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תְּשׁוּבָה

𐤕𐤔𐤅𐤁𐤄

tᵉshûwbâh

H8666 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁוּב to return, turn back, restore, recur

Definition

A return, act of turning back or coming back (to a place, activity, or state); a reply or response; (rarely) restoration or renewal. The term primarily denotes the act or process of returning, whether physically (to a place), temporally (at a set time or cycle), or metaphorically (return to a previous state or behavior). It can also refer to an answer in the sense of a reply to a question or request.

Semantic Range

return, act of returning, recurrence, restoration, reply, response, renewal (of time), coming back (to a place or state)

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁוּב (shuv), which means 'to turn back, return, go back, restore.' The form תְּשׁוּבָה is a feminine noun derived by applying the standard nominal prefix ת- (tav) to the verbal root, expressing the action or result of returning. The nominal pattern indicates 'the act of returning' or a 'thing returned.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, תְּשׁוּבָה most often appears in prose and poetry as the act of returning—either physically (e.g. returning to a place or an earlier situation), or temporally (the recurrence or cycle of a period, such as the annual return of the year). In post-biblical Hebrew, particularly rabbinic literature, the term comes to denote 'repentance'—a moral or existential turning or returning to the deity—but this usage does not occur in the Hebrew Bible itself. Instead, the biblical meaning is concrete, focused on physical, temporal, or verbal return. English translations that render it 'answer' capture only one minor aspect; its primary nuances are broader and encompass the physical and cyclical senses. The word is rare and found mainly in poetic, wisdom, or late biblical literature; other noun forms like מִשׁוּב and שׁוּבָה are related but less common or have slightly different connotations.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or תְּשֻׁבָה; from שׁוּב; a recurrence (of time or place); a reply (as returned); answer, be expired, return.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁוּב (sh-w-b) — return, turn back, restore, recur

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4878 מְשׁוּבָה to my turning-away
H7726 שׁוֹבָב turning-away ones
H7728 שׁוֹבֵב the turning-away woman
H7729 שׁוּבָה in returning

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8666-01 לִ/תְשׁוּבַ֨ת liteshuvat HR/Ncfsc at the return for the return of 3
H8666-05 וּ֝/תְשֽׁוּבֹתֵי/כֶ֗ם uteshuvoteykhem HC/Ncfpc/Sp2mp your answers and your returns 1
H8666-06 וְ/לִ/תְשׁוּבַ֣ת veliteshuvat HC/R/Ncfsc at the return and for return of 1
H8666-02 תְּשׁוּבַ֨ת teshuvat HNcfsc of the return return-of 1
H8666-03 תְּ֝שֻׁבֹ֗ת teshuvot HNcfpa replies returns 1
H8666-04 וּ/תְשֻׁבָת֤/וֹ uteshuvato HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his return and his return 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8666-04 1 Samuel 7:17 וּ/תְשֻׁבָת֤/וֹ uteshuvato HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his return and his return
H8666-01 2 Samuel 11:1 לִ/תְשׁוּבַ֨ת liteshuvat HR/Ncfsc at the return for the return of
H8666-01 1 Kings 20:22 לִ/תְשׁוּבַ֣ת liteshuvat HR/Ncfsc at the return of for the return of
H8666-01 1 Kings 20:26 לִ/תְשׁוּבַ֣ת liteshuvat HR/Ncfsc at the return for the return of
H8666-05 Job 21:34 וּ֝/תְשֽׁוּבֹתֵי/כֶ֗ם uteshuvoteykhem HC/Ncfpc/Sp2mp your answers and your returns
H8666-03 Job 34:36 תְּ֝שֻׁבֹ֗ת teshuvot HNcfpa replies returns
H8666-02 1 Chronicles 20:1 תְּשׁוּבַ֨ת teshuvat HNcfsc of the return return-of
H8666-06 2 Chronicles 36:10 וְ/לִ/תְשׁוּבַ֣ת veliteshuvat HC/R/Ncfsc at the return and for return of
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