תַּבְעֵרָה
𐤕𐤁𐤏𐤓𐤄
Taveerah
H8404 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun designating a specific location in the wilderness, associated with the event of divine fire. The primary meaning is a place named after the verb 'to burn,' indicating the significance of burning or fire at the site. In context, it does not refer to burning in general, but specifically to a memorable burning event that gave the place its name.
Semantic Range
burning, the act of burning, place marked by burning, proper name for a wilderness encampment memorializing fire
Root / Etymology
From the root בער (ב-ע-ר), 'to burn, consume by fire.' The noun תַּבְעֵרָה is formed as a toponym (place name) from the stem, probably as a nominalization meaning 'burning' or 'burned place.' The formation mirrors other biblical Hebrew place names marking events or characteristics.
Historical & Contextual Notes
תַּבְעֵרָה appears exclusively as a place name in the Torah (Num 11:3; Deut 9:22), referring to a site's association with a burning event—specifically, YHWH's fire breaking out against complaining Israelites. The name serves as a memorialization of the event, a pattern common in biblical nomenclature. The location is not attested outside the biblical narrative, and its precise historical or geographic identification remains uncertain. Later biblical texts reference תַּבְעֵרָה primarily as a typical instance of divine judgment or wrath during the wilderness wanderings. The semantic focus is not simply on physical burning, but on its theological or narrative significance: a site marked by an extraordinary consuming fire. English translations, by rendering it simply as 'Taberah,' may obscure its lexical connection to the theme of burning and consumption central to the narrative. The word is not used generally for 'burning' outside of this place-name context.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בָּעַר; burning; Taberah, a place in the Desert; Taberah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בער (b-ʿ-r) — to burn, consume by fire, destroy by fire
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1160 | בְּעוֹר | Beor |
| H1165 | בְּעִיר | their grazing-animal |
| H1197 | בָּעַר | she burned |
| H1198 | בַּעַר | beast-like senseless |
| H1199 | בָּעֲרָא | Baʿarah |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8404-02 |
וּ/בְ/תַבְעֵרָה֙ | uvetaveerah | HC/R/Np |
and at Taberah | and in Burning-Place | 1 |
H8404-01 |
תַּבְעֵרָ֑ה | taveerah | HNp |
Taberah | Burning-Place | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8404-01 |
Numbers 11:3 | תַּבְעֵרָ֑ה | taveerah | HNp |
Taberah | Burning-Place |
H8404-02 |
Deuteronomy 9:22 | וּ/בְ/תַבְעֵרָה֙ | uvetaveerah | HC/R/Np |
and at Taberah | and in Burning-Place |