H2881 H2881
Dip, immerse: to dip an object into liquid (blood, water, sauce); to plunge or submerge fully; passive: be dipped.
The Hebrew verb taval describes the deliberate act of dipping something into a liquid — a hyssop branch into blood on Passover night (Exod 12:22), a priest's finger into sacrificial blood for sprinkling (Lev 4:6), or a morsel of bread into vinegar at Boaz's harvest table (Ruth 2:14). Spanish mojara and French tremper both capture the everyday physicality of the gesture, while the deeper immersion of Naaman plunging seven times in the Jordan (2 Kgs 5:14) pushes toward a distinct sense of full submersion — a usage that would later shape the Aramaic and Greek vocabulary of baptism. The single Niphal occurrence at Joshua 3:15, where the priests' feet 'were dipped' into the Jordan's floodwaters, rounds out the word's semantic range with a passive voice.
3. be dipped or immersed — To be dipped or become immersed — the Niphal (passive) stem appearing only in Joshua 3:15, where the priests carrying the ark stepped into the Jordan at flood stage and their feet 'were dipped' in the water's edge. Spanish se mojaron and the reflexive-passive framing across languages confirm the grammatical distinction from the active Qal senses. The narrative context is electrifying: the moment of contact between priestly feet and floodwater triggers the miraculous parting of the river. 1×
AR["انغَمَسَت"]·ben["ডুবে-গেল"]·DE["dipped"]·EN["dipped"]·FR["trempa"]·heb["נטבלו"]·HI["डूबे"]·ID["terendam"]·IT["dipped"]·jav["kejiret"]·KO["접했다"]·PT["mergulharam"]·RU["погрузились"]·ES["se-mojaron"]·SW["ilizama"]·TR["daldı"]·urd["ڈوبے"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. dip into liquid — To dip an object into a liquid — the core Qal active sense covering 13 of the word's 16 occurrences. The action is always transitive: someone dips a thing (finger, hyssop, bread, rod) into a substance (blood, water, vinegar, honey). The ritual contexts dominate — Levitical priests dipping fingers in blood for purification rites (Lev 4:6, 17; 9:9; 14:6, 51) and the Passover hyssop dipped in lamb's blood (Exod 12:22). Spanish mojara and German tauchen converge on the simple physical gesture. The most emotionally charged instance is Joseph's brothers dipping his multicolored coat in goat's blood to deceive their father (Gen 37:31). 13×
AR["وَ-اغْمِسِي","وَ-تَغْمِسُونَ","وَ-غَمَسَ","وَ-غَمَسُوا","وَ-يَغْمِسُ","وَ-يَغْمِسُهُ","وَ-يَغْمِسُهُمْ","وَغَامِسًا","وَغَمَسَها"]·ben["আর-ডোবাল","এবং-ডুবাওয়া","এবং-ডুবাক","এবং-ডুবাবে","এবং-ডোবাল","এবং-তুমি-ডোবাবে","এবং-সে-ডুবাল"]·DE["[וטבלת]","und-dip","und-dipping","und-er-dipped","und-er-soll-dip","und-soll-dip","und-tauchten"]·EN["and-dip","and-dipped","and-dipping","and-he-dipped","and-he-shall-dip","and-shall-dip"]·FR["et-devra-dip","et-dip","et-dipped","et-dipping","et-il-devra-dip","et-il-dipped","et-il-trempa","et-trempe"]·heb["ו-טבל","ו-טבלת","ו-טבלתם","ו-טובל","ו-יטבול","ו-יטבלו"]·HI["और-डुबोई","और-डुबोए","और-डुबोएगा","और-डुबोओ","और-डुबोता","और-डुबोया","वय्यित्बोल"]·ID["Dan-mencelupkan","Dan-mencelupkanlah","dan-celupkanlah","dan-dia-mencelupkan","dan-hendaklah-mencelupkan","dan-mencelupkan","dan-mencelupkannya","dan-mereka-mencelupkan"]·IT["e-dip","e-dipped","e-dipping","e-dovra-dip","e-egli-dipped","e-egli-dovra-dip","e-egli-immerse"]·jav["Lan-nyelupaken","lan-nyelupaken","lan-panjenengan-sedaya-nyelupaken","lan-piyambakipun-sami-nyelupaken"]·KO["그리고-그-가-담그라","그리고-담갔다","그리고-담겴다","그리고-담그리라","그리고-담그었다","그리고-담근라","그리고-적셔라","그리고-적셨다","그리고-찍었다"]·PT["E-molhará","e-mergulhando","e-mergulhareis","e-mergulhou","e-molharam","e-molhará","e-molharás"]·RU["и-обмакивай","и-обмакните","и-обмакнул","и-обмакнули","и-обмакнёт","и-окунающий","и-окунул"]·ES["Y-mojará","y-la-mojó","y-moja","y-mojaron","y-mojará","y-mojaréis","y-moje","y-mojó","y-sumergirá"]·SW["Na-atachovya","Na-atazamisha","na-achovye","na-akachovya","na-akakichovya","na-atazamisha","na-mtie","na-uchovye","na-wakalitia"]·TR["ve-bataırdılar","ve-battırdı","ve-batıracak","ve-batıracaksın","ve-batıran","ve-batırdı","ve-batırın","ve-daldıracak","ve-daldırdı","ve-daldırsın"]·urd["اور-ڈبو","اور-ڈبوؤ","اور-ڈبوئے","اور-ڈبوئےگا","اور-ڈبونے-والا","اور-ڈبویا"]
Gen 37:31, Exod 12:22, Lev 4:6, Lev 4:17, Lev 9:9, Lev 14:6, Lev 14:16, Lev 14:51, Num 19:18, Deut 33:24, Ruth 2:14, 1 Sam 14:27 (+1 more)
2. plunge into (immerse fully) — To plunge or immerse fully, suggesting complete submersion rather than a partial dipping. Two occurrences carry this deeper, more forceful connotation: Naaman immersing himself seven times in the Jordan for healing (2 Kgs 5:14), where Spanish se sumergió and Korean 몸을 담그다 emphasize the full-body action; and Job's bitter complaint that God would 'plunge me in a ditch' (Job 9:31), where the verb conveys violent submersion. The shift from dipping a finger to submerging a whole person marks a genuine semantic extension toward total immersion. 2×
AR["تَغْمِسُني","وَغَطَسَ"]·ben["এবং-ডুব-দিল","তুমি-ডুবিয়ে-দেবে-আমাকে"]·DE["[תטבלני]","und-dipped"]·EN["You-plunge-me","and-dipped"]·FR["et-trempa","תטבלני-moi"]·heb["ו-יטבול","תטבלני"]·HI["और-डुबाया","तू-मुझे-डुबोएगा"]·ID["Engkau-mencelupkanku","dan-mencelupkan-diri"]·IT["You-plunge-me-mio","e-immerse"]·jav["Panjenengan-nyelupaken-kawula","lan-nyilem"]·KO["그리고-잠겸다","당신이-나를-담그시리라"]·PT["e-mergulhou","me-mergulharás"]·RU["и-окунулся","погрузишь-меня"]·ES["me-hundirás,","y-se-sumergió"]·SW["na-akazamia","utanitumbukiza"]·TR["batıracaksın-beni","ve-daldi"]·urd["اور-ڈبویا","ڈبوئے-گا-مجھے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. טָבַל Niph. Pf. 3 mpl. נִטְבְּלוּ Jos 3:15 be dipped, בְּ of water. vb. dip (NH id.; Aramaic טְבַל dip, bathe; cf. perhaps Arabic طَمَلَ saturavit tinctura vestem, Frey)—Qal Pf. וְטָבַל consec. Lv 4:6 + 5 times; וְטָבַלְתְּ consec. Ru 2:14; וּטְבַלְתֶּם consec. Ex 12:22; Impf. וַיִּטְבֹּל Lv 9:9 + 3 times; 2 ms. sf. תִּטְבְּלֵנִי Jb 9:31; וַיִּטְבְּלוּ Gn 37:31;—dip: 1. trans., dip a thing…