Lexical Summary
taba: To sink, to drown, to settle, to plunge
Original Word:טָבַע
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:taba`
Pronunciation:tah-VAH
Phonetic Spelling:(taw-bah')
KJV: drown, fasten, settle, sink
NASB:sunk, sank, drowned, settled, sink, sunk down
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to sink
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
drown, fasten, settle, sink
A primitive root; to sink -- drown, fasten, settle, sink.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto sink, sink down
NASB Translationdrowned (1), sank (2), settled (1), sink (1), sunk (4), sunk down (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Late Hebrew
id.; Aramaic
, ; Phoenician
coin; Assyrian
‰êbû,
sink in,
‰abbî°u,
diver (water-fowl) etc., see Muss-Arn
JBL xi, 1892, 170 Dl
HWB; Arabic
seal, stamp, imprint; Ethiopic
dip) —
PerfectPsalm 69:3;Psalm 9:16;Lamentations 2:9;ImperfectJeremiah 38:6;1 Samuel 17:49;Psalm 69:15; —sink, sink down, intransitive, with ;1 Samuel 17:49 (stone into Goliath's forehead);Jeremiah 38:6 (Jeremiah in mire of dungeon);Lamentations 2:9 (gates of Jerusalem into ground); metaphor of distress;Psalm 69:3 ;Psalm 69:15 ("" ); nations into the pit ()Psalm 9:16.
Perfectbe sunkExodus 15:4 (poem) of Egyptians drowned .
Perfectbe sunkin the mire, of feet, metaphor of entanglements and difficultiesJeremiah 38:22; , of pedestals () of the earth, assettled, plantedJob 38:6 ("" ); absolute of mountainsProverbs 8:25.
Topical Lexicon
Lexical Scope in Narrative and Poetryטָבַע moves between the concrete and the metaphorical. Literally it pictures something being driven downward—submerged in water, embedded in flesh or earth, or pressed into architectural sockets. Figuratively the verb conveys defeat, humiliation, and irreversible judgment. Because the action is decisive and final, Biblical writers employ טָבַע when they wish to underscore that what God casts down will not rise again unless He Himself intervenes.
Divine Triumph over Human Might (Exodus 15:4)
Israel’s first song of praise after the exodus celebrates the Lord’s victory using טָבַע: “Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has hurled into the sea; the finest of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea” (Exodus 15:4). The verb highlights how completely the military power of Egypt was buried. No remnant remained to threaten the newly redeemed nation. Later prophets recall this moment to assure Israel that any future oppressor will meet the same fate (Isaiah 43:16-17).
Personal Deliverance from Overwhelming Trouble (Psalms 69 and 9)
David turns the same imagery inward. “I sink in deep mire, where there is no footing” (Psalm 69:2) and again, “Deliver me from the mire; do not let me sink” (Psalm 69:14). His life-threatening circumstances feel like the Red Sea closing over him. Yet by praying with the verb of Egypt’s defeat, he implicitly invokes the God who once drowned chariots.Psalm 9:15 extends the concept: “The nations have sunk down in the pit they have made.” What threatens the righteous ends up consuming the wicked. טָבַע thus becomes a term of covenant confidence—God reverses unrighteous oppression.
Victory over a Seemingly Invincible Foe (1 Samuel 17:49)
When David’s stone “sank into his forehead,” Goliath’s downfall foreshadowed the fate of every arrogant opponent of God’s kingdom. The verb quickens the narrative: the impact is not superficial but decisive. As Pharaoh’s chariots could not surface, so Goliath cannot rise. Both events model the principle that “the battle belongs to the LORD” (1 Samuel 17:47).
Cosmic Stability and Wisdom’s Antiquity (Job 38:6;Proverbs 8:25)
InJob 38:6 the Lord asks, “Into what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone?” Creation’s foundations are pictured as firmly embedded.Proverbs 8:25 testifies that Wisdom existed “before the mountains were settled” (lit. before they were sunk). Here טָבַע does not denote destruction but secure placement. The earth itself is stabilized by God’s decisive action, reinforcing that what He sinks can be an anchor as well as a grave.
National Collapse under Covenant Curses (Jeremiah 38:6; 38:22;Lamentations 2:9)
During Babylon’s siege Jeremiah is thrown into a cistern where he “sank into the mud” (Jeremiah 38:6). The prophet’s personal ordeal mirrors the city’s fate: “Her gates have sunk into the ground” (Lamentations 2:9). Repeated use of טָבַע signals that Jerusalem, once exalted, now shares Egypt’s ignominy because of persistent rebellion. Yet Jeremiah’s eventual rescue hints that repentance can still lift what God has submerged.
Theological Themes
1. Irreversible Judgment: Whether armies, giants, or nations, those opposed to God are driven beneath the surface beyond self-recovery.
2. Sovereign Protection: The same verb that describes destruction of enemies is invoked by the faithful for deliverance, implying that God alone regulates the depths.
3. Foundational Security: In creation passages טָבַע supports the reliability of the physical order and, by extension, the moral order governed by God’s wisdom.
4. Covenant Reciprocity: The wicked are often depicted as falling into the very fate they planned for others, underscoring divine justice.
Christological Foreshadowing
The sinking of Pharaoh’s forces and Goliath anticipates Christ’s triumph over the rulers and powers of this age (Colossians 2:15). His burial also parallels the motif of being cast down into the depths; yet unlike Pharaoh, He rises, proving that only the sinless Son can break the finality signified by טָבַע.
Ministry Applications
• Preaching: Use טָבַע to illustrate both the severity of divine judgment and the security believers possess in Christ.
• Counseling:Psalm 69 offers language for those who feel overwhelmed; reminding counselees that sinking is not the same as perishing when prayer reaches the Redeemer.
• Discipleship:Job 38 andProverbs 8 encourage trust in God’s ordered wisdom when life seems unstable.
• Missions and Social Action:Psalm 9 motivates advocacy for the oppressed, confident that systems of injustice will ultimately sink under their own weight.
Summary
טָבַע is a compact but vivid verb whose ten appearances trace a line from the Red Sea to ruined Jerusalem, from David’s sling to the earth’s foundations. It accents decisive moments when God presses something down—either to secure it forever or to remove it from His redeemed people’s path. In every context the verb magnifies the Lord’s unrivaled authority over depth, destiny, and deliverance.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶטְבָּ֑עָה אטבעה הָטְבְּע֥וּ הָטְבָּ֑עוּ הטבעו וַיִּטְבַּ֥ע וַתִּטְבַּ֤ע ויטבע ותטבע טָבְע֣וּ טָבְע֤וּ טָבַ֤עְתִּי ׀ טֻבְּע֥וּ טבעו טבעתי ’eṭ·bā·‘āh ’eṭbā‘āh etBaah hā·ṭə·bā·‘ū hā·ṭə·bə·‘ū hāṭəbā‘ū hateBau hāṭəbə‘ū hatebeU ṭā·ḇa‘·tî ṭā·ḇə·‘ū ṭāḇa‘tî ṭāḇə‘ū taVati taveU ṭub·bə·‘ū ṭubbə‘ū tubbeU vaiyitBa vattitBa wat·tiṭ·ba‘ wattiṭba‘ way·yiṭ·ba‘ wayyiṭba‘
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