Original Word: טָבַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tabal
Pronunciation: tah-VAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (taw-bal')
KJV: dip, plunge
NASB: dip, dipped, plunge
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to dip, to immerse

dip, plunge

A primitive root; to dip, to immerse -- dip, plunge.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to dip
NASB Translation
dip (9), dipped (6), plunge (1).

I. טָבַל verb dip (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic טְבַל dip, bathe; compare perhaps Arabic saturavit tinctura vestem, Frey) —

Qal Perfect וְטָבַל consecutive Leviticus 4:6 5t.; וְטָבַלְתְּ consecutive Ruth 2:14; וּטְבַלְתֶּם consecutive Exodus 12:22; Imperfect וַיִּטְבֹּל Leviticus 9:9 3t.; 2 masculine singular suffix תִּטְבְּלֵנִי Job 9:31; וַיִּטְבְּלוּ Genesis 37:31 — dip:

1 transitive, dip a thing in, with accusative of thing + בְּ: in blood Genesis 37:31 (J), so especially in connection with sacrifices Leviticus 4:6; Leviticus 9:9; Leviticus 14:6,51 (also in fresh water); in water, for purification Numbers 19:18 (all P); of dipping rod in honey 1 Samuel 14:27, bread in vinegar Ruth 2:24, foot in oil Deuteronomy 33:24 (poem); בַּשַּׁחַת תִּטְבְּלֵנִי Job 9:31 in the ditch dost thou dip me; accusative omitted Exodus 12:22 (J E; in blood), 2 Kings 8:15 (in water); but also + מִן = moisten with, with some of Leviticus 4:17 (blood), Leviticus 14:16 (oil).

2 intransitive, dip (oneself), followed by בְּ, 2 Kings 5:14 in Jordan ("" רָחַץ בְּ 2 Kings 5:10; 2 Kings 5:12).

Niph`al Perfect3masculine plural נִּטְבְּלוּ Joshua 3:15 be dipped, בְּ of water.

Root Imagery and Range of Use

טָבַל portrays a deliberate immersion—objects, body parts, or persons are pushed beneath a liquid so that the substance adheres and effects change. The contexts span sacrificial blood, anointing oil, water, honey, vinegar, and even figurative “ditches,” revealing a broad semantic field of identification, cleansing, participation, or concealment.

Passover and Covenant Protection (Exodus 12:22)

The earliest corporate use lies in the Passover night: “Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it in the blood in the basin, and brush the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood” (Exodus 12:22). Here טָבַל becomes the means by which death passes over the redeemed household. The act joins the worshiper to substitutionary blood, anticipating the once-for-all Lamb of God.

Priestly Atonement Rites (Leviticus 4; 9)

Sacrificial regulations employ טָבַל repeatedly: “The priest is then to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD” (Leviticus 4:6). Immersion of the finger, then sprinkling, transfers atoning blood from victim to sanctuary, proclaiming the seriousness of sin and God’s gracious provision. Sevenfold repetition underscores completeness; dipping therefore denotes total sufficiency of the coming sacrifice which these shadows prefigure.

Purification from Leprosy (Leviticus 14)

Cedar wood, scarlet yarn, hyssop, the live bird, and the priest’s finger are all dipped—first in the blood of the slain bird, later in olive oil—to cleanse the leper. The dual medium of blood and oil foreshadows both justification and sanctification: the sinner is first washed from guilt, then empowered for renewed life.

Water of Separation (Numbers 19:18)

“Then a man who is clean is to take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle…” Numbers 19 uses ashes of the red heifer mixed with water. Dipping here mediates purification from corpse defilement, underlining God’s concern that His people approach Him free from the contagion of death.

Blessing of Abundance (Deuteronomy 33:24)

Moses blesses Asher: “He shall be most favored by his brothers, and dip his foot in oil.” Immersion signifies luxurious prosperity—so plentiful is the harvest that one can literally bathe in oil. God’s covenant faithfulness extends from the sanctuary to the field.

Thresholds of Faith (Joshua 3:15)

When the priests bearing the ark “dipped” their feet in the swollen Jordan, the waters parted. The moment of contact between flesh and water marks the entrance into promised inheritance, teaching that obedient risk, even before evidence of deliverance, releases divine power.

Table Fellowship and Daily Provision (Ruth 2:14; 1 Samuel 14:27)

Boaz invites Ruth, “Come over here… dip your bread in the vinegar.” Jonathan “dipped” his staff in honey. Ordinary meals employ the same verb used for sacred rites, reminding that covenant benevolence permeates everyday life; common food becomes a testimony of the Lord’s kindness.

Cleansing and Healing Beyond Israel (2 Kings 5:14)

“So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times… and his flesh was restored.” The Gentile commander’s humble obedience demonstrates the universal reach of God’s grace and anticipates the inclusion of the nations. Sevenfold immersion echoes the priestly pattern, underscoring a divine order in healing.

Plots and Judgment (Genesis 37:31; 2 Kings 8:15)

Joseph’s brothers “dipped the robe in its blood” to deceive Jacob; Hazael “dipped” a cloth to assassinate Ben-hadad. The same act of immersion can further wickedness when severed from God’s word, illustrating Scripture’s moral realism: holy symbols can be hijacked, yet God still overrules for redemptive purposes (Genesis 50:20).

Personal Lament (Job 9:31)

Job cries, “You would plunge me into the ditch, and even my own clothes would despise me!” The verb conveys the sufferer’s sense of being submerged in moral and physical filth, highlighting the need for a mediator greater than any earthly priest.

Foreshadowing New Covenant Baptism

Though טָבַל never denotes the New Testament ordinance directly, its themes—identification with substitutionary blood, washing from defilement, passage through water into promise, reception of Spirit-symbolized oil—converge in Christian baptism. The act of outward immersion bears witness to an inward union with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4), a truth adumbrated each time something or someone was “dipped” under the Old Covenant.

Ministry Implications

1. Teach cleansing: Every believer can trace a straight line from hyssop dipped in blood to Christ’s cross and empty tomb.
2. Guard symbols: Genesis 37 warns against manipulative use of sacred acts; authenticity matters.
3. Embrace inclusion: Naaman’s account encourages global mission—God still invites outsiders to dip in grace.
4. Offer tangible reminders: Communion, anointing with oil, and baptism visibly preach the gospel just as ancient dipping rites once did.

Thus טָבַל presents a rich tapestry of immersion—into blood for atonement, oil for blessing, water for cleansing, and even food for fellowship—each thread ultimately woven into the completed work of the Messiah.

וְטָבַ֣ל וְטָבַ֤ל וְטָבַ֥לְתְּ וְטָבַ֧ל וְטָבַ֨ל וְטֹבֵ֥ל וַיִּטְבְּל֥וּ וַיִּטְבֹּ֣ל וַיִּטְבֹּ֤ל וַיִּטְבֹּ֥ל וּטְבַלְתֶּם֮ וטבל וטבלת וטבלתם ויטבל ויטבלו נִטְבְּל֖וּ נטבלו תִּטְבְּלֵ֑נִי תטבלני niṭ·bə·lū nitbeLu niṭbəlū tiṭ·bə·lê·nî titbeLeni tiṭbəlênî ū·ṭə·ḇal·tem ūṭəḇaltem utevalTem vaiyitbeLu vaiyitBol vetaVal vetaValt vetoVel way·yiṭ·bə·lū way·yiṭ·bōl wayyiṭbəlū wayyiṭbōl wə·ṭā·ḇal wə·ṭā·ḇalt wə·ṭō·ḇêl wəṭāḇal wəṭāḇalt wəṭōḇêlInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts