H8510 H8510
mound, ruin-heap; an artificial hill formed by accumulated rubble of destroyed or ancient cities
A tel is the characteristic mound formed when ancient Near Eastern cities were destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly on the same site, each layer compressing into an elevated hill. When Joshua burned Ai, it became 'a tel forever' (Josh 8:28) — a permanent ruin-heap. Deuteronomy 13:16 prescribes the same fate for an idolatrous city. Jeremiah uses the term both for desolation (49:2, Rabbah becoming a 'mound of ruin') and for restoration (30:18, a city rebuilt 'on its mound'), showing the word's archaeological concreteness.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A ruin-mound, the heap of rubble left after a city's destruction, implying permanent desolation. Joshua 8:28 and Deuteronomy 13:16 pair it with 'forever' (עוֹלָם) to stress irreversibility. Jeremiah 49:2 adds 'desolation' (שְׁמָמָה). English 'heap' and Spanish 'montón' consistently render this destructive sense. French leaves the Hebrew untranslated in some occurrences, reflecting the technical archaeological flavor of the term. 5×
AR["تَلًّا", "تَلِّهَا", "تَلّاً", "تِلالِها", "لِتَلٍّ"]·ben["ঢিবি", "ঢিবি-তার", "তাদের-টিলাগুলিতে", "স্তূপ-", "স্তূপ-হিসাবে"]·DE["[לתל]", "[תלה]", "ein-Haufen-", "ein-Huegel", "ihr-Huegel"]·EN["a-heap-", "a-mound", "a-mound-of", "her-mound", "their-mound"]·FR["[לתל]", "[תלה]", "leur-mound", "un-monceau-", "un-monticule"]·heb["ל-תל", "תל", "תל-", "תלה", "תלם"]·HI["उसके-खण्डहर", "के-लिए-टीला", "टीला", "टीलों-अपने"]·ID["bukit-mereka", "reruntuhannya", "timbunan", "timbunan-"]·IT["[לתל]", "[תלה]", "loro-mound", "un-heap-", "un-mound"]·jav["dados-gundukan", "gumuk-ipun", "gumukan-ipun", "gundukan", "tumpukan-"]·KO["그것의-언덕", "그들의-언덕에", "더미", "무더기를-", "폐허-더미로"]·PT["em-monte-de", "monte-de", "monte-de-ruínas", "seu-monte", "seus-montes"]·RU["развалинах-своих", "холмах-их", "холмом", "холмом-"]·ES["montón", "montón-de", "para-montón-de", "su-ruina", "sus-colinas"]·SW["chungu-cha-magofu", "kilima-cha", "kilima-chake", "vilima-vyao"]·TR["-için-höyük", "höyük", "höyüğünün-onun", "tel-", "tepelerinin"]·urd["ٹیلا", "ٹیلوں-اپنے", "ٹیلہ", "ٹیلہ-", "ٹیلے-اپنے"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† תֵּל n.[m.] mound;— 1. mound, ruin-heap (of city): cstr. תֵּל(־)עוֹלָם Jos 8:28 (JE), Dt 13:17, תֵּל שְׁמָמָה Je 49:2. 2. mound or hill on which city stood: sf. תִּלָּם Jos 11:13 (D), תִּלָּהּ Je 30:18.