Hebrew word · H2872

טַבּוּר

tabur

highest

Occurs only here and in Ezek. 38:12, both times in the phrase ṭabbûr hāʾāreṣ. Two meanings are proposed: (1) 'navel', and so the centre point of a land or of the world; (2) 'height, elevated plateau, ridge', from the shape of the terrain. Post-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic use ṭabbûr for 'navel'.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

centre, midst, navel, highest part

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Judges 9:37

Range of meaning

Occurs only here and in Ezek. 38:12, both times in the phrase ṭabbûr hāʾāreṣ. Two meanings are proposed: (1) 'navel', and so the centre point of a land or of the world; (2) 'height, elevated plateau, ridge', from the shape of the terrain. Post-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic use ṭabbûr for 'navel'.

Against the English

BSB, ESV and WEB: 'center/middle of the land'. NIV: 'the central hill'. NASB: 'highest part'. YLT: 'high part'. KJV: 'middle of the land'. NRSV treats it as a place-name ('Tabbur-erez'). The 'center' renderings keep the 'navel' tradition. The 'height' renderings follow the terrain argument.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint reads omphalos tēs gēs, 'navel of the earth/land', both here and in Ezek. 38:12. The Vulgate here reads umbilicus terrae, 'navel of the land'. Jubilees 8:19 later calls Mount Zion 'the navel of the earth', and Greeks spoke of Delphi as the world's omphalos (navel). S. Talmon argued that biblical usage points to 'height/plateau' and that the 'navel of the world' idea was read into the word later.

Where it appears

Judges · 1

  1. Judges 9:37 טַבּ֣וּר [the] center of

    Then Gaal spoke up again, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming by way of the Diviners’ Oak.”

    Here: A rare word. Elsewhere it appears only in Ezek. 38:12. Ancient tradition (the Greek and Latin translations, the rabbis) took it as 'navel'. Some modern scholars argue for 'height, raised plateau'. Either way it names a landmark near Shechem, probably a ridge of Mount Gerizim.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 38:12 טַבּ֥וּר [the] center of

    in order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center of the land.’

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.