Lexical Summary tabbachah: Cook, butcher Original Word: טַבָּחָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cook Feminine of tabbach; a female cook -- cook. see HEBREW tabbach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfem. of tabbach Definition female cook NASB Translation cooks (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [טַבָּחָה] noun feminine female cook; — only plural absolute טַבָּחוֺת 1 Samuel 8:13 (+ רַקָּחוֺת perfumers and אֹפוֺת bakers, all as menials). Topical Lexicon Biblical Usage טַבָּחָה appears once in Scripture, in the warning Samuel delivers when Israel demands a king: “He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers” (1 Samuel 8:13). The word designates a female cook who would be pressed into royal service. Its solitary placement in a prophetic speech heightens its significance; it is not merely a vocational label but part of a catalog of burdens that earthly monarchy would impose on the covenant people. Historical Background Kings in the Ancient Near East maintained elaborate households. Royal kitchens required skilled personnel to prepare meat and grain staples, manage spices, and oversee food safety. In Israel, this role would ordinarily have arisen voluntarily within family structures. Samuel’s prophecy depicts the shift from household freedom to conscription for palace bureaucracy. The conscription of daughters underscores how monarchy would reorder domestic life, redirecting labor that once served family and community toward sustaining courtly luxury. Role in Israelite Society Domestic food preparation was largely a female responsibility, encompassing slaughter, butchering, seasoning, and baking. The Hebrew root behind טַבָּחָה is associated with slaughter, indicating that a cook’s craft began with selecting and processing animals. Skilled cooks therefore possessed knowledge that intersected with sacrificial practice, hygiene, hospitality, and economic stewardship (compare Proverbs 31:14-15; Genesis 18:6-8). When such women were removed from homes into the palace, households lost essential providers, and the palace gained control over a vital resource—daily bread. Theological Significance 1 Samuel 8 contrasts divine kingship with human monarchy. The draft of female cooks symbolizes the broader loss of covenantal freedom. God had lavishly provided manna in the wilderness without press-gangs or taxation (Exodus 16:4-5); the king would extract the best of Israel’s produce and people to fill his tables. The verse therefore calls readers to weigh human authority against God’s provision. Scripture later praises voluntary service—whether Martha hosting in Bethany (Luke 10:40) or Lydia opening her home in Philippi (Acts 16:15)—but coerced service marks a departure from the ideal of joyful, covenantal hospitality. Connections within the Canon The masculine counterpart occurs with the royal executioner or butcher (for example, Genesis 37:36; 2 Kings 25:8). Together the feminine and masculine forms reveal two sides of power: sustaining life through food and ending life through the sword. Both were absorbed into royal administration, reminding Israel that a king would claim mastery over life’s span from kitchen to execution block. In Christ, this pattern is reversed: the true King feeds multitudes freely (Matthew 14:19-20) and lays down His own life rather than taking others’ (John 10:11). Ministry Reflections 1. Leadership Accountability: Those who govern—whether pastors, elders, or civil authorities—must resist the temptation to seize gifts entrusted to others. Biblical leadership equips believers for works of service rather than drafting them for personal agendas (Ephesians 4:11-12). Christological Reflection Where the earthly king demanded cooks, Jesus became both host and meal. In the Upper Room He took bread, gave thanks, and said, “This is My body, which is given for you” (Luke 22:19). The gospel thus fulfills and overturns 1 Samuel 8: earthly rulers conscript, but the heavenly King condescends to serve. By His Spirit He now empowers every believer—men and women, public and private servants—to offer hospitality that points to the coming feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). Forms and Transliterations וּלְטַבָּח֖וֹת ולטבחות ū·lə·ṭab·bā·ḥō·wṯ uletabbaChot ūləṭabbāḥōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 8:13 HEB: יִקָּ֑ח לְרַקָּח֥וֹת וּלְטַבָּח֖וֹת וּלְאֹפֽוֹת׃ NAS: for perfumers and cooks and bakers. KJV: [to be] confectionaries, and [to be] cooks, and [to be] bakers. INT: take perfumers and cooks and bakers 1 Occurrence |
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