Lexical Summary tebach: Slaughter, butchery Original Word: טֶבַח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance beast, slaughter, slay, sore From tabach; properly, something slaughtered; hence, a beast (or meat, as butchered); abstr. Butchery (or concretely, a place of slaughter) -- X beast, slaughter, X slay, X sore. see HEBREW tabach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom tabach Definition slaughtering, slaughter NASB Translation animal (1), food (1), slaughter (10). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. טֶ֫בַח noun masculineIsaiah 34:6 slaughtering, slaughter — absolute ׳ט Genesis 43:16 6t.; טָ֑בַח Ezekiel 21:20 3t.; suffix טִבְחָהּ Proverbs 9:2; — 1 slaughtering, slaughter, of animals for food; as accusative of congnate meaning with verb after טָבַח (q. v.) Genesis 43:16 (J), Proverbs 9:2; יוּבָ֑ל ׳כַּשֶּׂה לַטּ Isaiah 53:7, simile of suffering servant of ׳י; also Proverbs 7:22 simile of fatuousness of one following a strange woman, thoughtless of consequences; ׳יֵרְדוּ לַטּ Jeremiah 50:27 metaphor of Babylonian leaders, under figure of bullocks; so probably Jeremiah 48:15, and perhaps תִּכְרָ֑עוּ ׳לַטּ Isaiah 65:12. 2 in poetry figurative slaughter, to which the nations are given over by ׳י Isaiah 34:2, specifically of Edom Isaiah 34:6 ("" זֶבַח; see ׳ז 6); of Israel Ezekiel 21:20, as accusative of congnate meaning with verb after טָבַח Ezekiel 21:15; of Ammon Ezekiel 21:33. Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery טֶבַח consistently evokes the picture of a decisive, often public, killing. In everyday life it could denote the butchering of animals for food, yet in prophetic contexts it widens to encompass large-scale judgment. The term therefore oscillates between hospitable provision and ominous doom, allowing the same vocabulary to speak of both celebration and catastrophe. Occurrences in the Old Testament Narrative Genesis 43:16 records Joseph’s command, “Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for these men will dine with me at noon”. Here טֶבַח underscores abundance and reconciliation. After years of estrangement, the brothers are welcomed through a costly meal. The slaughtered animal signals covenantal fellowship, prefiguring later redemptive meals in Scripture where peace with God is pictured through shared sacrifice. Wisdom Literature Perspectives Proverbs 7:22 likens the seduced youth to “an ox going to the slaughter,” warning that moral folly leads to violent ends. Conversely, Proverbs 9:2 portrays Wisdom: “She has prepared her meat; she has mixed her wine.” The same noun sits at the center of two divergent banquets—one deadly, one life-giving. Together they press the reader to discern whose table he attends, a theme fulfilled in the New Covenant call to discern the Lord’s body. Prophetic and Eschatological Usage Isaiah 34 employs טֶבַח twice to announce cosmic retribution: “For the LORD is enraged against all the nations… He has devoted them to destruction, given them over to the slaughter” (Isaiah 34:2). Verse 6 pictures Edom’s land soaked with blood, a foretaste of universal judgment. Jeremiah 50:27 and Ezekiel 21:10, 21:28 extend the motif to Babylon and Ammon—historic powers that typify every proud kingdom destined for divine reckoning. Isaiah 65:12 warns Judah herself, “I will destine you for the sword… when I called, you did not answer,” proving that covenant privilege is no shield against unrepentant hearts. Messianic Significance Isaiah 53:7 stands out: “Like a lamb led to the slaughter, and like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open His mouth”. Here טֶבַח becomes the doorway to atonement. Unlike earlier slaughters, this Servant’s death is voluntary and vicarious, transforming the noun’s history of judgment into the means of justification. The prophetic tension between wrath and mercy resolves at the cross, where judgment falls on the Substitute so mercy may flow to the repentant. Theology of Judgment and Hospitality Across Scripture, טֶבַח sets two tables: one of fellowship and one of wrath. Those reconciled to God enjoy the meal secured by the Lamb’s slaughter; those who refuse are themselves consigned to slaughter. The hospitality extended in Genesis 43 anticipates the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, while the desolations of Isaiah 34 preview final, irrevocable judgment. Practical and Ministry Applications 1. Preaching: The dual use of טֶבַח authorizes both compassionate invitation and sober warning. Sermons may contrast Wisdom’s feast with the fool’s demise to summon listeners to repentance. The word thus travels from Joseph’s banquet hall to Golgotha and finally to the eschaton, tying together divine generosity, moral urgency, and redemptive hope. Forms and Transliterations וְטֶ֥בַח וטבח טְבֹ֤חַ טִ֭בְחָהּ טֶ֙בַח֙ טָ֣בַח טבח טבחה לְטֶ֣בַח לַטֶּ֣בַח לַטָּ֑בַח לַטָּֽבַח׃ לטבח לטבח׃ laṭ·ṭā·ḇaḥ laṭ·ṭe·ḇaḥ laṭṭāḇaḥ latTavach laṭṭeḇaḥ latTevach lə·ṭe·ḇaḥ ləṭeḇaḥ leTevach ṭā·ḇaḥ ṭāḇaḥ Tavach ṭe·ḇaḥ ṭə·ḇō·aḥ ṭeḇaḥ ṭəḇōaḥ tevach teVoach ṭiḇ·ḥāh ṭiḇḥāh Tivchah veTevach wə·ṭe·ḇaḥ wəṭeḇaḥLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 43:16 HEB: הַבָּ֑יְתָה וּטְבֹ֤חַ טֶ֙בַח֙ וְהָכֵ֔ן כִּ֥י NAS: and slay an animal and make ready; INT: the house and slay an animal and make for Proverbs 7:22 Proverbs 9:2 Isaiah 34:2 Isaiah 34:6 Isaiah 53:7 Isaiah 65:12 Jeremiah 50:27 Ezekiel 21:10 Ezekiel 21:28 10 Occurrences |
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