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Baptism Related Vocabulary Discussed

Originally Written: 2020-06-26

Now, I will discuss and explain four Hebrew words:

  • Mikveh - Collection, Collected Mass, Collective Expectation - Strong’s # H4723
  • Mikvah - Ditch, Reservoir, Collection, Collected Mass - Strong’s # H4724 (and "burnt spot, burn scar" - Strong's # H4348)
  • Tabal - Immerse, Dip - Strong’s # H2881 (Related To Greek: "Baptize", linked to Strong’s # G907 Baptizo in 2 Kings 5:14)

Mikveh

Mikveh does not mean "Baptism". Let’s discuss what this word does mean, then. This is linked to Strong’s # H4723. In the King James Version, words from "Mikveh" are translated in the KJV as:

  • hope 4 times - Ezra 10:2, Jeremiah 14:8, Jeremiah 17:13, and Jeremiah 50:7
  • linen yarn 4 times - 1 Kings 10:28 (2 times) and 2 Chronicles 1:16 (2 times)
  • abiding 1 Chronicles 29:15
  • gathering Genesis 1:10
  • plenty Leviticus 11:36
  • pools Exodus 7:19

If you visit http://ancient-hebrew.org you can learn about the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible (AHLB), which a friend of mine named Jeff Benner wrote. The AHLB says Mikveh means:

I. Collection: A collection of water (a pool, pond or sea) or horses (herd). II. Waiting: Held back waiting for something.

That same lexicon AHLB shows that the parent root of this word means "Cord" and the action meaning of the parent root is "Collect". How could one word be translated as "pool", "gathering", and "abiding" - what’s the relationship? Have you ever heard the phrase, "I need to collect myself first", or "let’s regroup and talk about this more." When we need time to think about something, to process something, to handle something emotionally hard to deal with, we may need time to "collect ourselves", to ponder, to think, to learn, to wait, to seek Yahweh’s guidance on something. In those times of gathering our thoughts together, we wait and put our trust in Yahweh. This is possibly how you can come to the translation of "abiding" or "gathering" or even "pool" since a "pool" is a collection or gathering of water into one place. The common underlying similarity in these words is related to "collecting" or "gathering", so it’s not necessarily related to water itself, although water also could be collected into one place.

Mikveh, therefore, means a "collection" or "collected mass". This matches the second definition given by Brown Drivers Briggs. Also, please note that Mikveh is not a verb. Mikveh is a masculine noun.

Regarding other translations the KJV uses:

The word "hope" is not the correct translation of Mikvah because the Hebrew word "Tiqvah" means hope. Why would they say "hope"? Because when you are collecting yourself and waiting and watching, there is something you are waiting and watching for, that thing which you are hoping for. The Mikveh therefore could be referring to not only the collecting of yourself in the sense of waiting upon Yahweh for His kindness, deliverance, and mercy, but Mikveh could also be referring to the positive outcome in which you would be longing to see while you are in that state of "being collected" as you wait. That "positive outcome while you wait" is how the KJV translated got to the translation of "hope" probably. You could translate it as "collecting", but English readers would get confused. The better translation, therefore, in those verses might be "collective expectation". This may imply or bring ideas of the people gathering to seek for and wait for and pray for the mercy of Yahweh also.

For linen yarn - there may be other Hebrew words so that might not be the best way to translate Mikveh in those verses. Not sure on those; I would need more time to study those verses. Linen yarn is a collection of fibers so I would have to think about the best way to translate that more. Maybe linen yarn is just fine how it is - I’m not sure. Maybe "collected fibers".

Since this word has a "Quf", not a "Kaf", and a "Waw" in it, technically it should be said as "Miqweh" instead of "Mikveh". In Ancient Hebrew, the letter was a "Waw", not a "Vav".

Mikvah

Mikvah does not mean "Baptism". Let’s discuss what this word does mean, then. There are two words which seem to be almost identical in pronunciation, but not spelling.

  • Mikvah is linked to Strong's # H4348 and means "burnt spot, burn scar" and is found in Leviticus 13:24-25 and Leviticus 13:28. Since this has a "Waw" in it, technically this should be "Mikwah" (remember, "Vav" is modern Hebrew, "Waw" is Ancient Hebrew, so it's "W", not "V").
  • Miqvah, which many people incorrectly write as Mikvah, is linked to Strong’s # H4724. In the King James Version, "Miqvah" is translated in Isaiah 22:11 as "ditch". Miqvah is a feminine noun. It means "Ditch: A place for collecting water" According to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. Brown Drivers Briggs says it also means a reservoir or collection or collected mass. This has the same root as Mikveh and similarly, since it has a "Quf" and a "Waw" in it, technically this should be "Miqwah".

Tabal

This is linked to Strong’s # H2881. This is a verb which means "dip" according to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. A similar word, which seems like a good translation, is "immerse". This was discussed earlier in this study. Please refer to the earlier part of this study discussing Tabal. Tabal is probably the closest thing in Hebrew to the Greek word from Strong’s # G907, Baptizo as evidenced by the fact that both these words were used in the Hebrew and Greek of 2 Kings 5:14. The main difference, however, is that baptism/immersion in the Name of Yahushua is special from all other things involving water, and in all cases of baptism in the Name of Yahushua, one person is immersing the other, which along with the other points presented in this study, give evidence of a backwards immersion that one person does to another and then pulls them up out of the water. Please read this full study for details if you skipped around. If you have any questions, please contact me. May Yahweh bless you in your baptism and in your walk, and may Yahweh have mercy upon us all.