תָּבוֹר
𐤕𐤁𐤅𐤓
Tavor
H8396 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name referring primarily to a prominent mountain in the Lower Galilee, known as Mount Tabor (תָּבוֹר), and secondarily to a nearby locality or town associated with the mountain. The name designates a specific geographic feature—a rounded hill rising conspicuously above the Jezreel Valley. In rare contexts, it may serve as a toponym for a settlement in proximity to the mountain.
Semantic Range
Mount Tabor (geographical feature), settlement near Mount Tabor (city or town); proper noun; rarely, by extension, the region surrounding Mount Tabor.
Root / Etymology
Root/Etymology: Likely from the root תּבר, meaning 'to break' or 'to be broken,' reflecting the mountain's abrupt rise from its surrounding landscape; however, the etymology is not entirely certain, and the connection to 'broken region' may be a folk etymology rather than the word's original sense.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Historical & Contextual Notes: In the Hebrew Bible, תָּבוֹר refers almost exclusively to Mount Tabor, a significant landmark in northern Israelite territory. It served as a strategic and symbolic site in narratives such as Judges 4 (the battle led by Deborah and Barak against Sisera). The association with a city bearing the same name appears in later texts (1 Chronicles 6:77). Across biblical literature, Mount Tabor is identified as a place of assembly, military importance, and, in post-biblical tradition, the site of significant events, though its direct connection to cultic activity is limited in the earlier periods. English translations typically preserve the Hebrew name 'Tabor,' accurately reflecting the toponymic sense. The word does not carry later associations with religious pilgrimage found in post-biblical sources. The KJV and other versions render it consistently as a proper noun, which aligns with its function in the original texts. There is no evidence that the term implies a 'broken' or 'shattered region' apart from the possible descriptive value of the root.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a root corresponding to תְּבַר; broken region; Tabor, a mountain in Palestine, also a city adjacent; Tabor.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
תבר (t-b-r) — break, shatter, burst
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8396-03 |
תָּב֔וֹר | tavor | HNp |
Tabor | Tavor | 7 |
H8396-01 |
בְּ/תָב֤וֹר | betavor | HR/Np |
at Tabor | in Tabor | 2 |
H8396-02 |
כְּ/תָב֣וֹר | ketavor | HR/Np |
like Tabor | like Tavor | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
10 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8396-01 |
Joshua 19:22 | בְּ/תָב֤וֹר | betavor | HR/Np |
to Tabor | in Tabor |
H8396-03 |
Judges 4:6 | תָּב֔וֹר | tavor | HNp |
Tabor | Tavor |
H8396-03 |
Judges 4:12 | תָּבֽוֹר | tavor | HNp |
Tabor | Tavor |
H8396-03 |
Judges 4:14 | תָּב֔וֹר | tavor | HNp |
Tabor | Tavor |
H8396-01 |
Judges 8:18 | בְּ/תָב֑וֹר | betavor | HR/Np |
at Tabor | in Tabor |
H8396-03 |
1 Samuel 10:3 | תָּב֔וֹר | tavor | HNp |
of Tabor | Tavor |
H8396-02 |
Jeremiah 46:18 | כְּ/תָב֣וֹר | ketavor | HR/Np |
like Tabor | like Tavor |
H8396-03 |
Hosea 5:1 | תָּבֽוֹר | tavor | HNp |
Tabor | Tavor |
H8396-03 |
Psalms 89:13 | תָּב֥וֹר | tavor | HNp |
Tabor | Tavor |
H8396-03 |
1 Chronicles 6:62 | תָּב֖וֹר | tavor | HNp |
Tabor | Tavor |