תּוֹעֵבַה
tôwʻêbah · H8441 · Hebrew · 117 occurrences
Meanings
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abominable practice, abomination
State in which an event is considered utterly wrong and detestable
ExamplesGenesis 43:32 Then they served him by himself, and Joseph’s brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.
Leviticus 18:22 ‘You shall not sleep with a male as one sleeps with a female; it is an abomination.
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abomination
People, animals, and inanimate objects that are considered utterly wrong and detestable, because of their condition, their behavior, or because of certain customs
ExamplesGenesis 46:34 you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock since our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”
Exodus 8:26 But Moses said, “It is not permissible for us to do so, because we will sacrifice to the LORD our God that which is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
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abomination, detestable thing
A reference to the physical likeness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, functioning as an object of non-sanctioned worship, with a very strong added connotation of something utterly detestable
Examples2 Chronicles 34:33 Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. Throughout his lifetime they did not turn from following the LORD God of their fathers.
Isaiah 44:19 No one remembers, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I bow down before a block of wood!”
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A reference to one of the deities of the nations, expressing strong disgust (detestable (deity))
Examples2 Kings 23:13 And the king defiled the high places that were opposite Jerusalem, which were on the right of the mount of destruction which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon.
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
71 occurrences in 18 groups
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 19
- ךְyour 12
- הֶםtheir 11
- גּוֹיnation, people 7
- כֶםyour 4
- מִצְרַיִםEgypt 3
- Other words · 11 groups that occur once or twice (12) 12
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
29 occurrences in 9 groups
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 13
- אֵלֶּהthese 7
- גָּדוֹלgreat, large 4
- זֹאתthis 3
- Other words · 5 groups that occur once or twice (5) 5
Named alongside itApposition
2 occurrences in 3 groups
- מַלְכָּםMilcom 1
- מַסֵּכָהmolten image 1
- פֶּסֶלgraven image 1
What it doesIt is the subject
5 occurrences in 2 groups
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 3
- הָיָהto be, to become 2
What is done to itIt is the object
30 occurrences in 11 groups
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 14
- רָאָהto see 4
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (12) 12
Second object ofSecond object
4 occurrences in 2 groups
- יָדַעto know 3
- שִׁיתto set, to put, to make 1
What it is said to bePredicate
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- לֵבheart, mind 1
- רֶשַׁעwicked deeds 1
- שֶׁבַעseven 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
30 occurrences in 19 groups
- הוּאhe, she, it 6
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 4
- הֶםtheir 3
- Other words · 16 groups that occur once or twice (18) 18
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
29 occurrences in 6 groups
- כlike/as 20
- בin/on/with 12
- עַלon, upon, over, against 7
- לto/for 6
- מִןfrom 5
- אֵלto, toward 3
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
8 occurrences in 8 groups
- גִּלּוּלimage 1
- גָּלָלdung 1
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 1
- חֻקָּהstatute, ordinance 1
- לֵבheart, mind 1
- עַםpeople 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 1 word
- שִׁקּוּץ shiqqûwts · H8251 · detestable, detestable (deity)
- Both words denote abominable or detestable things, both appear in contexts of cult objects, and they are distinct Hebrew words with overlapping range that can substitute in many contexts.
In the other Testament 1 word
- βδέλυγμα bdélygma · G946 · what is detestable, what is abhorrent, an abomination which desolates
- Greek βδέλυγμα (bdelugma) is the standard LXX rendering of Hebrew תּוֹעֵבַה (tô'ēbâ), both denoting ritual defilement or abomination, particularly in contexts of idolatry and forbidden practices.
Semantic domains 4 entries
- Wrong002001003019
- This noun denotes a morally detestable act, as in Leviticus 18:22's condemnation of a man who sleeps with a male as with a female as an abomination.
- People001001003
- The noun also denotes a practice detestable to a particular people, as in Genesis 43:32's note that eating bread with Hebrews was an abomination to the Egyptians.
- Cult Objects001003001001006
- This domain reflects a further sense of the term applied to detestable idols or cult objects, found elsewhere in this word's range of occurrences rather than being illustrated by the citations sampled here.
- Titles003001017
- The noun also occurs as part of a fixed title for a detestable object, a nuance found elsewhere in this word's range of occurrences rather than being illustrated by the citations sampled here.
Word family 2 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H8441. toebah תּוֺעֵבָה117 noun feminine abomination; — absolute ׳ת Gen 43:32 Gen…
תּוֺעֵבָה117 noun feminine abomination; — absolute ׳ת Gen 43:32 Gen 43:21t.; תֹּעֵבָה Jer 44:4; construct תּוֺעֲבַת Gen 46:34 +; plural תּוֺעֵבוֺת Eze 8:6 +; construct תּוֺעֲבוֺת Eze 6:11 +, etc.; suffix תֹּעֲבֹתָיוֺ2Ch 36:8, etc.; —
1 ritual sense:
a. Israel's sacrifices, ׳ת מִצְרַיִם (genitive object) Exo 8:22 (twice in verse) (E), compare Gen 46:34 (J); ׳ת למצרים Gen 43:32 (J); ׳ת לְ of physical repugnance Psa 88:9.
b. to God and his people: ׳ת of unclean food Deu 14:3; worshipper of idols Isa 41:24, compare Jer 2:7; various objectionable acts: ׳ת י ׳לפני Deu 24:4; ׳ת ׳י Deu 7:25 (חֵרֶם, compare Deu 7:26), Deu 17:1; Deu 18:12; Deu 22:5; Deu 23:19; Deu 27:15; offering of children (עשׂה) Deu 12:31, compare Jer 32:35, also plural 2Ki 16:3 2Ch 28:3; Deu 18:9, Deu 18:12 ( + witchcraft); idolatrous practices (sometimes with other illegal acts) (כ)ת ׳עשׂה Deu 13:15; Deu 17:4; Eze 16:50; Eze 18:12; Mal 2:11 (intermarriage with idolaters), compare Jer 44:4; usually with plural noun Deu 20:18; 1Ki 14:24; 2Ki 21:2, 2Ki 21:11; 2Ch 33:2; 2Ch 36:8; Jer 7:10; Jer 44:22; Eze 8:6 Eze 8:12t. Ezekiel; compare תועבות2Ch 36:14; Ezr 9:1, Ezr 9:11, Ezr 9:14; Eze 5:9 18t. Ezekiel; of idols Deu 32:16; (תועבה) 2Ki 23:13; Isa 44:19 (compare Deu 27:15); idolatrous objects 2Ch 34:33; || שׁקּוצים Jer 16:18 (RJE) Eze 5:11; Eze 11:18, Eze 11:21, (ת ׳צַלְמֵי) Eze 7:20; || גלולים Eze 14:6, compare Eze 6:9; ת ׳גִּלּוּלֵי Eze 16:36.
2 ethical sense:
a. c. Genitive object of man, ׳ת שְׂפָתַי Pro 8:7, ׳ת מלכים Pro 16:12, ׳ת צדיקים Pro 29:27 a, ׳ת כסילים Pro 13:19, ׳ת רָשָׁע Pro 29:27 b, ׳ת לְאָדָם Pro 24:9.
b. to God and his people: ׳ת of sacrifice of wicked Pro 21:27 (compare Pro 15:8), his prayers Pro 28:9 compare Isa 1:13 (׳ת לְ), probably also Jer 6:15 = Jer 8:12 (of various kinds of wickedness); unchastity Lev 18:22; with עשׂה Lev 20:13 (H) Eze 22:11; Eze 33:26; compare תועבות Lev 18:26-27, Lev 18:29 (compare Lev 18:30; H), also Pro 26:25; ׳ת ׳י Deu 25:16; Pro 3:32 Pro 3:10t. Proverbs, compare Pro 6:16.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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