תֶּלֶם
a bank or terrace
Definition
The Hebrew noun תֶּלֶם (telem) primarily refers to a furrow or ridge formed by plowing, as seen in agricultural contexts like Job 39:10 and Psalm 65:10. It can also denote a terrace or raised bank of earth, which is a man-made structure for farming on hillsides, as implied in Hosea 10:4 and Hosea 12:11. In Job 31:38, the word is used metaphorically, where the land crying out from its furrows symbolizes the earth bearing witness to injustice, showing how it extends beyond literal farming to represent the cultivated land itself.
Biblical Usage
תֶּלֶם appears five times in the Old Testament, exclusively in poetic books (Job, Psalms, Hosea). It is used in agricultural imagery, often to depict God's provision or human labor. For example, in Psalm 65:10, it describes God watering the earth's furrows to produce crops, highlighting divine care. In Hosea, it is associated with idolatry and injustice (Hosea 10:4, 12:11), where furrows or terraces become symbols of misplaced trust and social sin.
Etymology
Derived from an unused root meaning 'to accumulate' or 'heap up,' תֶּלֶם relates to the idea of piling earth. Cognates in other Semitic languages, such as Akkadian 'tilmu' (furrow), support this agricultural sense. The development from 'accumulation' to 'furrow' or 'terrace' reflects the physical buildup of soil in farming practices.
Semantic Range
תֶּלֶם is theologically significant as it connects agriculture to themes of God's sovereignty, human responsibility, and justice. In passages like Psalm 65:10, it illustrates God's nurturing role in creation, while in Hosea 10:4 and Job 31:38, it underscores how human actions on the land reflect spiritual conditions—idolatry or integrity. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches Bible reading by revealing deeper layers in poetic texts about covenant faithfulness and environmental stewardship.
In ancient Israel, תֶּלֶם would have been understood in the context of subsistence farming, where furrows were essential for planting crops in often rocky terrain, and terraces allowed cultivation on hillsides. This differs from modern mechanized agriculture, as these features required intense manual labor and were vital for survival, making them potent symbols in biblical poetry for productivity, hardship, and divine blessing.
מַעֲנִית (ma'anit, H4618) — a furrow specifically from plowing; שָׂדֶה (sadeh, H7704) — a general field or open country, not the ridges within it; עֲרוּגָה (arugah, H6170) — a garden bed or plot, often for spices or vegetables, smaller than a furrow.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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