Lexical Summary telaah: Hardship, weariness, trouble Original Word: תְּלָאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance travail, travel, trouble From la'ah; distress -- travail, travel, trouble. see HEBREW la'ah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom laah Definition weariness, hardship NASB Translation hardship (4), tiresome (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs תְּלָאָה noun feminine weariness, hardship; — ׳ת Exodus 18:8 4t.; of distress of Israel in Egypt Numbers 20:14; in wilderness Exodus 18:8 (both J E); from Assyr., Babylonian, etc. Nehemiah 9:32; compare Lamentations 3:5 ("" ראֹשׁ, gall); Malachi 1:13. Topical Lexicon Overview The Hebrew term תְּלָאָה (Strong’s 8513) conveys an experience of hardship or distress that taxes the strength of those who endure it. Across its four occurrences in Scripture, the word gathers layers of meaning that range from the ordeals of a journey to the burdens of national calamity. Every passage underlines the faithful activity of God in the midst of trouble, whether through His deliverance, His warning, His covenant faithfulness, or His refining discipline. Scriptural Usage 1. Exodus 18:8 — Moses recounts to Jethro “all the hardship” that had found Israel in Egypt and on the way, “and how the LORD had delivered them.” The word stands at the center of a testimony meeting, turning affliction into praise. Historical Background • Wilderness Journey: Exodus and Numbers embed the term in Israel’s formative trek from bondage to promise. Hardship is inseparable from pilgrimage, yet also from redemptive intervention. Theological Significance • Covenant Faithfulness: God allows hardship but never abandons His promises; each occurrence affirms His sustaining presence. Typological Insights The wilderness hardships foreshadow the believer’s earthly pilgrimage (Hebrews 3:7–19). Nehemiah’s summary of national hardship anticipates the church’s suffering through the ages (Acts 14:22). Jeremiah’s lament prefigures the Man of Sorrows, who “learned obedience from what He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Practical and Pastoral Application • Testimony: Believers are encouraged to recount hardships alongside deliverances, turning trials into doxology. Related Concepts Affliction (עָנִי), Travail (עָמָל), Bitter Service (עֲבֹדַת פָּרֶךְ), Testing (נָסָה). Key Cross-References Deuteronomy 8:2–3; Psalm 34:19; Isaiah 43:2; Romans 5:3–5; 2 Corinthians 4:17; James 1:2–4; 1 Peter 4:12–13. Summary תְּלָאָה binds together accounts of pilgrimage, petition, penitence, and personal lament. In every case Scripture portrays hardship as a stage on which God displays His power, cultivates humility, and ultimately leads His people into fuller communion with Himself. Forms and Transliterations הַתְּלָאָ֖ה הַתְּלָאָ֣ה הַתְּלָאָה֙ התלאה וּתְלָאָֽה׃ ותלאה׃ hat·tə·lā·’āh hattəlā’āh hattelaAh ū·ṯə·lā·’āh ūṯəlā’āh utelaAhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 18:8 HEB: אֵ֤ת כָּל־ הַתְּלָאָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מְצָאָ֣תַם NAS: all the hardship that had befallen KJV: sake, [and] all the travail that had come INT: Israel's all the hardship that had befallen Numbers 20:14 Nehemiah 9:32 Lamentations 3:5 4 Occurrences |