Original Word: תֵּל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tel
Pronunciation: tehl
Phonetic Spelling: (tale)
Definition: Mound, heap, ruin
Meaning: a mound

heap, strength

By contraction from talal; a mound -- heap, X strength.

see HEBREW talal

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a mound
NASB Translation
heap (2), mounds (1), ruin (2).

תֵּל noun [masculine] mound; —

1 mound, ruin-heep (of city): construct תֵּל(ֿ)עוֺלָם Joshua 8:28 (JE), Deuteronomy 13:17, תֵּל שְׁמָמָה Jeremiah 49:2.

2 mound or hill on which city stood: suffix תִּלָּם Joshua 11:18 (D), תִּלָּתּ Jeremiah 30:18.

Word Origin: Derived from an unused root meaning to accumulate.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The corresponding Strong's Greek entry is G5038 (τύμβος, tymbos), which refers to a tomb or sepulcher. While not a direct equivalent in meaning, both terms relate to structures associated with the past and serve as reminders of mortality and the passage of time.

Usage: The term "tel" is used in the Hebrew Bible to describe a mound or heap, typically associated with ancient ruins or sites of former cities. It is often used in the context of describing the desolation or destruction of a place.

Context: The Hebrew word תֵּל (tel) appears in the Old Testament to denote a mound or heap, particularly in reference to ancient ruins. This term is significant in biblical archaeology, as many ancient cities were built on tels, which are layers of successive settlements built upon one another over time. These mounds are characteristic of the ancient Near East and are key to understanding the historical and cultural context of biblical narratives.

In the Bible, "tel" is used to describe the desolation that befalls cities as a result of divine judgment or military conquest. For example, in Deuteronomy 13:16 (BSB), the text instructs, "Then you are to gather all its spoil into the middle of the city square and completely burn the city and all its spoil as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It will be a mound (tel) forever, a ruin, never to be rebuilt."

The imagery of a tel serves as a powerful symbol of the consequences of disobedience and the transience of human endeavors. It underscores the biblical theme of divine sovereignty and the ultimate futility of opposing God's will.

לְתֵ֣ל לתל תִּלָּ֔הּ תִּלָּ֔ם תֵּ֣ל תֵּל־ תל תל־ תלה תלם lə·ṯêl leTel ləṯêl tel têl têl- til·lāh til·lām tilLah tillāh tilLam tillāmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts