Noah's Ark תבה
Noah's ark has a word used for just one other thing in the Tanakh: the basket that held the infant Moses.
- Found in the Torah
- 13,384,833
- Chance alone: 13,500,035
- Skips 2 to 152,424
- Found in the Tanakh
- 174,589,524
- Chance alone: 175,553,402
- Skips 2 to 598,520
Create a free accountFree, and this search opens as soon as you are in.
Hebrew has a word for ship, and another for the chest in the Tabernacle. The ark of Noah is neither. It is a תבה, and the Tanakh has exactly one further use for that word: in Exodus 2:3 Moses's mother puts him in a תבת גמא, an ark of bulrushes, and daubs it with pitch, as Noah was told to do. A vessel for a whole world of creatures and a vessel for one baby share a noun, and those two stories are the only places it stands. Nearly every appearance has the article or the construct form, so the bare word never occurs. Three letters with none of them rare turn up all over the text at a skip, and this page is a good place to see how little that says.
- As a whole word
- 0
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 6:14
- Last
- Daniel 5:15
The measurement
The Tanakh never writes this bare word, and the Torah still holds 13,384,833 sequences of it. A plain word's count depends on what was written. A sequence count depends only on how many ת, ב and ה there are.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 13,384,833 | 174,589,524 |
| Chance alone | 13,500,035 | 175,553,402 |
| P (≥ found) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 152,319 | 598,496 |
Counted forward and backward on the written text, with final letters treated as ordinary ones. At the laboratory's opening setting, skips 2 to 5,000, the Torah gives 869,664 against 870,994 by chance. How these figures are made.
The sequences, letter by letter
Each letter is shown in the verse it happens to stand in, nothing more. Tap one to read it in the Tanakh, with the rest of the sequence marked.
In the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 3:8
… מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ בַּגָּ֖ן לְר֣וּחַ הַיּ֑וֹם וַיִּתְחַבֵּ֨א הָֽאָדָ֜ם וְאִשְׁתּ֗וֹ מִפְּנֵי֙ יְקוָ֣ק אֱ־לֹהִ֔ים …
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden toward the cool of the day; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 4:20
וַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י יֹשֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה׃
And Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle.
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 2:7
וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֲחֹתוֹ֮ אֶל־בַּת־פַּרְעֹה֒ הַאֵלֵ֗ךְ וְקָרָ֤אתִי לָךְ֙ אִשָּׁ֣ה מֵינֶ֔קֶת מִ֖ן הָעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת וְתֵינִ֥ק לָ֖ךְ אֶת־הַיָּֽלֶד׃
Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter: ‘Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?’
וַתֹּ֧אמֶר לָ֣הּ בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֗ה הֵילִ֜יכִי אֶת־הַיֶּ֤לֶד הַזֶּה֙ וְהֵינִקִ֣הוּ לִ֔י וַאֲנִ֖י אֶתֵּ֣ן אֶת־שְׂכָרֵ֑ךְ וַתִּקַּ֧ח הָאִשָּׁ֛ה הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַתְּנִיקֵֽהוּ׃
And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her: ‘Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.’ And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
Middle skip 500, forward from Genesis 6:5
וַיַּ֣רְא יְקוָ֔ק כִּ֥י רַבָּ֛ה רָעַ֥ת הָאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְכָל־יֵ֨צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃
And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
צֹ֣הַר תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה לַתֵּבָ֗ה וְאֶל־אַמָּה֙ תְּכַלֶ֣נָּה מִלְמַ֔עְלָה וּפֶ֥תַח הַתֵּבָ֖ה בְּצִדָּ֣הּ תָּשִׂ֑ים תַּחְתִּיִּ֛ם שְׁנִיִּ֥ם וּשְׁלִשִׁ֖ים תַּֽעֲשֶֽׂהָ׃
A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
גַּ֣ם מֵע֧וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם שִׁבְעָ֥ה שִׁבְעָ֖ה זָכָ֣ר וּנְקֵבָ֑ה לְחַיּ֥וֹת זֶ֖רַע עַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
of the fowl also of the air, seven and seven, male and female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Genesis 3:11
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מִ֚י הִגִּ֣יד לְךָ֔ כִּ֥י עֵירֹ֖ם אָ֑תָּה הֲמִן־הָעֵ֗ץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר צִוִּיתִ֛יךָ לְבִלְתִּ֥י אֲכָל־מִמֶּ֖נּוּ אָכָֽלְתָּ׃
And He said: ‘Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?’
… הַשֵּׁנִ֔י בְּשִׁבְעָֽה־עָשָׂ֥ר י֖וֹם לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה נִבְקְעוּ֙ כָּֽל־מַעְיְנֹת֙ תְּה֣וֹם …
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
וַֽיְחִי־עֵ֗בֶר אַחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־פֶּ֔לֶג שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה וְאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
And Eber lived after he begot Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 6:23
וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ הַנְּעָרִ֣ים הַֽמְרַגְּלִ֗ים וַיֹּצִ֡יאוּ אֶת־רָ֠חָב וְאֶת־אָבִ֨יהָ וְאֶת־אִמָּ֤הּ וְאֶת־אַחֶ֨יהָ֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לָ֔הּ וְאֵ֥ת כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחוֹתֶ֖יהָ הוֹצִ֑יאוּ וַיַּ֨נִּיח֔וּם מִח֖וּץ לְמַחֲנֵ֥ה יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
And the young men the spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had, all her kindred also they brought out; and they set them without the camp of Israel.
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 1:18
וַיִּלְכֹּ֤ד יְהוּדָה֙ אֶת־עַזָּ֣ה וְאֶת־גְּבוּלָ֔הּ וְאֶֽת־אַשְׁקְל֖וֹן וְאֶת־גְּבוּלָ֑הּ וְאֶת־עֶקְר֖וֹן וְאֶת־גְּבוּלָֽהּ׃
Also Judah took Gaza with the border thereof, and Ashkelon with the border thereof, and Ekron with the border thereof.
… וְאֶת־תַּעְנַ֣ךְ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֶיהָ֒ וְאֶת־ישביֹשְׁבֵ֨י ד֜וֹר וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֶ֗יהָ וְאֶת־יוֹשְׁבֵ֤י יִבְלְעָם֙ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֶ֔יהָ וְאֶת־יוֹשְׁבֵ֥י …
And Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its towns, nor of Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites were resolved to dwell in that land.
וַיּ֤וֹאֶל הָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת בְּהַר־חֶ֔רֶס בְּאַיָּל֖וֹן וּבְשַֽׁעַלְבִ֑ים וַתִּכְבַּד֙ יַ֣ד בֵּית־יוֹסֵ֔ף וַיִּהְי֖וּ לָמַֽס׃
But the Amorites were resolved to dwell in Harheres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributary.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 1,520 | 1,594 |
| 11 to 100 | 15,511 | 15,937 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 157,279 | 158,850 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 695,354 | 694,613 |
| 5,001 to 152,424 | 12,515,169 | 12,629,041 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 174,310. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 174,310 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 100/100 | 176,399 | 175,088 to 177,289 |
| Words within each verse | 37/100 | 174,214 | 173,207 to 175,224 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 3,081,683 | 3,457,222 |
| Exodus | 3,057,677 | 2,813,419 |
| Leviticus | 2,145,930 | 1,983,710 |
| Numbers | 2,559,719 | 2,814,039 |
| Deuteronomy | 2,539,824 | 2,431,645 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 49,235,137 | 44,708,084 |
| Prophets | 79,039,787 | 81,215,898 |
| Writings | 46,314,600 | 49,629,420 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set תבה beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
Create a free accountFree, and this search opens as soon as you are in.