Original Word: תַּבְעֵרָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Tab`erah
Pronunciation: tah-beh-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (tab-ay-raw')
KJV: Taberah
NASB: Taberah
Word Origin: [from H1197 (בָּעַר - To burn)]

1. burning
2. Taberah, a place in the Desert

figure, form, likeness, pattern, similitude

From ba'ar; burning; Taberah, a place in the Desert -- Taberah.

see HEBREW ba'ar

Word Origin
from baar
Definition
"burning," a place in the desert
NASB Translation
Taberah (2).

Geographical Context

Taberah is one of the wilderness stations on Israel’s march from Sinai toward the Promised Land (Numbers 11). While its exact location is uncertain, the context places it south of Kibroth-hattaavah and north-east of the Sinai Peninsula. The narrative suggests a peripheral encampment, for the fire “consumed the outskirts of the camp” (Numbers 11:1), indicating flammable scrubland bordering the tents.

Biblical Narrative and Events

Shortly after leaving Mount Sinai, “the people complained bitterly before the LORD” (Numbers 11:1). In response, the LORD sent a fiery judgment that burned along the edges of the camp. The place was afterward named Taberah, “because the fire of the LORD had burned among them” (Numbers 11:3). Moses interceded, the fire died down, and mercy followed judgment—a recurring pattern in Israel’s desert experience.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Holiness and Anger: Taberah underscores the seriousness with which God regards murmuring. The immediate conflagration dramatizes that covenant relationship does not nullify divine holiness (Leviticus 10:2; Hebrews 12:29).
2. Intercessory Mediation: Moses’ plea that quelled the flames foreshadows the mediatorial work ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).
3. Corporate Responsibility: The judgment fell on “the outskirts,” yet the entire camp received the warning. Individual sin radiates communal consequences (Joshua 7; 1 Corinthians 5:6).
4. Remembrance as Instruction: Moses later recalls Taberah alongside Massah and Kibroth-hattaavah—“You continued to provoke the LORD at Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah” (Deuteronomy 9:22)—making the site a moral signpost for future generations.

Taberah in Later Biblical Reflection

The apostle Paul alludes to wilderness judgments when he writes, “And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel” (1 Corinthians 10:10). Though Paul does not name Taberah, the event stands within the collective memory he draws upon to warn the Corinthian church. Jude 16 echoes the same principle: grumblers invite divine discipline.

Practical and Ministry Applications

• Guarding the Heart: Persistent grumbling reveals unbelief (Hebrews 3:12) and dulls gratitude for God’s daily provision.
• Leadership and Intercession: Moses models pastoral response—swift intercession rather than retaliation (Numbers 11:2). Church leaders today intercede for congregations tempted to complain.
• Teaching Moments: Taberah furnishes an object lesson for family devotions, youth studies, and pulpit exposition on contentment (Philippians 2:14).
• Corporate Liturgies of Remembrance: Just as Israel rehearsed its failures to cultivate humility, so the church remembers past deliverances in confession and thanksgiving (1 Corinthians 11:28-32).

Related Themes and Locations

• Fire as Judgment and Purification: Genesis 19; 1 Kings 18; Revelation 20:9.
• Wilderness Complaints: Massah (Exodus 17:7), Kibroth-hattaavah (Numbers 11:34).
• Prophetic Warnings Against Murmuring: Malachi 3:13-15; James 5:9.

וּבְתַבְעֵרָה֙ ובתבערה תַּבְעֵרָ֑ה תבערה taḇ‘êrāh taḇ·‘ê·rāh taveRah ū·ḇə·ṯaḇ·‘ê·rāh ūḇəṯaḇ‘êrāh uvetaveRahInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts