Hebrew word · H2881

טָבַל

vaiyitbol

to dip

To dip or plunge something into a liquid, or to immerse oneself.

Appears 16 times in 16 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to dip, dip into, plunge

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to dip in or into

1a2) to dip oneself

1b) (Niphal) to be dipped

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 2 Kings 5:14

Range of meaning

To dip or plunge something into a liquid, or to immerse oneself. Used of dipping a finger in blood (Lev 4:6), a robe in blood (Gen 37:31), bread in vinegar (Ruth 2:14), feet in water (Josh 3:15), and hyssop or a living bird in blood and water in the rite for cleansing skin disease (Lev 14:6, 16, 51).

Against the English

English "dipped himself" is accurate. "Himself" is supplied: the Hebrew verb stands alone, and YLT's bare "dippeth" keeps that. The real loss is that most readers will not notice the narrator has switched from Elisha's word "wash" (raḥaṣ, vv. 10, 12, 13) to this more specific one.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation) renders it ἐβαπτίσατο (ebaptisato, "he immersed himself"). This is one of only a handful of uses of baptizō in the Greek Old Testament; others are Judith 12:7 and Sirach 34:25 (31:30 in some editions), both about washing for purity. In later Jewish usage, ṭevilah, from the same root, became the standard term for ritual immersion.

From the study of Deuteronomy 33:24

Range of meaning

To dip, plunge, immerse something in a liquid. Used of dipping Joseph's robe in blood (Gen 37:31), dipping bread in vinegar (Ruth 2:14), a priest's finger in blood (Lev 4:6), hyssop in water (Num 19:18), the priests' feet dipped into the Jordan (Josh 3:15), and Naaman dipping himself seven times (2 Kgs 5:14).

Against the English

"Dip" (KJV, ESV, BSB) is accurate. Some versions say "bathe", which brings out the sense of plenty but loses the vivid picture of plunging the foot into a vessel or vat.

Used elsewhere in the period

Joshua 3:15 is the closest use: feet dipped (nitbĕlû) into a liquid. Later Hebrew uses ṭābal for ritual immersion, but that later use is not in view here.

From the study of Joshua 3:15

Range of meaning

To dip or plunge something into a liquid, usually only partly and briefly: a finger, a bundle of hyssop, a piece of bread, a garment. The Hebrew form here is the passive or middle one, 'were dipped / dipped themselves', and it describes the result: the feet ended up under the water.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, YLT and the ESV keep 'dipped'. The BSB and NLT soften it to 'touched'. 'Touched' captures the shallowness but loses the picture of the feet actually going in, which is what 3:13 promised (the soles 'resting' in the waters).

Used elsewhere in the period

It is used for priestly ritual: dipping the finger in blood (Lev 4:6, 17; 9:9) and dipping hyssop in water or blood (Exod 12:22; Num 19:18). Joseph's coat is dipped in blood (Gen 37:31), and Ruth dips her bread in vinegar (Ruth 2:14). In 2 Kings 5:14 Naaman 'dipped himself' seven times in this same Jordan. The Greek translation there uses ebaptisato, and in Joshua 3:15 it uses a form of the related verb baptō.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 37:31 וַיִּטְבְּל֥וּ and they dipped

    Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 12:22 וּטְבַלְתֶּם֮ and you will dip [it]

    Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.

    Here: To dip or plunge something into a liquid. The same verb is used in priestly rites where a finger or hyssop is dipped in blood (Lev 4:6; 14:6; Num 19:18), so it already sounds like ritual procedure.

Leviticus · 6

  1. Leviticus 4:6 וְטָבַ֧ל and he will dip

    The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.

  2. Leviticus 4:17 וְטָבַ֧ל and he will dip

    and he is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil.

  3. Leviticus 9:9 וַיִּטְבֹּ֤ל and he dipped

    The sons of Aaron brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. And he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.

  4. Leviticus 14:6 וְטָבַ֨ל and he will dip

    And he is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water.

  5. Leviticus 14:16 וְטָבַ֤ל and he will dip

    dip his right forefinger into the oil in his left palm, and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.

  6. Leviticus 14:51 וְטָבַ֣ל and he will dip

    Then he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 19:18 וְטָבַ֣ל and he will dip [it]

    Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, or a person who has died or been slain.

    Here: To dip something partway into a liquid. The hyssop is dipped into the water. The person is not plunged into it.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 33:24 וְטֹבֵ֥ל and [one who] dips

    And concerning Asher he said: “May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in oil.

    Here: A participle ("one who dips") that follows on from the wish: "and may he be one who dips…". The verb means to plunge or immerse something in a liquid. Priests dip a finger in blood (Lev 4:6), and the priests' feet are dipped in the Jordan (Josh 3:15).

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 3:15 נִטְבְּל֖וּ they were dipped

    Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,

    Here: 'Were dipped / got dipped': the feet went just under the surface. It is the verb used for a priest dipping a finger in blood or a bundle of hyssop in water. The point is that the feet went in at all, not that they went deep.

Ruth · 1

  1. Ruth 2:14 וְטָבַ֥לְתְּ and you will dip

    At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here; have some bread and dip it into the vinegar sauce.” So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over.

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 14:27 וַיִּטְבֹּ֥ל and he dipped

    Jonathan, however, had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath. So he reached out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it into the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.

2 Kings · 2

  1. 2 Kings 5:14 וַיִּטְבֹּ֤ל and he dipped

    So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a little child, and he was clean.

    Here: He dipped (himself). The narrator uses this word instead of Elisha's "wash" (raḥaṣ, v. 10). It is the word used in Leviticus for dipping in the rite for cleansing skin disease, and it shows him going right under the water.

  2. 2 Kings 8:15 וַיִּטְבֹּ֣ל and he dipped [it]

    But the next day Hazael took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king’s face. So Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.

Job · 1

  1. Job 9:31 תִּטְבְּלֵ֑נִי you will dip me

    then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me.

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