Original Word: נָבַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: nabab
Pronunciation: naw-bab'
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-bab')
KJV: hollow, vain
NASB: hollow
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to pierce
2. to be hollow, or (figuratively) foolish

hollow, vain

A primitive root; to pierce; to be hollow, or (figuratively) foolish -- hollow, vain.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to hollow out
NASB Translation
hollow (3), idiot* (1).

[נָבַב] verb hollow out (compare Assyrian imbubu, flute, Dl^{HWB 443}, Late Hebrew אַבּוּב id., Aramaic אַבּוּבָא id.; hence also Arabic knots in reed, part of reed between knots, reed; see Hoffm^{LCB 1882, 321} Frä²³ Fl in Levy^{TW i. 417}); —

Qal Passive participle נָבוּב Job 11:12; Jeremiah 52:21; נְבוּב Exodus 27:8; Exodus 38:7; — hollowed, hollow: of altar of tabernacle נְבוּב לֻחוֺת Exodus 27:8; Exodus 38:7 (P); of pillar in temple Jeremiah 52:21; figurative אִישׁ נָבוּב Job 11:12, i.e. empty, hollow-minded man.

נֹ֫בֶה see נֹב.

Essential Sense

Nâbab conveys the idea of being hollow, vacant, or empty. In concrete settings it describes physical objects engineered with an internal void; in moral discourse it depicts a person whose thinking is vacuous. Across its four occurrences the word links structure and character, form and substance, urging the reader to look beyond outward impressions to inner reality.

Cultic Architecture: The Bronze Altar (Exodus 27:8; 38:7)

Israel’s altar of burnt offering was “made with hollow boards” (Exodus 27:8). The design reduced weight, allowed poles to pass through for transport, and made room to be filled with packed earth or ashes as needed. Though hollow, the altar was not flimsy; overlaid in bronze, it withstood continual fire. The imagery is poignant: a space intentionally left empty so that sacrificial flames and atoning blood could occupy it. The altar’s hollowness thus anticipates the substitutionary work of Christ, whose “body prepared” (Hebrews 10:5) became the place where holy wrath consumed the offering on our behalf.

Royal Glory and Tragic Loss: Temple Pillars (Jeremiah 52:21)

Jeremiah records that each pillar of Solomon’s temple was “four fingers thick, and hollow.” Their impressive exterior testified to covenant splendor; their emptiness kept the massive columns from collapsing under their own weight. When Babylon toppled Jerusalem, the hollow pillars were dismantled and carried off, a sober reminder that external grandeur without covenant fidelity cannot avert judgment. The verse calls today’s believer to maintain internal devotion matching outward profession (compare Revelation 3:1).

Moral and Intellectual Emptiness (Job 11:12)

Zophar rebukes Job: “A witless man can no more become wise than the colt of a wild donkey can be born a man” (Job 11:12). The “witless man” is literally one who is hollow-minded. Scripture equates mental vacuity with moral deficiency; true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). The verse warns that apart from divine revelation, human reasoning remains a shell devoid of substance.

Theological Reflections

1. Form Versus Fullness – Nâbab exposes the peril of mistaking exterior form for spiritual reality. Whether sacred furniture, monumental architecture, or human intellect, hollowness becomes meaningful only when filled with God’s presence and purpose.
2. Christ as the Antitype – The altar’s cavity foreshadows the Messiah, who “emptied Himself” (Philippians 2:7) to become the vessel through which divine grace is poured out.
3. Judgment on Empty Religion – The hollow pillars hauled to Babylon prefigure the fate of any worship that retains ceremonial shell while lacking covenant heart.

Ministry Applications

• Encourage congregations to examine inner life, ensuring doctrine and devotion populate every “hollow space.”
• Teach that true wisdom is Spirit-given; intellectual brilliance without reverence is emptiness.
• Use the bronze altar’s design to illustrate substitutionary atonement and the believer’s call to present bodies as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1).
• Warn against hollow religiosity by highlighting Jeremiah’s account of temple treasures lost through disobedience.

Summary

Nâbab, though rare, weaves a rich tapestry: a hollow altar ablaze with sacrifice, hollow pillars signaling former glory, and hollow minds needing wisdom from above. In each context the word presses a single question—what fills the spaces God has made?

נְב֥וּב נָ֭בוּב נָבֽוּב׃ נבוב נבוב׃ nā·ḇūḇ nāḇūḇ Navuv nə·ḇūḇ nəḇūḇ neVuvInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts