Tabeel in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE

ta'-be-el: A name meaning "good is God," borne by two persons in the Old Testament (Isa 7:6, the King James Version, "Tabeal"). (1) The father of the man whom the kings of Israel and Damascus planned to place upon the throne of Judah (Isa 7:6). The form of the name Tabhe'el, suggests that he was a Syrian; his son evidently was a tool of Rezin, king of Damascus. The name is vocalized so as to read Tebeal (Tabhe'al), which might be translated "good for nothing," though some explain it as a pausal form, with the ordinary meaning. The change, probably due to a desire to express contempt, is very slight in Hebrew. (2) A Persian official in Samaria (Tabhe'el) (Ezr 4:7). All that is known of him is that he joined with other officials in sending a letter to Artaxerxes for the purpose of hindering the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. F. C. Eiselen