Lexical Summary tala: To hang, suspend Original Word: תָּלָא Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be bent, hang in doubt A primitive root; to suspend; figuratively (through hesitation) to be uncertain; by implication (of mental dependence) to habituate -- be bent, hang (in doubt). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition to hang NASB Translation bent (1), hang (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs תָּלָא verb hang ("" form of תלה, Ges§ 75rr); — Qal Perfect3plural suffix תְּלָאוּם 2 Samuel 21:12 Qr the Philistines had hanged them (Kt תלום; see Dr); Passive participle תְּלֻאִים Deuteronomy 28:66 thy life shall be hung up before thee, i.e. be in suspense, each moment uncertain. — וְעַמִּי תְלוּאִים לִמְשׁוּבָתִי Hosea 11:7 my people is hung up to my backsliding is certainly corrupt (AV bent to backsliding from me, i.e. huge or swung toward turning from me, compare GASm, but very dubious); Marti conjectures נִלְוִים אֶלעֲֿצַבִּים; Oettli Now2Harper נִלְאָה or הֶלְאַ֫נִי has wearied itself [me] in backsliding. [תַּלְאֻבָה] see לאב. תְּלָאָה see לאה. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Imagery The verb conveys the idea of something left hanging, suspended, or dangling in uncertainty. Figuratively it depicts a person or community poised between life and death, truth and apostasy, safety and judgment, as though their very existence were held up by a fragile thread. Occurrences 1. Deuteronomy 28:66 Deuteronomy 28:66 – Covenant Curses Fulfilled Within Moses’ catalog of covenant sanctions, the word pictures an Israelite life “hanging in doubt” amid siege, scarcity, and terror. “Your life will hang in doubt before you; you will be afraid night and day and no assurance of your life” (Berean Standard Bible). The imagery underlines three realities: History vindicated the prophecy during the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions and again in the horrors of A.D. 70, reminding successive generations that national security rests on covenant faithfulness, not military might. Hosea 11:7 – Spiritual Waywardness “So My people are bent on turning from Me; though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them” (Hosea 11:7). Here the verb describes Israel as “hung up” on backsliding—suspended between covenant identity and idolatry. The verse moves from external threat (Deuteronomy 28) to internal rebellion: the danger is no longer armies at the gate but hearts unwilling to return. God’s fatherly love (Hosea 11:1-4) contrasts sharply with a people dangling in self-inflicted peril. Intertextual Connections • Physical hanging: Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Joshua 8:29 give legal precedent for bodies hung on a tree—symbols of curse. The metaphor in 28:66 extends that imagery from the condemned criminal to an entire nation. Historical Resonances Jewish chroniclers of the Babylonian exile (Lamentations 1:3; 5:9) and later of the Roman wars applied similar language to describe a people living on the edge of annihilation. The motif shaped liturgical laments such as Psalm 79 and undergirded rabbinic calls to repentance. Prophetic and Pastoral Implications 1. Sin produces existential insecurity; repentance restores sure footing (Isaiah 30:15). Practical Ministry Applications • Counseling: souls crippled by anxiety often mirror Israel’s “hanging” condition; guiding them to Christ’s finished work brings assurance (Hebrews 6:19). Reflection on Christ and the Gospel The ultimate reversal of the verb’s menace occurs at Calvary. The Son of God was literally “hung” on a tree (Acts 5:30), bearing the curse foretold in Deuteronomy 21:23 so that all who trust Him need never live in suspended dread. In Him the believer’s life no longer dangles but “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3), sealed and secure for eternity. Forms and Transliterations תְּלֻאִ֥ים תְלוּאִ֖ים תלאים תלואים tə·lu·’îm ṯə·lū·’îm təlu’îm ṯəlū’îm teluImLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 28:66 HEB: וְהָי֣וּ חַיֶּ֔יךָ תְּלֻאִ֥ים לְךָ֖ מִנֶּ֑גֶד NAS: So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread KJV: And thy life shall hang in doubt before INT: and thy life shall hang before dread Hosea 11:7 2 Occurrences |
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