Language Studies

Hebrew Thoughts

tâbhal - טָבַל (Strong's #2881)
Dip'

The word טָבַל tâbhal (Strong's #2881, x16) is first used in Genesis 37:31 of Joseph's brothers taking his multicoloured tunic and dipping it in goat's blood to fake his death. Usually rendered by βαπτω baptô (Strong's #911) "to dip, dye" in the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament it is unexpectedly translated here by μολυνω molunô (Strong's #3435), a verb meaning to "stain, defile". The Greek word also translates גָּאַל gâ’al (Strong's #1351) "pollute, stain" in Isaiah 59:3 of hands defiled with blood and iniquity.

The primary letters in the word appear to be טב t-b since טָבַע tâbha‘ (Strong's #2883, x10) also means to "dip, impress, sink" into a soft material such as clay or mud rather than liquid and hence to "seal". Since 't' and 'd', 'b' and 'f/p', are often related across other languages we can see some affinity, either derived or accidental, with such words as "tub" and reversed "bath", Greek βαθος bathos (Strong's #899) "deep, depth", German tief "deep" and taufen "baptise", cf. Italian tuffare "plunge".

The word in Hebrew, however, is not defined by any measure of depth into which something is dipped or plunged. Hence, it cannot be inferred that this implies either baptism or immersion to any specific degree particularly since when the priests carried the Ark across the Jordan before the waters stood to one side it is said they "dipped in the edge of the water" their feet (Joshua 3:15), and the point of the miracle was that they were not fully immersed.

Of its sixteen uses in the Hebrew Scriptures, fourteen times it is translated into the Greek by βαπτω baptô, once by μολυνω molunô, noted above, and only once by βαπτιζω baptizô (Strong's #907). This last use is in 2 Kings 5:14 of Naaman's sevenfold washing in the Jordan resulting in the healing of his leprosy. Why only here did the Jewish Septuagint translators choose a word that would later form the basis of the word baptism only in this verse out of all its uses? The Greek word means, "to fully cover over" as in the dyeing of a garment for which complete immersion is necessary, whereas the Hebrew only implies "dipping" into not a full immersion or plunging as can be seen by its more common use for dipping something into blood (Leviticus 14:6), water be it just a finger (Leviticus 4:6,17; 9:9), foot or toe.

It is interesting that the majority of Bible versions render the verb in 2 Kings 5:14 by "dipped", only the NRSV and The Message use "immersed" whilst Darby used "plunged". Unlike Fairfield in his Letters on Baptism,^F1 Hobbs in the Word Biblical Commentary on 2 Kings^F2 does not regard it as a synonym for "cleansing" or "washing" רָחַץ râchats (Strong's #7364), however the standard purification of a leper in Leviticus 14:2-8 included both "sprinkling" נָזָה nâzâh (Strong's #5137) of "dipped" blood (טָבַל tâbhal) and "washing" in water. This washing, seemingly, was to include full immersion of the body hence the use of a variant Greek word here in accordance with the required cleansing of a leper.

Fuerst, in his old Lexicon of 1857/63^F3 says that "the fundamental signification of the stem [טָבַל tâbhal] is to moisten, to be-sprinkle". He further notes under tâbha‘ that it, too, can mean "to dip abundantly, to sink in, hence to dye" and draws attention to the later Aramaic Targumic and Talmudic usage of צָבַע tsâbha‘ and צְבַע tsebha‘ (Strong's #6647) where צ has replaced ט and which also means "to dip, dye". צְבַע tsebha‘ is used in Daniel 4:15 [Heb.v.12] of a tree root being mositened by טַל tal (Strong's #2920) "dew".

Elsewhere, טָבַל tâbhal is used of the "dipped" blood sprinkled over the doorposts during the first Passover (Exodus 12:22), at sin offerings (Leviticus 4:6,17) and "dipped" water at the Red Heifer ceremony (Numbers 19:18). In non-religious occasions it is used for Jonathan's dipping a rod in a honeycomb (1 Samuel 14:27) to draw sustenance against his father's oath that none of the people should eat that day. Similarly, it is used of dipping bread into vinegar (Ruth 2:14). So blessed was Asher to be, in Moses' final blessing on Israel, that he would be able to anoint not just his head buit also to "dip" and "wash" his feet in oil (Deuteronomy 33:24).

Thus, טָבַל tâbhal is used for "dipping" of all sorts, whether to dye a garment in blood, or to use it for sprinkling at a religious ceremony. It was generally used for partial immersion though one cannot rule out a full plunging under the surface of an object or person, as it was later used in Talmudic literature for full bathing and ritual purification of vessels. Indeed, Job used the verb caustically of God "plunging" him "into the pit" where even his "own clothes would abhor him" (Job 9:31). The sense here is of an overwhelming sinking and covering over in a ditch, grave or even She'ol.

FOOTNOTES:
F1: E.B. Fairfield, Letters on Baptism, 1893, pp.58-65.
F2: Hobbs, T. R., Vol. 13: Word Biblical Commentary : 2 Kings, (Dallas: Word, Incorporated.), 2002, p.65.
F3: Fuerst, J., A Hebrew & Chaldee Lexicon, 4th English edition, (London: Tauchnitz), 1871, translated by S Davidson.

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