H8403 — תַּבְנִית (tabniyth)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H8403
Original: תַּבְנִית
Transliteration: tabnîyth
Pronunciation: tab-neeth
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: בָּנָה (banah, H1129) — to build
Occurrences: 17 unique verses (21 tokens) across 8 books
First Occurrence: Exo 25:9 — "According to all that I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make [it]."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From H1129 (banah); structure; by implication, a model, resemblance: — figure, form, likeness, pattern, similitude.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
likeness	5	29.4%
pattern	5	29.4%
form	3	17.6%
similitude	2	11.8%
figure	1	5.9%
(untranslated / combined)	1	5.9%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Chronicles	4	0.4
Deuteronomy	3	0.3
Ezekiel	3	0.2
Exodus	2	0.2
Psalms	2	0.1
Joshua	1	0.2
2 Kings	1	0.1
Isaiah	1	0.1

Usage concentrates in two distinct settings: (1) tabernacle/temple construction instructions (Exodus, 1 Chronicles) and (2) prohibitions against idolatrous image-making (Deuteronomy, Ezekiel). Single occurrences in Joshua, 2 Kings, Isaiah, and Psalms round out the range.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Divine Blueprint — Pattern Shown by God for Sacred Construction¶

Exo 25:9 — "According to all that I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make [it]."
Exo 25:40 — "And look that thou make [them] after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount."
1Ch 28:11 — "Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof..."
1Ch 28:19 — "All [this, said David], the LORD made me understand in writing by [his] hand upon me, [even] all the works of this pattern."

2. Likeness of Created Things — Idolatrous Image-Making Prohibited¶

Deu 4:16 — "Lest ye corrupt [yourselves], and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,"
Deu 4:17 — "The likeness of any beast that [is] on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,"
Deu 4:18 — "The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that [is] in the waters beneath the earth:"

3. Visible Form / Appearance in Vision¶

Eze 8:3 — "And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head..."
Eze 10:8 — "And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings."
Eze 8:10 — "So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about."

4. Replica / Copy of a Physical Object¶

Jos 22:28 — "Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it [is] a witness between us and you."
2Ki 16:10 — "and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof."

5. Likeness / Resemblance (General)¶

Psa 106:20 — "Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass."
Psa 144:12 — "That our daughters [may be] as corner stones, polished [after] the similitude of a palace."
Isa 44:13 — "he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
כֹּל (kol)	H3605	8x (47%)	"all the pattern" — totality of the plan
רָאָה (raʼah)	H7200	6x (35%)	"which was shewed thee" — divine revelation of the pattern
עָשָׂה (ʻasah)	H6213	5x (29%)	"make after the pattern" — execution according to model
בַּיִת (bayith)	H1004	4x (24%)	"pattern of the house" — temple blueprint
יְהֹוָה (Yehovah)	H3068	4x (24%)	Pattern given by or belonging to the LORD
מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeach)	H4196	3x (18%)	"pattern of the altar" — altar design
כְּרוּב (kerub)	H3742	2x (12%)	"chariot of the cherubims" — cherubim design
סֶמֶל (semel)	H5566	2x (12%)	Idolatrous image alongside tabniyth (Eze 8)

Synonyms¶

H5566 סֶמֶל (semel) — image, idol-figure (SDBH synonym)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
דְּמוּת (demuwth)	H1823	"likeness"	demuwth = abstract resemblance, often used of divine-human likeness (Gen 1:26); tabniyth = structural model, a buildable pattern
תְּמוּנָה (temuwnah)	H8544	"likeness," "similitude"	temuwnah = visible form/shape perceived (especially what is not seen at Sinai, Deu 4:12); tabniyth = a constructible pattern or replica
צוּרָה (tsuwrah)	H6699	"form"	tsuwrah = outward shape/appearance (1v); tabniyth = model to be reproduced
תׇּכְנִית (tokniyth)	H8508	"pattern"	tokniyth = measured plan/measurement (1v, Eze 43:10); tabniyth = the complete structural model

Semantic Domain (SDBH)¶

Images [001002008001010]: ʼĕlîyl (H457), ʼăshêrâh (H842), gillûwl (H1544), maççêkâh (H4541)
Compare [002004002003]: dᵉmûwth (H1823), dimyôwn (H1825)
Design [002004002004]: mishpâṭ (H4941), tsûwrâh (H6699)

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
ὁμοίωμα (homoioma) G3667	9	20.02	Primary — used for both "likeness" and "pattern" renderings
θυσιαστήριον (thysiastērion) G2379	3	5.10	When tabniyth refers to an altar pattern
ὁράω (horaō) G3708	5	4.66	Verbal rendering of the "shown" pattern concept

Note: The LXX maps tabniyth predominantly to homoioma (G3667), but the NT typology vocabulary uses τύπος (typos) G5179 for the Heb 8:5 / Acts 7:44 citations of Exo 25:40 — a deliberate terminological shift from the LXX rendering.