תּוֹרָה
𐤕𐤅𐤓𐤄
tôwrâh
H8452 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Instruction, teaching, or direction; in most biblical contexts, refers to guidance or instructions—often of a legal, ethical, or ritual nature—provided by a person of authority (especially the God of Israel to the Israelite people). The word can denote a specific instruction, an authoritative body of teaching, or, in later and post-exilic usage, a codified set of written laws (e.g., the Pentateuch). While frequently rendered as 'law' in English, its range is broader, including general instruction or guidance.
Semantic Range
instruction, direction, teaching, authoritative guidance, legal regulation, statute, priestly (ritual) instruction, corpus of divine teaching, body of written law
Root / Etymology
From the root ירה (y-r-h), meaning 'to throw, point, instruct, direct.' 'Torah' is a nominal form possibly built from תּוֹר (tôr, related to 'direction'). The word thus fundamentally means 'that which is instructed' or 'instruction.' Over time, it came to denote not only any teaching or body of guidance but specifically, in later usage, authoritative written law.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Originally, 'torah' in the Hebrew Bible described various types of instruction or guidance—whether parental, priestly, or divine. In the monarchic and pre-exilic periods, it could refer to individual priestly rulings or general teaching. Only in later exilic and post-exilic contexts did 'torah' commonly denote the specific written corpus of legal material (notably the Pentateuch). English Bibles often translate 'torah' as 'law,' but this can obscure its broader meaning as general instruction or guidance. The shift in meaning was part of a broader process of canonization and codification within the Second Temple period. In earlier texts (e.g., Proverbs 1:8; 6:20), it refers to parental or wisdom instruction, not legal dictates. In prophetic literature, 'torah' often signifies Yahwistic ethical teaching rather than ritual legislation. Only in Ezra-Nehemiah and later literature does 'the Torah' come to signify a specific scroll or canonical body of written law.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably feminine of תּוֹר; a custom; manner.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ירה (y-r-h) — to instruct, to teach, to direct, to point out
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3138 | יוֹרֶה | his early rain |
| H3139 | יוֹרָה | Autumn-Rain |
| H3140 | יוֹרַי | Rain-Causer |
| H3384 | יָרָה | the shooters |
| H3385 | יְרוּאֵל | El-Founded Place |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8452-01 |
תּוֹרַ֥ת | torat | HNcfsc |
instruction-of | instruction of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8452-01 |
2 Samuel 7:19 | תּוֹרַ֥ת | torat | HNcfsc |
instruction-of | instruction of |