H8581 — תַּעָב (taʻab)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H8581
Original: תַּעָב
Transliteration: taʻab
Pronunciation: taw-ab
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Root: Primitive root; denominative base of H8441 תּוֹעֵבַה (tôwʻêbah) "abomination"
Occurrences: 20 unique verses (31 tokens) across 9 OT books
First Occurrence: Deu 7:26 — "thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to loathe, i.e. (morally) detest: — (make to be) abhor(-red), (be, commit more, do) abominable(-y), utterly.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Piel	15	abhor, detest, make abhorrent — active moral/emotional recoil
Hiphil	4	do abominably, commit abomination — causative: make [oneself/actions] abominable
Niphal	3	be abhorred, be made abominable — passive/stative: the state of being loathed

Tallied from hebrew_parser.py --lemma output (22 tokens including Deu 7:26 infinitive absolute + finite verb pair). The Piel is overwhelmingly dominant (~68%), expressing active personal revulsion. The Hiphil shifts to causative agency — doing what makes one abominable. The Niphal is purely passive/resultative.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation Family	Verses	%
abhor / abhor me / abhorred / abhorreth / shall abhor	12	60%
abominable / abominably / abominable (+ qualifier)	5	25%
utterly [detest/abhor]	1	5%
other (split tokens, partial phrases)	2	10%

The KJV rendering stays within the "abhor/abominable" family. "Abhor" renders the Piel (active loathing), while "abominable/abominably" renders Hiphil and Niphal forms.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Micah	1	1.0
Amos	1	0.7
Job	4	0.4
Deuteronomy	2	0.2
Isaiah	2	0.2
Ezekiel	2	0.2
Psalms	6	0.2
1 Kings	1	0.1
1 Chronicles	1	0.1

Psalms has the highest raw count (6) but low density. Job has the highest density among multi-occurrence books at 0.4 per 100 verses. The word is spread thinly across prophetic, wisdom, and historical literature — contrasting with its noun derivative H8441 towebah, which clusters heavily in Ezekiel (41), Proverbs (20), and Deuteronomy (16). The verb is notably absent from Leviticus, Proverbs, and Jeremiah — books where the noun is prominent.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Divine Abhorrence — God's Moral Revulsion¶

God as subject, expressing active rejection of sin, sinners, or his own people in judgment. - Psa 5:6 — "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man" - Psa 106:40 — "Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance" - Deu 7:26 — "thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing" (command to Israel to mirror God's own revulsion toward idolatrous objects)

Humans abhorring other humans; the experience of being socially despised. - Job 19:19 — "All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me" - Job 30:10 — "They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face" - Job 9:31 — "Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me" - Isa 49:7 — "Thus saith the LORD... to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers"

3. Prophetic Indictment — Leaders Who Abhor Justice¶

Prophets condemning rulers who reject righteousness. - Mic 3:9 — "ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity" - Amo 5:10 — "They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly"

4. Doing Abominably — Causative (Hiphil) Action¶

Making oneself or one's actions abominable through idolatry or moral corruption. - 1Ki 21:26 — "And he [Ahab] did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites" - Psa 14:1 — "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works" - Psa 53:1 — "Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good" - Eze 16:52 — "thou hast committed more abominable than they"

5. State of Being Abhorred — Passive (Niphal)¶

The condition of being loathed or made loathsome. - Isa 14:19 — "But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch" (king of Babylon) - Job 15:16 — "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?" - 1Ch 21:6 — "the king's word was abominable to Joab"

6. Commanded Non-Abhorrence — Restraint of National Contempt¶

The one exceptional use: prohibition against despising a kinsman-nation. - Deu 23:7 — "Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land"

7. Righteous Abhorrence of Falsehood¶

The psalmist's self-directed loathing of sin. - Psa 119:163 — "I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
כֹּל (kôl)	H3605	5x (25%)	"all" — universal scope of abominable deeds or people
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	4x (20%)	"the LORD will abhor" / abomination before the LORD
לֹא (lôʼ)	H3808	4x (20%)	prohibition: "thou shalt not abhor"
אָמַר (ʼâmar)	H559	3x (15%)	prophetic speech introducing judgment
אֲשֶׁר (ʼăsher)	H834	3x (15%)	relative clause linking the abominable act
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrâʼêl)	H3478	3x (15%)	Israel as addressee or subject
עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh)	H6213	3x (15%)	"do/commit abominably" — Hiphil action pattern
אָהַב (ʼâhab)	H157	2x (10%)	antithetic pairing: abhor vs. love (Psa 119:163; Job 19:19)
טוֹב (ṭôwb)	H2896	2x (10%)	contrast: good vs. abominable
לֵב (lêb)	H3820	2x (10%)	heart/disposition — seat of abhorrence

The most significant pattern is the antithetic pairing with אָהַב "love" — where ta'ab appears as love's moral opposite (Psa 119:163: "I hate and abhor... but thy law do I love").

Word Family / Cognates¶

H8441 תּוֹעֵבַה (tôwʻêbah) — feminine active participle used as noun: "abomination." The dominant derivative. See H8441-towebah.md.

Synonyms¶

H8130 שָׂנֵא (sâneʼ) — to hate. Broader and more common (145v). Ta'ab adds visceral, moral disgust beyond mere hatred.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared English	Key Difference
שָׁקַץ (shâqats)	H8262	"abominable" (2v overlap)	Ritual/dietary detest — Levitical unclean animals. Ta'ab is moral/personal loathing.
פִּגּוּל (piggûwl)	H6292	"abominable" (2v overlap)	Technical: putrid/rejected sacrificial flesh beyond permitted time.
תּוֹעֵבַה (tôwʻêbah)	H8441	"abomination" (noun cognate)	The noun derivative — the thing abhorred. Ta'ab is the act of abhorring.
שִׁקּוּץ (shiqqûwts)	H8251	"abomination" (no direct overlap)	Narrower: detestable idols/cult objects specifically.

Semantic Domains¶

[002001002014] Hate — Other words: אֵיבָה (H342), באשׁ (H887), בחל (H973), זור (H2114)
[002001003020] Wrong — Other words: אָוֶן (H205), גֹּאַל (H1352), הֲפַכְפַּךְ (H2019)
[002001002007] Evil — Other words: אלח (H444), אנשׁ (H605), בְּלִיַּעַל (H1100)

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
βδελύσσω (bdelyssō)	G948	17	9.19	Primary — verb cognate of βδέλυγμα. Near-exclusive LXX rendering.
Ἰσραήλ (Israēl)	G2474	3	0.64	Context word, not semantic equivalent.
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	5	0.48	Context word, not semantic equivalent.
ποιέω (poieō)	G4160	3	0.55	Collocate verb "to do," not equivalent.

The LXX mapping is essentially one-to-one: G948 βδελύσσω is the Greek verbal counterpart. This mirrors the noun pair: H8441 tôwʻêbah → G946 βδέλυγμα. The Hebrew verb-noun family (ta'ab / tôwʻêbah) maps cleanly onto the Greek verb-noun family (bdelyssō / bdelygma).