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תְּפִלָּה

𐤕𐤐𐤋𐤄

tᵉphillâh

H8605 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Act of addressing or petitioning a deity, usually YHWH, in speech (spoken or silent), encompassing requests (supplication), expressions of praise, thanksgiving, or lament, and sometimes broader communication seeking divine favor or guidance. The term primarily signifies the act of prayer, but its scope includes structured or set prayers as well as spontaneous petition.

Semantic Range

prayer, entreaty, supplication, plea, petition to deity, praise, thanksgiving, spoken or sung address to God, liturgical prayer, individual or community prayer

Root / Etymology

From the root פלל (palal), which means 'to intervene, to intercede, to judge.' The word is a feminine noun derived from the verbal root, denoting the act or result of engaging in פָּלַל (praying, interceding, entreating).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In ancient Israelite contexts, תְּפִלָּה referred to diverse acts of prayer—including individual laments (Psalms), communal entreaties (as during national crises), temple-based sacrificial rituals accompanied by prayer, and articulated appeals for deliverance or forgiveness. While sometimes used generically for any prayerful address, it may also refer to formalized or liturgical prayers (e.g., the 'prayer of Solomon' at the temple's dedication, 1 Kings 8). In post-exilic and later Hebrew, תְּפִלָּה eventually came to denote set liturgical prayers, but in the Hebrew Bible, it rarely refers to fixed texts. English translations as 'prayer' capture the basic sense but often miss nuance—such as contexts of lament versus praise or public versus private entreaties. The semantic field overlaps partially with תחינה (plea, entreaty), but תְּפִלָּה focuses more on the exchange or address between petitioner and deity rather than urgent supplication only. Late Second Temple and early rabbinic Judaism's use of 'tefillah' as a term for specific prayers (e.g., the 'Amidah') reflects development after the biblical period.

Translation Consistency

primary "pray" 29 occurrences

תְּפִלָּה primarily denotes the act of addressing God — petition, praise, thanksgiving, or intercession. The verb 'pray' is the most natural, common English rendering that covers this full range (supplication, intercession, liturgical or personal prayer) and will read naturally in all inflected forms.

Alternatives (48 occurrences):
"interceding prayer" (26x) "prayer" (7x) "prayer of" (7x) "intercession-prayer of" (5x) "prayers of" (1x) "intercession-prayer" (1x) "intercessory-praying" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from פָּלַל; intercession, supplication; by implication, a hymn; prayer.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

פלל (p-l-l) — intervene, intercede, judge

Root פלל to intervene, intercede, judge
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6414 פָּלִיל by arbiters
H6415 פְּלִילָה judicial proceeding
H6416 פְּלִילִי judicial
H6417 פְּלִילִיָּה judicial proceeding
H6419 פָּלַל in his interceding

Word Forms

16 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8605-10 תְּפִלָּתִ֔/י tefilati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my prayer my interceding prayer my prayer of praying 20
H8605-06 תְּפִלָּ֣ה tefilah HNcfsa prayer interceding prayer interceding prayer 17
H8605-07 תְּפִלַּ֧ת tefilat HNcfsc the prayer intercession-prayer of intercession-prayer of 7
H8605-03 הַ/תְּפִלָּ֖ה hatefilah HTd/Ncfsa the prayer the interceding prayer the interceding prayer 6
H8605-08 תְּפִלָּתָ֖/ם tefilatam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their prayer their interceding-prayer their praying 6
H8605-09 תְּפִלָּתְ/ךָ֣ tefilatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your prayer your intercessory prayer your prayer 4
H8605-15 וּ֝/תְפִלָּתִ֗/י utefilati HC/Ncfsc/Sp1cs and my prayer and my interceding prayer and my praying 3
H8605-16 וּ֝/תְפִלָּת֗/וֹ utefilato HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his prayer and his intercessory-prayer and his prayer 3
H8605-13 וּ/תְפִלָּ֖ה utefilah HC/Ncfsa or prayer interceding prayer and interceding prayer 2
H8605-05 לִ/תְפִלַּ֖ת litefilat HR/Ncfsc to the prayer for prayer-of to the prayer of 2

Occurrences in Scripture

77 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8605-03 2 Samuel 7:27 הַ/תְּפִלָּ֖ה hatefilah HTd/Ncfsa the prayer the interceding prayer the interceding prayer
H8605-07 1 Kings 8:28 תְּפִלַּ֧ת tefilat HNcfsc the prayer intercession-prayer of intercession-prayer of
H8605-03 1 Kings 8:28 הַ/תְּפִלָּ֔ה hatefilah HTd/Ncfsa the prayer the interceding prayer the interceding prayer
H8605-03 1 Kings 8:29 הַ/תְּפִלָּ֔ה hatefilah HTd/Ncfsa the prayer the interceding prayer the interceding prayer
H8605-06 1 Kings 8:38 תְּפִלָּ֣ה tefilah HNcfsa prayer interceding prayer interceding prayer
H8605-08 1 Kings 8:45 תְּפִלָּתָ֖/ם tefilatam HNcfsc/Sp3mp prayer their interceding-prayer their praying
H8605-08 1 Kings 8:49 תְּפִלָּתָ֖/ם tefilatam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their prayer their interceding-prayer their praying
H8605-03 1 Kings 8:54 הַ/תְּפִלָּ֥ה hatefilah HTd/Ncfsa the prayer the interceding prayer the interceding prayer
H8605-09 1 Kings 9:3 תְּפִלָּתְ/ךָ֣ tefilatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your prayer your intercessory prayer your prayer
H8605-06 2 Kings 19:4 תְפִלָּ֔ה tefilah HNcfsa prayer interceding prayer interceding prayer
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