tabaat · signet ring

What it means

tabaat (טַבַּעַת) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “signet ring”.

Ring with the king's seal; whoever wore it acted in his name. Also any ring.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. The seal band the king wore on his finger.
2. A metal ring into which poles are put to carry something.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Ring. It is the signet ring of a king and also each ring through which the poles of the ark passed.

• The king’s signet ring Genesis 41:42Esther 3:10Esther 8:8
• The rings of the ark and of the dwelling Exodus 25:12Exodus 25:14Exodus 26:24
• The rings of the breastpiece Exodus 28:23Exodus 28:28
• Rings as jewelry Exodus 35:22Isaiah 3:21

Historical and cultural background

Giving the ring is giving authority: Pharaoh puts his on Joseph’s hand (Genesis 41:42), and Ahasuerus gives his to Haman and later to Mordecai. “A writing that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be turned back” (Esther 8:8).

How we translate it

“Rings” 40 times and “ring” 9, both for the rings in the building of the dwelling, through which the poles or the cords pass, and for the king’s seal or a jewel; in Genesis 41:42, “his signet ring”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• rings ×40
• ring ×9

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×1
• Exodus×40
• Numbers×1
• Esther×6
• Isaiah×1

• Genesis 41:42

  Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on the hand of Joseph; he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a chain of gold around his neck.

• Exodus 25:12

  You shall cast for it four rings of gold and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it and two rings on the other side of it.

• Exodus 25:14

  You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark with them.

• Exodus 25:15

  In the rings of the ark the poles shall be; they shall not be removed from it.

• Exodus 25:26

  You shall make for it four rings of gold and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four feet.

• Exodus 25:27

  Close to the rim the rings shall be, as holders for the poles to carry the table.

• Exodus 26:24

  They shall be doubled from below, and together they shall be complete at its top, at the first ring; so it shall be for both of them; they shall form the two corners.

• Exodus 26:29

  You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold.

• Exodus 27:4

  You shall make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and you shall make on the network four rings of bronze at its four corners.

• Exodus 27:7

  Its poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar when it is carried.

• Exodus 28:23

  You shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.

• Exodus 28:24

  You shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece;

• Exodus 28:26

  You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its edge that is toward the side of the ephod, inward.

• Exodus 28:27

  You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, low down, on its front, close to its seam, above the woven band of the ephod.

• Exodus 28:28

  They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue, so that it is on the woven band of the ephod, and the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.

• Exodus 30:4

  And two rings of gold you shall make for it under its molding; on its two sides you shall make them, on its two sides, and they shall be holders for poles to carry it with them.

• Exodus 35:22

  And they came, the men with the women, all who were generous of heart; they brought brooches and earrings and rings and necklaces, all kinds of articles of gold; and every man who waved a wave offering of gold to YHWH.

• Exodus 36:29

  And they were double from below, and together they were complete to its top, at the one ring; so he made for both of them, for the two corners.

• Exodus 36:34

  And the boards he overlaid with gold, and their rings he made of gold, holders for the bars; and he overlaid the bars with gold.

• Exodus 37:3

  And he cast for it four rings of gold on its four feet, and two rings on its one side, and two rings on its second side.

• Exodus 37:5

  and he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark.

• Exodus 37:13

  And he cast for it four rings of gold and put the rings on the four corners that were at its four legs.

• Exodus 37:14

  Close to the rim were the rings, holders for the poles to carry the table.

• Exodus 37:27

  And two rings of gold he made for it under its molding, on its two sides, on its two sides, as holders for poles to carry it with them.

• Exodus 38:5

  And he cast four rings on the four corners of the grating of bronze, as holders for the poles.

• Exodus 38:7

  And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, to carry it with them; hollow, of planks, he made it.

• Exodus 39:16

  And they made two settings of gold and two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.

• Exodus 39:17

  And they put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece.

• Exodus 39:19

  And they made two rings of gold and put them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its edge that was on the side of the ephod inward.

• Exodus 39:20

  And they made two rings of gold and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod below, at its front, close to its joining, above the woven band of the ephod.

• Exodus 39:21

  And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue, so that it would be on the woven band of the ephod, and the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, as YHWH had commanded Moses.

• Numbers 31:50

  So we have brought the offering of YHWH, each what he found: articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make expiation for our souls before YHWH.”

• Esther 3:10

  And the king removed his ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of the Jews.

• Esther 3:12

  And the king’s scribes were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day of it, and it was written according to all that Haman commanded, to the king’s satraps and to the governors who were over each province and to the officials of each people, to each province according to its script and each people according to its language; in the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and it was sealed with the king’s ring.

• Esther 8:2

  And the king removed his ring, which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

• Esther 8:8

  And you, write concerning the Jews as seems good in your eyes, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring; for a writing that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be turned back.”

• Esther 8:10

  And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by the hand of the couriers on horses, riding the royal steeds, sons of the mares,

• Isaiah 3:21

  the rings and the nose rings;

And 11 more times.