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H8392 · Hebrew · Old Testament
תֵּבָה
Tevah
Noun, feminine
Ark / Chest / Vessel

Definition

The Hebrew noun tevah (תֵּבָה) refers to a large vessel or chest. It appears only twice in the OT: for Noah's ark (Genesis 6–9) and for the basket in which the infant Moses was placed (Exodus 2:3). This is distinct from the Ark of the Covenant (aron).

Usage & Theological Significance

The two uses of tevah create a remarkable typological pair. Both arks carried the seed of salvation through waters of judgment. Noah's tevah preserved eight souls through the flood — 'a few people, eight in all, were saved through water' (1 Peter 3:20). Moses' tevah, daubed with pitch (the same Hebrew word as 'atonement' — kaphar!), floated on the Nile to preserve the deliverer of Israel. Both arks point to Christ: He is the true Ark of salvation, who passed through the waters of judgment (the cross/death) and carries all who are 'in Him' safely to the other shore. Baptism echoes this: the waters that judge also save those united to Christ (1 Peter 3:21).

Key Bible Verses

Genesis 6:14 So make yourself an ark (tevah) of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
Genesis 7:1 The LORD then said to Noah, 'Go into the ark (tevah), you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.'
Exodus 2:3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket (tevah) for him and coated it with tar and pitch.
1 Peter 3:20 God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.

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