---
title: בָּבָה — the apple of his eye · The Tanakh dictionary
description: בָּבָה (892), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 1 times: the apple of his eye. BDB 1906: n.f. With 1 verse in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# בָּבָה

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«בָּבָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **the apple of his eye** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 1 verse in layers.

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**Used:** 1 times · **Key:** 892 · **BDB:** בָּבָה

### Glosses

pupil (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

the apple of his eye [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/892/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/892/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. only בָּבַת עֵינוֹ Zc 2:12 the apple of his eye (Aramaic ܒܳܒܬܳܐ ܕܥܰܝܢܳܐ; בָּבָא gate 𝔗 Est 5:14; Thes sub נבב to which Ges gives sense perforate, hence opening of eye; but cf. Arabic بُؤْبُؤْ عين pupil of eye, perhaps = بَنَّةٌ Dozy 49 babe, baby, bébé (imitating infant’s prattle) i.e. child of the eye; v. Hi St, Fl in ChWB i. 419 b; cf. אישׁוֹן?)

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 3 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «בָּבָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/892/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Zechariah 2:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ZEC.2.12/)

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כִּ֣י כֹ֣ה אָמַר֮ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאוֹת֒ אַחַ֣ר כָּב֔וֹד שְׁלָחַ֕נִי אֶל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם הַשֹּׁלְלִ֣ים אֶתְכֶ֑ם כִּ֚י הַנֹּגֵ֣עַ בָּכֶ֔ם נֹגֵ֖עַ בְּבָבַ֥ת עֵינֽוֹ׃

*Word for word:* (dm) thus he.says Yahweh of.hosts after honor he has.sent.me to the nations \[which have\].plundered you (dm).that the.\[one who\].touches (in) you \[is\].touching (in).the pupil his.eye his

*JPS 1917:* For thus saith the LORD of hosts who sent me after glory unto the nations which spoiled you: 'Surely, he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

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