8424. tugah

Lexical Summary

tugah: Sorrow, grief, mourning

Original Word: תּוּגָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tuwgah
Pronunciation: too-GAH
Phonetic Spelling: (too-gaw')
KJV: heaviness, sorrow
NASB: grief, sorrow
Word Origin: [from H3013 (יָגָה - grieve)]

1. depression (of spirits)
2. (concretely) a grief

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Tubal-cain

From yagah; depression (of spirits); concretely a grief -- heaviness, sorrow.

see HEBREW yagah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from yagah
Definition
grief
NASB Translation
grief (3), sorrow (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

תּוּגָה noun feminine grief (poetry) — absolute ׳ת Psalm 119:28; Proverbs 14:13; Proverbs 17:21; construct תּוּגַת Proverbs 10:1; — grief Psalm 119:28; Proverbs 10:1 (opposed to יְשַׂמַּח), Proverbs 14:13 (opposed to שִׂמְחָה), Proverbs 17:21 ("" לֹא יִשְׂמַח).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

The Hebrew noun תּוּגָה (Strong’s H8424) conveys the emotional weight of grief, sorrow, or heaviness of heart. Used only four times, the word gathers significance from its strategic placement in Psalms and Proverbs, where it contrasts with joy, wisdom, and resilience under God’s covenantal care.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Psalm 119:28 – “My soul melts with sorrow (תּוּגָה); strengthen me according to Your word.”
2. Proverbs 10:1 – “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief (תּוּגָה) to his mother.”
3. Proverbs 14:13 – “Even in laughter the heart may be sorrowful (תּוּגָה), and joy may end in grief.”
4. Proverbs 17:21 – “A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow (תּוּגָה); the father of a fool has no joy.”

Literary Context

Psalm 119 frames תּוּגָה as a spiritual burden alleviated only by God’s word. The psalmist’s confession links Scripture’s sustaining power with the believer’s emotional health.

In the three Proverbs passages, תּוּגָה anchors familial and social wisdom. Solomon exposes the irony that outward mirth can mask inward sorrow (Proverbs 14:13) and that true parental joy hinges on a child’s moral choices (Proverbs 10:1; 17:21). The word thus serves as a fulcrum for the wisdom motif that righteousness yields life and folly breeds heartache.

Theological Significance

1. Reality of Fallen Emotions. תּוּגָה validates genuine sorrow in the redeemed community, dispelling any notion that faith negates pain.
2. Redemptive Response. Each occurrence points beyond the emotion itself to relational covenant dynamics: the Word revives (Psalm 119), wisdom preserves (Proverbs 10), discernment guards the heart (Proverbs 14), and righteous upbringing mitigates grief (Proverbs 17).
3. Eschatological Hope. The transience of תּוּגָה foreshadows Revelation 21:4, where sorrow will be abolished. The Old Testament vocabulary thus anticipates the fullness of consolation in Christ.

Pastoral and Practical Application

• Scripture as Remedy: Psalm 119:28 models prayer that moves from honest lament to dependence on divine promises.
• Family Discipleship: Proverbs 10:1 and 17:21 urge parents toward formative discipline that steers children away from choices that generate lifelong sorrow.
• Authentic Community: Proverbs 14:13 cautions against superficial fellowship that ignores hidden grief; congregational care should probe beneath laughter.
• Counseling Perspective: Recognize תּוּגָה not as faith-failure but as an occasion for applying the comfort of Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).

Historical Reception

Rabbinic tradition linked תּוּגָה with exile laments, while early church commentators such as Jerome used it to discuss the sanctifying role of sorrow. Reformers highlighted Psalm 119:28 to argue that Scripture alone (sola Scriptura) strengthens the weary soul.

Christological Connection

Isaiah’s “Man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3) embodies תּוּגָה’s depth, bearing grief to grant believers everlasting joy. In the Gospels, Christ’s agony in Gethsemane fulfills the pattern: sorrow met with obedient reliance on the Father’s will, securing redemption that will ultimately dissolve every תּוּגָה.

Conclusion

Though infrequent, תּוּגָה charts a theological journey from honest grief to hope grounded in God’s word, wisdom, and redemptive plan. It urges believers to confront sorrow, apply Scripture, cultivate godly families, and anticipate the day when the Lord wipes every tear from their eyes.

Forms and Transliterations

לְת֣וּגָה לתוגה מִתּוּגָ֑ה מתוגה תּוּגַ֥ת תוּגָֽה׃ תוגה׃ תוגת lə·ṯū·ḡāh leTugah ləṯūḡāh mit·tū·ḡāh mittuGah mittūḡāh ṯū·ḡāh tū·ḡaṯ tuGah ṯūḡāh tuGat tūḡaṯ

Englishman's Concordance

Psalm 119:28
HEB: דָּלְפָ֣ה נַ֭פְשִׁי מִתּוּגָ֑ה קַ֝יְּמֵ֗נִי כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ׃
NAS: because of grief; Strengthen
KJV: melteth for heaviness: strengthen
INT: weeps my soul of grief Strengthen to your word

Proverbs 10:1
HEB: וּבֵ֥ן כְּ֝סִ֗יל תּוּגַ֥ת אִמּֽוֹ׃
NAS: son is a grief to his mother.
KJV: son [is] the heaviness of his mother.
INT: son A foolish grief to his mother

Proverbs 14:13
HEB: וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖הּ שִׂמְחָ֣ה תוּגָֽה׃
NAS: And the end of joy may be grief.
KJV: of that mirth [is] heaviness.
INT: and the end of joy may be grief

Proverbs 17:21
HEB: יֹלֵ֣ד כְּ֭סִיל לְת֣וּגָה ל֑וֹ וְלֹֽא־
NAS: a fool [does so] to his sorrow, And the father
KJV: a fool [doeth it] to his sorrow: and the father
INT: sires A fool his sorrow no has

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8424
4 Occurrences

lə·ṯū·ḡāh — 1 Occ.
mit·tū·ḡāh — 1 Occ.
ṯū·ḡāh — 1 Occ.
tū·ḡaṯ — 1 Occ.