Lexical Summary
tebuah: Produce, yield, increase, revenue, harvest
Original Word:תְּבוּאָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:tbuw'ah
Pronunciation:te-voo-AH
Phonetic Spelling:(teb-oo-aw')
KJV: fruit, gain, increase, revenue
NASB:produce, crops, yield, crop, harvest, income, increase
Word Origin:[fromH935 (בּוֹא - came)]
1. income, i.e. produce (literally or figuratively)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ark
Frombow'; income, i.e. Produce (literally or figuratively) -- fruit, gain, increase, revenue.
see HEBREWbow'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
boDefinitionproduct, revenue
NASB Translationcrop (4), crops (6), gain (1), harvest (4), income (4), increase (3), produce (10), product (3), revenue (2), yield (5), yield may increase (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
proventus, — absolute
Psalm 107:37 3t.; construct
Leviticus 23:39 11t.; suffix
Job 31:12;
Proverbs 8:19;
Deuteronomy 14:28 2t.;
Proverbs 3:9;
Leviticus 19:25 +
Ezekiel 48:18 Qr (Kt ),
Jeremiah 2:3;
Exodus 23:10 7t. +
Ezekiel 48:18 Kt (so Co);
Leviticus 25:20; plural
Leviticus 25:15 4t.;
Proverbs 14:4;
Proverbs 16:8;
Jeremiah 12:13; —
product, yield, usually of earth (= crops, etc.)Exodus 23:10;Leviticus 19:25;Leviticus 23:29;Leviticus 25:3,7 (used as food for man & beast, compareLeviticus 25:22)Joshua 5:12, compareNehemiah 9:37;Leviticus 25:15,16, alsoEzekiel 48:18; inGenesis 47:24 must =of the crops ( partitive, compare
; strike out );2 Kings 8:6; 2Chronicles 31:5;Deuteronomy 22:9 comparePsalm 107:37;Isaiah 30:23; &Numbers 18:30;Deuteronomy 14:22; 2Chron 32:38; as property of husbandmen, or peopleLeviticus 25:20;Deuteronomy 14:28;Deuteronomy 16:25;Deuteronomy 26:12;Proverbs 3:9; crops as determined by season,Deuteronomy 33:14 ("" );yield of a yearLeviticus 25:12,22; compareLeviticus 25:21 , subject .
income, revenue, in GeneralJob 31:12 (almost = possessions)Proverbs 10:16;Proverbs 14:4;Proverbs 15:6;Proverbs 16:8;Ecclesiastes 5:9 compareIsaiah 23:3 (revenue of Tyre from trade with Egypt in bread stuffs).
figurativegain of wisdomProverbs 3:14;Proverbs 8:19;product of lips ( )Proverbs 18:20, i.e. results of his speech ("" ); of Israel as Yahweh's productJeremiah 2:3; of Israel's wickednessJeremiah 12:13.
Topical Lexicon
Root Concept and Range of Meaningתְּבוּאָה (tevûʾâ) speaks of what the earth or one’s labor “brings in” — grain, fruit, revenue, or profit. It can indicate literal harvest (Exodus 23:16) or figurative gain (Proverbs 18:20).
Agricultural Setting in Ancient Israel
Israel’s economy was agrarian; rainfall patterns and soil fertility meant that grain, grapes, and olives determined national wellbeing. תְּבוּאָה became shorthand for livelihood itself. Seasonal rhythms (early rains, latter rains, threshing floors, wine-presses) framed worship, work, and war (2 Samuel 11:1).
Torah Foundations: Blessing, Tithe, and Jubilee
1. Covenant Blessing. “He will bless the fruit of your womb and the produce of your land” (Deuteronomy 7:13). Abundant תְּבוּאָה confirmed the Lord’s favor (Deuteronomy 28:4, 11; 30:9); barrenness signaled covenant breach (Deuteronomy 28:18, 33, 51).
2. Tithing Principle. “You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the produce of your fields each year” (Deuteronomy 14:22). The tithe taught dependence, funded worship, and provided for Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows (Deuteronomy 26:12).
3. Holy Calendar. The Feast of Harvest (Shavuot) celebrated “the firstfruits of the produce of your labor” (Exodus 23:16; 34:22). In the Sabbath year the land rested so “the poor among your people may eat, and the wild animals may consume what they leave” (Exodus 23:10-11), rooting social justice in agricultural practice.
Historical Narratives: National Prosperity and Famine
Joseph’s policy “stored up every bit of the produce of the surrounding fields” (Genesis 41:48) and preserved nations. Hezekiah’s reforms prompted gifts of “abundant produce of the field” (2 Chronicles 31:5). Conversely, in drought under Ahab, harvest failed and the prophet Elijah announced judgment (1 Kings 17).
Wisdom Literature: Ethical and Spiritual Harvest
Proverbs employs תְּבוּאָה to link diligence and righteousness with plenty:
• “Honor the LORD with… the firstfruits of all your harvest; then your barns will be filled with plenty” (Proverbs 3:9-10).
• “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of the ox” (Proverbs 14:4).
• Speech yields its own harvest: “From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of his lips he is satisfied” (Proverbs 18:20).
The capable wife “considers a field and buys it; from the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard” (Proverbs 31:16). Wisdom, labor, and foresight guarantee lasting gain.
Prophetic Voices: Judgment and Restoration
Prophets invoke תְּבוּאָה to expose sin and promise renewal.
• Withholding: “You have planted much, but harvested little” (Haggai 1:6).
• Devastation: “The field is ruined; the land mourns, for the grain is destroyed” (Joel 1:10).
• Economic Idolatry: Tyre’s commerce is “the harvest of the Nile” (Isaiah 23:3).
• Covenant Lawsuit: “Israel was holy… the firstfruits of His harvest” (Jeremiah 2:3); betrayal brings loss (Hosea 2:8-9).
Yet hope shines: “The seed will still be prosperous; the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce” (Zechariah 8:12).
Cultic Administration and Temple Support
Post-exilic leaders restored tithe logistics: “We will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God… the firstfruits of our land and of all our produce” (Nehemiah 10:37; cf. 12:44; 13:5, 12). Faithful supply sustained priests, singers, and gatekeepers and guarded worship from state control.
Covenantal Theology of Provision
Tevûʾâ functions as barometer of obedience. Material yield is never autonomous; the Lord “opens the heavens” (Deuteronomy 28:12) or “calls for a drought on the grain” (Haggai 1:11). Scripture thus integrates spirituality and economics: holiness affects rainfall, justice affects barns.
Socio-Economic Care for the Vulnerable
Gleaning laws (Leviticus 19:9-10) and third-year tithes (Deuteronomy 14:28-29) redistributed tevûʾâ to the powerless. The righteous king and farmer alike were measured by generosity. Failure to deliver wages (Jeremiah 22:13) or manipulate weights (Amos 8:5-6) invited harvest failure.
Ministry and Stewardship Applications
1. Giving: Regular, proportional generosity (1 Corinthians 16:2) mirrors Old-Testament tithing of produce.
2. Faith: Farmers wait for the “valuable crop” (James 5:7); believers rest in God’s timetable.
3. Preaching: The Word sown multiplies “a crop yielding a hundredfold” (Mark 4:8).
4. Discipleship Metrics: Churches assess fruit not merely in numbers but in character (Galatians 5:22-23).
Christological and Eschatological Trajectory
Jesus is the firstfruits of resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20), guaranteeing a final harvest when angels “gather the elect” (Matthew 24:31). Revelation pictures “another angel… saying, ‘Swing your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe’” (Revelation 14:15). Old-Testament tevûʾâ foreshadows this global ingathering.
Select References Featuring תְּבוּאָה
Exodus 23:16;Deuteronomy 14:22;Deuteronomy 28:4;Proverbs 3:9-10;Proverbs 14:4;Isaiah 23:3;Jeremiah 2:3;Hosea 2:8-9;Joel 1:10;Haggai 1:6;Zechariah 8:12.
Key Insights
• Tevûʾâ unifies theology and daily life: harvest belongs to God.
• Abundance is covenant gift, not autonomous achievement.
• Generosity safeguards the poor and funds worship.
• Spiritual fruitfulness is the telos; material plenty illustrates it.
• Final eschatological harvest crowns the motif, as the Lord of the harvest reaps both grain and souls.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּתְּבוּאֹ֔ת בתבואת הַתְּבוּאָ֔ה הַתְּבוּאָ֣ה התבואה וְכִתְבוּאַ֥ת וּ֝תְבוּאָתִ֗י וּבִתְבוּאַ֖ת וּתְבוּאַ֖ת וּתְבוּאָתָ֣הּ ובתבואת וכתבואת ותבואת ותבואתה ותבואתי כִּתְבוּאַ֥ת כתבואת לִתְבוּאַ֥ת לתבואת מִתְּבוּאַת֙ מִתְּבוּאֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם מתבואת מתבואתיכם תְּ֝בוּא֗וֹת תְּב֖וּאָתִ֣י תְּב֣וּאָתָ֔הּ תְּבֽוּאָתָ֑הּ תְּבוּאַ֖ת תְּבוּאַ֣ת תְּבוּאָ֣תְךָ֔ תְּבוּאָֽתְךָ֙ תְּבוּאָת֑וֹ תְּבוּאָתְךָ֛ תְּבוּאָתֵֽנוּ׃ תְּבוּאָתֶֽךָ׃ תְּבוּאָתָ֖הּ תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ תְּבוּאָתֹ֑ה תְּבוּאֹ֔ת תְּבוּאֹ֣ת תְבֽוּאָה׃ תְבֽוּאָתֹו֙ תְבוּאָ֑ה תְבוּאֹ֖ת תבואה תבואה׃ תבואות תבואת תבואתה תבואתה׃ תבואתו תבואתי תבואתך תבואתך׃ תבואתנו׃ bat·tə·ḇū·’ōṯ battəḇū’ōṯ battevuOt hat·tə·ḇū·’āh hattəḇū’āh hattevuAh kiṯ·ḇū·’aṯ kiṯḇū’aṯ kitvuAt liṯ·ḇū·’aṯ liṯḇū’aṯ litvuAt mit·tə·ḇū·’aṯ mit·tə·ḇū·’ō·ṯê·ḵem mittəḇū’aṯ mittəḇū’ōṯêḵem mittevuAt mittevuOteiChem tə·ḇū·’ā·ṯāh tə·ḇū·’ā·ṯe·ḵā tə·ḇū·’ā·ṯə·ḵā tə·ḇū·’ā·ṯê·nū tə·ḇū·’ā·ṯî tə·ḇū·’ā·ṯōh tə·ḇū·’ā·ṯōw ṯə·ḇū·’ā·ṯōw ṯə·ḇū·’āh tə·ḇū·’aṯ tə·ḇū·’ō·wṯ tə·ḇū·’ōṯ ṯə·ḇū·’ōṯ ṯəḇū’āh təḇū’aṯ təḇū’āṯāh təḇū’āṯeḵā təḇū’āṯəḵā təḇū’āṯênū təḇū’āṯî təḇū’āṯōh təḇū’āṯōw ṯəḇū’āṯōw təḇū’ōṯ ṯəḇū’ōṯ təḇū’ōwṯ teVuah tevuAt tevuaTah tevuAtecha tevuaTenu teVuaTi tevuaTo tevuaToh tevuOt ū·ḇiṯ·ḇū·’aṯ ū·ṯə·ḇū·’ā·ṯāh ū·ṯə·ḇū·’ā·ṯî ū·ṯə·ḇū·’aṯ ūḇiṯḇū’aṯ ūṯəḇū’aṯ ūṯəḇū’āṯāh ūṯəḇū’āṯî utevuAt utevuaTah utevuaTi uvitvuAt vechitvuAt wə·ḵiṯ·ḇū·’aṯ wəḵiṯḇū’aṯ
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