תּוּב
specifically (transitive and ellip.) to reply
Definition
The Aramaic word תּוּב (tûwb) primarily means 'to return' or 'to come back,' but in its biblical usage, it most often carries the specific sense of 'to answer' or 'to reply.' This meaning arises from the idea of returning a word or a response to someone. In contexts like Ezra 5:5 and Daniel 3:16, it directly means to give an answer. However, it can also imply a restoration or a return to a previous state, as seen in Ezra 6:5, where it refers to the return of temple vessels, and in Daniel 4:34 and 4:36, where it describes the return of Nebuchadnezzar's reason and kingdom.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively in the Aramaic portions of the Old Testament, specifically in the books of Ezra and Daniel. Its usage consistently involves a formal or official reply, often in the context of royal decrees, legal inquiries, or divine interactions. For example, it is used when provincial officials 'answer' King Darius about the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 5:5, 5:11) and when Daniel's friends 'reply' to King Nebuchadnezzar's ultimatum (Daniel 3:16). The pattern shows it is a term for a deliberate, consequential response.
Etymology
תּוּב is the Aramaic cognate of the Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shûwb, H7725), which means 'to turn back, return, or repent.' The Aramaic form directly corresponds to this root, sharing the core concept of a return movement. In biblical Aramaic, its semantic range narrowed to frequently denote the 'return' of words in speech, hence 'to answer.'
Semantic Range
This word connects the act of answering or replying to the broader biblical theme of return and restoration. In Daniel, the answers given by God's servants (Daniel 2:14, 3:16) are acts of faithful witness that lead to God's sovereign restoration, as seen in Nebuchadnezzar's return to sanity and throne (Daniel 4:34, 4:36). Understanding it as a 'returned word' highlights that true, faithful speech is a response that aligns with God's ultimate purpose to restore all things.
In the Aramaic-speaking court culture of the Persian and Babylonian empires, a formal 'answer' (תּוּב) was a significant act, often carrying legal weight and determining fate. It was not casual conversation but a deliberate, accountable reply to authority. This contrasts with modern, informal notions of answering.
שׁוּב (shûwb, H7725) — The Hebrew root meaning 'to return, turn back'; תּוּב is its Aramaic counterpart with a specialized sense of verbal reply. עֲנָה (ʿănâ, H6030) — The more common Aramaic/Hebrew verb for 'to answer' or 'respond,' used in a wider range of contexts.
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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