but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned into the ship to him, for the waters were on the surface…

Genesis 8:10

He waited yet another seven days; and again he sent the dove out of the ship.

Genesis 8:13

In the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth.…

Genesis 8:16

“Go out of the ship, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you.

Genesis 8:19

Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the…

Genesis 9:10

and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of…

Genesis 9:18

The sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.

Exodus 2 verses