Lexical Summary tebel: incest, perversion Original Word: תֶּבֶל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Tabor Apparently from balal; mixture, i.e. Unnatural bestiality -- confusion. see HEBREW balal NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originappar. from balal Definition confusion NASB Translation incest (1), perversion (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs תֶּ֫בֶל noun [masculine] confusion, violation of nature, or the divine order — Leviticus 18:23; Leviticus 20:12 (H) compare Di on Leviticus 18:15. Topical Lexicon Meaning and nuanced sense Tebel denotes “confusion” or “perversion” that results from an unnatural mixture. Cognate with the verb “to mix,” it identifies a moral and relational disorder, especially within sexual boundaries that God has established for human flourishing. Occurrences and immediate contexts • Leviticus 18:23 – In detailing prohibited sexual unions, the verse concludes, “it is perversion”. The noun underscores the moral chaos introduced when humanity violates created distinctions. Historical background Israel’s neighbors practiced a range of incestuous, cultic, and bestial rites. By calling these acts tebel, Moses draws a sharp contrast between Israel’s vocation as a holy nation and the defiling customs of Canaan (Deuteronomy 18:9). The term served as both legal indictment and cultural boundary marker, warning that accommodation to pagan morality would dissolve Israel’s distinctiveness and invite judgment similar to that which fell on the land’s previous inhabitants (Leviticus 18:24-25). Theological themes 1. Creation order: Genesis 1–2 sets male-female marriage as the ordained pattern. Any deviation—incest, bestiality, homosexual practice, or adultery—constitutes tebel because it scrambles the created structure (Matthew 19:4-6). Relation to “confusion” at Babel The root balal (“to confuse”) also appears in Genesis 11:9, where languages are mixed at Babel. Both narratives portray confusion as the consequence of human rebellion: linguistic fragmentation in Genesis and moral fragmentation in Leviticus. In each case God intervenes to preserve His redemptive plan. Ministry implications • Pastoral care: Tebel reminds shepherds to treat sexual sin with soberness, offering both warning and the hope of restoration (Galatians 6:1). Questions for reflection and proclamation 1. How does recognizing sexual sin as tebel heighten our understanding of its offense against God and neighbor? Summary Tebel is more than a legal label; it is a theological indictment of any act that blurs the God-ordained lines governing human intimacy. By confronting such confusion, Scripture safeguards the sanctity of relationships, the integrity of worship, and the hope of redemption in Christ. Forms and Transliterations תֶּ֥בֶל תבל te·ḇel teḇel TevelLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 18:23 HEB: בְהֵמָ֛ה לְרִבְעָ֖הּ תֶּ֥בֶל הֽוּא׃ NAS: to mate with it; it is a perversion. KJV: to lie down thereto: it [is] confusion. INT: an animal to mate perversion he Leviticus 20:12 2 Occurrences |
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