Bible Word Study
תֶּלַח
Telach · Telach, an Israelite
תֶּלַח
Telach, an Israelite
Definition
Telach is a proper noun referring to an Israelite man, a descendant of Ephraim, mentioned in the genealogy of 1 Chronicles 7:25. As a personal name, it carries no other semantic meanings or senses in the biblical text. The name appears only in this single genealogical list, identifying him as the son of Resheph and the father of Tahan within the lineage of Joshua. Its usage is strictly as an identifier for an individual in a historical record.
Biblical Usage
The word תֶּלַח (Telach) is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 7:25. Its usage is exclusively as a personal name within a genealogical list tracing the descendants of the tribe of Ephraim. There are no patterns of usage across different books or contexts, as it is a unique, singular reference to an individual.
Etymology
The name Telach is derived from an unused Hebrew root likely meaning 'to break through' or 'to dissever,' related to the concept of a 'breach.' This suggests the name may have originally carried a sense of 'breaker' or 'pioneer.' It is a proper name, so its etymological meaning is not active in its biblical usage but may reflect a characteristic hope or event associated with the individual's birth.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, personal names were often significant, sometimes reflecting circumstances of birth, parental hopes, or character traits. While the specific reason for naming this individual Telach ('breach') is not provided in Scripture, it fits the pattern where names in genealogies could commemorate events or express aspirations. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder of the historical reality and continuity of God's covenant people through specific families.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]