Lexical Summary techor: Tumor, Hemorrhoid Original Word: טְחֹר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance emerod From an unused root meaning to burn; a boil or ulcer (from the inflammation), especially a tumor in the anus or pudenda (the piles) -- emerod. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition tumors (a result of dysentery) NASB Translation tumors (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs [טְחוֺר] noun masculine1Samuel 6:4 only plural tumours, result of dysentery (see Aramaic √) (so Aramaic טְחוֺרַיָּא,  ) — chiefly Qr for Kt עפלים, עפלֵי hemorrhoids: namely טְחֹרִים Deuteronomy 28:27; 1 Samuel 5:6,9,12; טְחֹרֵי זֶהָב 1 Samuel 6:4; צַלְמֵי טְחֹרֵיכֶם 1 Samuel 6:5; twice it has found its way into the Kt טְחֹרֵי הַזָּהָב 1 Samuel 6:17, צַלְמֵי טְחֹרֵיהֶם 1 Samuel 6:11; WeSam. 27n., compare GeiUrschrift 408 f. טטף (perhaps √ of following; meaning dubious; DlPr 46 compare Assyrian ‰a‰âpu, surround, encircle; Thes Di proposes √ טוף (compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Scope and Setting טְחֹר designates the painful “tumors” that struck the Philistines after they seized the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 5–6). The word appears twice in the Hebrew text (1 Samuel 6:11; 1 Samuel 6:17), yet the narrative of chapters 5–6 repeatedly refers to the same affliction, giving the term a wider narrative reach than the raw concordance count suggests. Occurrences in Scripture • 1 Samuel 6:11 – The Philistines place “the gold tumors and the gold rats” on the cart with the Ark. Although the noun appears only here, the surrounding verses (5:6, 5:9, 5:12; 6:4–5) describe the sickness in graphic terms: “The hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, ravaging them and afflicting them with tumors” (1 Samuel 5:6). Historical Background: The Ark Narrative When the Philistines captured the Ark at Aphek, they believed they had mastered Israel’s deity. Instead, the Ark’s presence unleashed divine judgment: their idol Dagon toppled and their people were stricken. The tumors, together with an infestation of rats (6:5), created a public health crisis that swept through five Philistine cities. The Philistine elders recognized the plague’s supernatural origin and hastened to propitiate Yahweh with a guilt offering: five golden images of the very tumors that tormented them. By shaping the punishment in gold, they acknowledged God’s sovereignty and sought mercy without embracing covenant faith. Theological Insights 1. Divine Holiness Guarding the Ark. The tumors underscore that God’s holiness cannot be violated with impunity (compare Numbers 4:15). Where the Philistines attempted to parade the Ark as a trophy, God vindicated His honor. 2. Judgment Tailored to Offense. The malady struck their bodies and their land simultaneously, exposing physical weakness and economic vulnerability. “You must make images of your tumors and of the rats that are ravaging the land, and give glory to the God of Israel” (1 Samuel 6:5). The very objects of judgment became the mediums of confession. 3. Mercy Through Acknowledged Guilt. Though outside the covenant, the Philistines received relief when they returned the Ark with offerings and followed priestly counsel (6:3–8). God’s readiness to relent foreshadows His universal concern for the nations (Isaiah 19:22; Jonah 4:11). Practical Ministry Applications • God’s people today must reverence His presence. Casual or manipulative approaches to the holy—whether worship, sacrament, or Scripture—invite discipline (1 Corinthians 11:27–32). Typological Glimpses of the Gospel The golden replicas of the tumors recall the bronze serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21:8–9; John 3:14). In both cases, an image of the curse was lifted up as the means through which God’s wrath was averted. Ultimately, Christ “became a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13), bearing sin in His own body so that believers might be healed (1 Peter 2:24). Later Jewish and Christian Reflections Rabbinic sources debate whether the affliction amounted to hemorrhoids, bubonic plague, or some other disease, yet all agree on its supernatural origin. Early Christian commentators—Josephus, Theodoret, Jerome—stress the moral lesson: divine chastisement educates both Israel and the nations. Summary טְחֹר, though rare, highlights the severity of divine judgment and the breadth of divine mercy. The tumors inflicted on the Philistines proclaim that Yahweh alone is God, that sin invites bodily and societal ruin, and that humble submission to God’s revealed will is the path to restoration. Forms and Transliterations טְחֹרֵ֣י טְחֹרֵיהֶֽם׃ טחרי טחריהם׃ ṭə·ḥō·rê ṭə·ḥō·rê·hem techoRei techoreiHem ṭəḥōrê ṭəḥōrêhemLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 6:11 HEB: וְאֵ֖ת צַלְמֵ֥י טְחֹרֵיהֶֽם׃ NAS: and the likenesses of their tumors. KJV: and the images of their emerods. INT: the golden and the likenesses of their tumors 1 Samuel 6:17 2 Occurrences |
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go around, whence טוטפות = טפטפוֺת; Kn., following by KleinJPTh 1881, 673 and elsewhere, assumes √ טפף tap, strike, compare στίγμα, and thinks of actual sign or mark in the flesh as originally meant).