תֶּ֫בֶל
te.vel
perversion
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Tebel (H8397): A Hebrew Term for Perversion The Hebrew word *tebel* appears only twice in the biblical text, making it a rare lexical item denoting "perversion." Its limited occurrence suggests it served a specific communicative function rather than being a common or foundational concept in biblical vocabulary. The term's specialized meaning indicates it was deployed to describe instances of deviation from an accepted norm or standard, though the provided lexicon data does not specify which particular domain of conduct or practice the word primarily addressed. Despite appearing in just two biblical passages, *tebel* carries clear moral or evaluative weight, as reflected in its translation as "perversion." This suggests the term was used to mark behavior or conditions as fundamentally improper or corrupt. However, without access to the specific contexts in which these two occurrences appear, the precise applications and the particular types of perversion being referenced remain unclear. The rarity of the term in surviving biblical texts means it represents a minor element of Hebrew moral vocabulary rather than a central or frequently invoked concept.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences across the text
“ ‘You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it. No woman may give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion.
Leviticus 20:12“ ‘If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed a perversion. Their blood shall be upon themselves.