8635. tarbuth

Lexical Summary

tarbuth: Increase, multiplication, abundance

Original Word: תַּרְבּוּת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tarbuwth
Pronunciation: tar-BOOTH
Phonetic Spelling: (tar-booth')
KJV: increase
NASB: brood
Word Origin: [from H7235 (רָבָה - To increase)]

1. multiplication, i.e. progeny

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

increase

From rabah; multiplication, i.e. Progeny -- increase.

see HEBREW rabah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from rabah
Definition
an increase, brood
NASB Translation
brood (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

תַּרְבּוּת noun feminine increase, brood; — construct in phrase אֲנָשִׁים חַטָּאִים ׳ת Numbers 32:14 a brood (contemptuous) of sinful men (compare מַרְבִּית 1 Samuel 2:33).

Topical Lexicon

Conceptual Overview

The Hebrew term denotes “increase” in the sense of what grows or multiplies. Depending on context, that increase may be material gain (profit or interest) or the numerical swelling of a group. The Scriptures employ the word twice, each time to highlight a moral boundary: one text guards against greedy exploitation; the other warns against the expanding contagion of sin.

Canonical Context

1. Leviticus 25:36 locates the word in the Jubilee legislation. Within a chapter that protects the poor, releases debt-slaves, and returns land to its original families, the verse commands: “Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may live among you”. The “increase” here is financial surplus squeezed from a destitute brother.
2. Numbers 32:14 addresses the Transjordan tribes who wish to settle east of the Jordan rather than participate in Canaan’s conquest. Moses rebukes them: “And now behold, you, a brood of sinful men, have replaced your fathers, adding still more to the LORD’s burning anger against Israel”. Their projected inertia would constitute an “increase” of sinful men, perpetuating the rebellion of the previous generation.

Economic Justice in Israel

• Prohibiting interest on loans to the poor (Leviticus 25:35-38; Exodus 22:25; Deuteronomy 23:19-20) protected family solidarity and acknowledged that the land, harvests, and economic cycles ultimately belonged to the LORD.
• The Jubilee structure countered the natural drift toward wealth concentration. “Increase” had to serve covenant life, not personal enrichment.
• In prophetic writings exploitation of the vulnerable drew God’s judgment (Ezekiel 22:12; Amos 2:6-8). Levitical usage of the term thus anticipates later denunciations of economic injustice.

Sinful Multiplication and Intergenerational Accountability

• The word’s appearance in Numbers 32:14 shifts from money to morality. Israel’s history shows sin’s tendency to multiply when unchecked (Genesis 6:5; Judges 2:10-19).
• Moses’ rebuke recalls the previous generation’s unbelief at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 14). Tarbuth underscores the danger of compounding guilt through repeated disobedience.
• The passage illustrates the principle that each generation is responsible to break, not extend, the iniquities of its fathers (Deuteronomy 5:9-10; Ezekiel 18:14-17).

Intertextual Echoes

• Wisdom literature warns against ill-gotten gain: “Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but whoever gathers by labor will increase” (Proverbs 13:11). Though a different Hebrew vocabulary is used, the ethical axis is the same: true increase honors God and neighbor.
• The parabolic language of Jesus echoes Temple-era concerns: the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35) and the greed of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) condemn profit divorced from compassion and eternal perspective.

Ethical and Discipleship Implications

1. Generosity over Exploitation—Believers steward resources as gifts, not leverage (2 Corinthians 9:6-8; 1 John 3:17).
2. Vigilance against Compounding Sin—Personal and corporate repentance prevents the “increase” of transgression (Hebrews 3:12-13).
3. Social Structures of Mercy—Churches and families should establish practices that relieve the needy without entrenching dependency or encouraging usury.

Pastoral and Missional Application

• Teaching on Leviticus 25:36 equips congregations to evaluate lending, investment, and benevolence policies, ensuring they reflect Kingdom values.
• Reflecting on Numbers 32:14 challenges leaders to confront apathy that could magnify communal sin, motivating participation in the advance of God’s mission.
• In counseling, the concept helps trace generational patterns of sin and points to the liberating work of Christ, whose atonement halts sin’s multiplication and whose resurrection powers righteous “increase” (Romans 5:20-21).

Tarbuth, though appearing only twice, exposes the human heart’s capacity either to bless through compassionate surplus or to intensify judgment through compounded wrongdoing. The covenant community is therefore summoned to pursue an “increase” that mirrors the character of the God who multiplies grace.

Forms and Transliterations

וְתַרְבִּ֔ית ותרבית תַּרְבּ֖וּת תרבות tar·būṯ tarBut tarbūṯ vetarBit wə·ṯar·bîṯ wəṯarbîṯ

Englishman's Concordance

Leviticus 25:36
HEB: מֵֽאִתּוֹ֙ נֶ֣שֶׁךְ וְתַרְבִּ֔ית וְיָרֵ֖אתָ מֵֽאֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ
INT: take interest increase revere your God

Numbers 32:14
HEB: תַּ֚חַת אֲבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם תַּרְבּ֖וּת אֲנָשִׁ֣ים חַטָּאִ֑ים
NAS: place, a brood of sinful
KJV: in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful
INT: place your fathers' A brood men of sinful

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8635
2 Occurrences

tar·būṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·ṯar·bîṯ — 1 Occ.