Bible Encyclopedias
Tabeel

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tā´bḗ - el : A name meaning "good is God," borne by two persons in the Old Testament ( Isaiah 7:6 , the King James Version, "Tabeal").

(1) The father of the man whom the kings of Israel and Damascus planned to place upon the throne of Judah (Isaiah 7:6 ). The form of the name טבאל , ṭābhe'ēl , suggests that he was a Syrian; his son evidently was a tool of Rezin, king of Damascus. The name is vocalized so as to read Tebeal (טבאל , ṭābhe'al ), which might be translated "good for nothing," though some explain it as a pausal form, with the ordinary meaning. The change, probably due to a desire to express contempt, is very slight in Hebrew.

(2) A P ersian official in Samaria ( טבאל , ṭābhe'ēl ) ( Ezra 4:7 ). All that is known of him is that he joined with other officials in sending a letter to Artaxerxes for the purpose of hindering the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.