### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **ṭâlâʼ**, represented by `{{H2921}}`, is a primitive root that properly means to cover with pieces. This leads to its application in scripture as **to spot or variegate**, and it is also translated as **clouted** or with **divers colours**. It appears **8 times** across **6 unique verses**.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In Genesis, `{{H2921}}` is used repeatedly in the narrative of Jacob and Laban to describe livestock. Jacob's wages were to consist of all the **spotted** and speckled goats and brown sheep [[Genesis 30:32]]. As a result, when the flocks conceived, they brought forth young that were ringstraked, speckled, and **spotted** [[Genesis 30:39]]. The word also appears in a context of deception, when the Gibeonites presented themselves to Joshua with old and **clouted** (patched) shoes to feign a long journey [[Joshua 9:5]]. Figuratively, in Ezekiel, Israel is described as using garments to create high places of **divers colours**, an act associated with playing the harlot [[Ezekiel 16:16]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words clarify the contexts in which `{{H2921}}` is found:
* `{{H5348}}` **nâqôd** (speckled): This word is consistently paired with **ṭâlâʼ** in Genesis to describe the markings of Jacob's flock. It specifies animals that are "spotted; speckled," reinforcing the idea of a variegated appearance [[Genesis 30:32]].
* `{{H1087}}` **bâleh** (old): Meaning "worn out; old," this term describes the condition of the shoes that are **clouted** `{{H2921}}` in the Gibeonites' deception, highlighting the deliberate appearance of age and wear [[Joshua 9:5]].
* `{{H1116}}` **bâmâh** (high place): The term for "an elevation; height, high place, wave," it is the object that Israel "deckedst" with garments of **divers colours** `{{H2921}}` in an act of spiritual unfaithfulness [[Ezekiel 16:16]].
* `{{H2181}}` **zânâh** (playedst the harlot): This word, meaning "to commit adultery," reveals the symbolic gravity of decking high places with **divers colours**. The act is not merely decorative but represents idolatry, or figuratively going a-whoring from God [[Ezekiel 16:16]].
### Theological Significance
The applications of `{{H2921}}` carry significant conceptual weight, moving from literal description to potent metaphor.
* **Designation of Value:** In the context of Jacob's agreement with Laban, being **spotted** is the specific characteristic that designates which animals belong to Jacob as his hire or wages `{{H7939}}` [[Genesis 30:33]]. The marking is a visible sign of ownership and divine provision.
* **Appearance of Deception:** The "clouted" or patched shoes worn by the Gibeonites are a key element in their strategy of deceit. The patchwork appearance is intended to create a false impression of a long, arduous journey, showing how a variegated or pieced-together surface can be used to mislead [[Joshua 9:5]].
* **Symbol of Spiritual Corruption:** In Ezekiel, garments of **divers colours** are used to adorn high places for idolatrous worship. This variegated, mixed nature symbolizes spiritual impurity and unfaithfulness, as Israel "playedst the harlot" `{{H2181}}` by mixing true worship with profane practices [[Ezekiel 16:16]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H2921}}` **ṭâlâʼ** is a term whose meaning extends from the literal to the metaphorical. It describes the physical appearance of animals with **spotted** coats, the patched state of **clouted** shoes, and the spiritually corrupt nature of idolatrous worship decorated with **divers colours**. The word consistently points to a state of being variegated, patched, or mixed, whether for establishing value, perpetrating a deception, or illustrating a fall into spiritual adultery.
TRV