טֹרַח
a burden
Definition
The Hebrew noun טֹרַח (ṭôrach) refers to a heavy burden or troublesome load, extending beyond the physical to describe a weighty responsibility or a source of wearisome difficulty. In Deuteronomy 1:12, Moses uses it to express the overwhelming burden of leadership and judicial responsibility for the entire Israelite nation. In Isaiah 1:14, the prophet conveys God's declaration that the people's insincere religious festivals have become a wearisome, burdensome 'trouble' to Him, shifting the sense from a physical load to an emotional and spiritual irritation.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only twice in the Old Testament, but in two distinct yet related contexts. In Deuteronomy 1:12, it describes the administrative and judicial 'burden' of governing a large population. In Isaiah 1:14, it describes a religious or emotional 'trouble'—God's weariness with hollow worship. Both uses convey something that is oppressive, difficult to bear, and causes fatigue.
Etymology
טֹרַח (ṭôrach) is a noun derived from the root verb טָרַח (ṭāraḥ, H2959), which means 'to burden' or 'to become weary.' The root conveys the action of loading down or becoming tired from a load. The noun form thus encapsulates the resulting state or the object that causes the weariness.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it frames the relationship between God and His people in terms of burden and weariness. In Deuteronomy, it highlights the human weight of godly leadership. In Isaiah, it shockingly reveals that human sin and religious hypocrisy can become a burdensome 'trouble' even to the Almighty, portraying a relational breakdown. Understanding this Hebrew term deepens the emotional gravity of these passages, moving 'burden' from a simple metaphor to a descriptor of profound relational strain.
In an ancient agrarian and pastoral society, the concept of a physical burden (like a heavy load for a donkey or a person) was a daily reality. This tangible experience provided a powerful metaphor for non-physical hardships, such as oppressive leadership (Deuteronomy 1:12) or the exhausting pretense of meaningless ritual (Isaiah 1:14). The cultural understanding of a burden was intimately connected with physical labor and fatigue.
מַשָּׂא (maśśā’, H4853) — a load or burden, often used for prophetic oracles; עֹל (ʿōl, H5923) — a yoke, symbolizing servitude or submission; עָמָל (ʿāmāl, H5999) — labor, toil, or trouble, often with a sense of sorrow or misery.
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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