Lexical Summary tereph: Prey, food, plunder Original Word: טֶרֶף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance leaf, meat, prey, spoil From taraph; something torn, i.e. A fragment, e.g. A fresh leaf, prey, food -- leaf, meat, prey, spoil. see HEBREW taraph NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom taraph Definition prey, food, a leaf NASB Translation food (4), leaves (1), prey (17), torn (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs טֶ֫רֶף noun masculineNahum 3:1 prey, food; leaf; — טֶרֶף Genesis 49:9 +; טָ֑רֶף Job 4:11 +; suffix טַרְפֵךְ Nahum 2:14; טַרְמּוֺ Isaiah 31:4; plural construct טַרְמֵּי Ezekiel 17:9; — 1 prey of lion Amos 3:4; Job 4:11; Job 38:39; Psalm 104:21; metaphor of Judah's conquests Genesis 49:9, Israel like lion Numbers 23:24 (both poems in J E); of Assyrians Isaiah 5:29; of Nineveh and its king Nahum 2:13; Nahum 2:14; Nahum 3:1; Israel's princes (as young lion) Ezekiel 19:3,6; simile of false prophet (like lion) Ezekiel 22:25; of princes of Judah Ezekiel 22:27; simile of י's descending to battle, like lion Isaiah 31:4; compare Psalm 76:5 coming down from mountains of prey (the lion's lair), but read perhaps עַד, compare ᵐ5 Bi Checritical note.; figurative of spoil of wicked Job 29:17, compare Psalm 124:6. 2 food, of outcasts, under figure of wild ass מֶּרֶא Job 24:5; of human food (late): for those who fear God Psalm 111:5; for household Proverbs 31:15; in ׳יs house Malachi 3:10. 3 leaf, (compare Genesis 8:11) טַרְמֵּי צִמְחָהּ Ezekiel 17:9 metaphor of Judah. Topical Lexicon Core Conceptטֶרֶף (terep) pictures prey torn by a beast and, by extension, any food or provision obtained. Scripture uses the word both literally—lions seizing prey, households receiving daily bread—and metaphorically—rulers devouring people, nations ravaging one another, or God supplying His own. The range moves along a moral axis: predation versus provision. Spectrum of Usage 1. Wild animals taking prey Genesis 49:9; Numbers 23:24; Job 4:11; Job 38:39; Psalm 104:21; Isaiah 5:29; Isaiah 31:4; Amos 3:4; Nahum 2:12–13. 2. Hungry people gathering food Job 24:5; Proverbs 31:15; Psalm 111:5; Malachi 3:10. 3. Oppressors tearing the vulnerable Ezekiel 19:3, 6; Ezekiel 22:25, 27; Nahum 3:1. 4. Divine judgment on illegitimate prey-taking Psalm 124:6; Ezekiel 17:9; Nahum 2:13. Animal Predation and the Order of Creation Job 38:39 gives the divine perspective: “Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or satisfy the hunger of young lions?”. God, not chance, regulates the predator’s meal. Psalm 104:21 echoes, “The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.” Predation is real, yet bounded by divine sovereignty. The same hand that feeds the lion restrains it (Psalm 104:29). Human Violence Mirrored in Nature Prophets apply the predator image to human tyrants. Ezekiel depicts Judah’s princes as young lions that “devoured men” and “laid waste cities” (Ezekiel 19:3, 6). Ezekiel 22:27 indicts officials who are “like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood and destroying lives for dishonest gain.” Nahum declares Nineveh “full of lies and plunder, never without prey” (Nahum 3:1). The metaphor exposes exploitation as moral bestiality. Divine Provision and Covenant Faithfulness While wicked rulers seize terep, the righteous receive it. “He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever” (Psalm 111:5). The industrious woman of Proverbs 31 “rises while it is still night to provide food for her household” (verse 15), reflecting God’s own care. Malachi 3:10 frames obedience in tithes as the path to overflowing provision: “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.” In contrast to predatory gain, covenant faith brings abundant, legitimate food. Messianic and Eschatological Hints Jacob’s blessing over Judah foretells a lion victorious over prey: “From the prey, my son, you have gone up” (Genesis 49:9). The tribe of Judah ultimately produces the Messiah, the Lion who conquers not by devouring but by laying down His life. Revelation 5:5 recalls this image, suggesting a reversal of terep—Christ becomes the Lamb slain so that His people are spared from being prey. Historical and Cultural Background Lions roamed the land from the Negev to Bashan until the Iron Age. Shepherds, like David, faced real danger of flocks becoming terep (1 Samuel 17:34–37). Ancient cities lacked refrigeration; daily bread was “prey” wrested from nature. Consequently, the term easily crossed into metaphor for political and economic power. Ministry Application 1. Trustful Provision. Believers rely on the Father who feeds lions and sparrows; anxiety over sustenance misreads the Creator’s pattern (Matthew 6:26 echoes Psalm 104:21–28). 2. Ethical Leadership. Pastors, parents, and public servants must guard against becoming “wolves tearing prey.” Peter warns shepherd-leaders to serve “not for shameful gain” (1 Peter 5:2). 3. Social Justice. Ezekiel’s condemnation of predatory officials obligates the church to defend the oppressed and resist systems that generate human terep. 4. Gospel Witness. Proclaiming Christ as the Lion of Judah who ended the cycle of devouring by His sacrificial death offers the world a vision beyond both scarcity and violence. Intertextual Threads • Prey imagery ties Genesis to Revelation, showing the Bible’s narrative coherence. Conclusion טֶרֶף traces a moral line through Scripture: what begins as legitimate beastly sustenance becomes a metaphor for human sin, then a foil for divine generosity. The term calls readers to reject predatory gain, rest in God’s provision, and anticipate the day when “they will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain” (Isaiah 11:9), when terep, as torn prey, is no more and provision flows without violence. Forms and Transliterations וְטֶ֖רֶף וטרף טֶ֔רֶף טֶ֖רֶף טֶ֙רֶף֙ טֶ֝֗רֶף טֶ֣רֶף טֶ֭רֶף טַרְפֵּ֔ךְ טַרְפֵּ֤י טַרְפּ֗וֹ טָ֑רֶף טָֽרֶף׃ טרף טרף׃ טרפו טרפי טרפך לַטָּ֑רֶף לטרף מִטֶּ֖רֶף מטרף laṭ·ṭā·rep̄ latTaref laṭṭārep̄ miṭ·ṭe·rep̄ mitTeref miṭṭerep̄ ṭā·rep̄ ṭar·pê ṭar·pêḵ ṭar·pōw Taref ṭārep̄ ṭarpê tarPech tarPei ṭarpêḵ tarPo ṭarpōw ṭe·rep̄ Teref ṭerep̄ veTeref wə·ṭe·rep̄ wəṭerep̄Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 49:9 HEB: אַרְיֵה֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה מִטֶּ֖רֶף בְּנִ֣י עָלִ֑יתָ NAS: whelp; From the prey, my son, KJV: whelp: from the prey, my son, INT: a lion's Judah the prey my son have gone Numbers 23:24 Job 4:11 Job 24:5 Job 29:17 Job 38:39 Psalm 76:4 Psalm 104:21 Psalm 111:5 Psalm 124:6 Proverbs 31:15 Isaiah 5:29 Isaiah 31:4 Ezekiel 17:9 Ezekiel 19:3 Ezekiel 19:6 Ezekiel 22:25 Ezekiel 22:27 Amos 3:4 Nahum 2:12 Nahum 2:13 Nahum 3:1 Malachi 3:10 23 Occurrences |
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