8541. timmahon

Lexical Summary

timmahon: Astonishment, bewilderment, confusion

Original Word: תִּמָּהוֹן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: timmahown
Pronunciation: tim-mah-hone'
Phonetic Spelling: (tim-maw-hone')
KJV: astonishment
NASB: bewilderment
Word Origin: [from H8539 (תָּמַהּ - amazed)]

1. consternation

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

astonishment

From tamahh; consternation -- astonishment.

see HEBREW tamahh

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from tamah
Definition
bewilderment
NASB Translation
bewilderment (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

תִּמָּהוֺן noun [masculine] bewilderment; — absolute ׳ת Zechariah 12:4; construct תִּמְהוֺן Deuteronomy 28:28; — bewilderment, slupefaction; לֵבָב ׳ת Deuteronomy 28:28, of those infatuated (see Dr.); ׳ת alone of bewildered horses Zechariah 12:4.

Topical Lexicon

Sense and Nuance

תִּמָּהוֹן conveys the idea of a paralyzing bewilderment that seizes the mind in the moment of divine judgment. It is not mere surprise or temporary disorientation, but a profound inner stupefaction that renders a person unable to think or act rationally. Scripture presents this state as the opposite of the wisdom, clarity, and peace that come from walking in covenant fidelity with the LORD.

Occurrences in Scripture

• Deuteronomy 28:28 – “The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind.”
• Zechariah 12:4 – “In that day—this is the LORD’s declaration—‘I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah, but I will strike all the horses of the nations with blindness.’”

Although limited to two verses, the term functions as a strategic marker of covenantal warning and eschatological intervention.

Historical Setting

1. Deuteronomy 28 places תִּמָּהוֹן among the covenant curses pronounced on Israel should the nation break faith with the LORD. After hearing the blessings for obedience, Israel was warned that persistent rebellion would invite physical, agricultural, social, and psychological calamities. Mental bewilderment would leave the covenant-breaking community directionless and vulnerable before enemies.
2. Zechariah 12 looks forward to a climactic “day of the LORD” when hostile nations converge on Jerusalem. Here תִּמָּהוֹן shifts from a threat against Israel to a weapon of divine defense for Israel. The same mental disarray once promised as a curse upon the disobedient becomes a judgment against the nations that would destroy God’s people.

Theological Themes

• Covenant Justice: The word underscores that disobedience invites not only external hardship but inner collapse. When people spurn divine wisdom, God may remove the gracious clarity that enables sound judgment.
• Divine Sovereignty over Mind and History: The LORD alone can give or withdraw mental stability. In Zechariah 12 He aims the power of bewilderment at Israel’s foes while simultaneously safeguarding Judah—demonstrating meticulous control over every human faculty.
• Spiritual Blindness: תִּמָּהוֹן illustrates how sin darkens understanding (compare Romans 1:21). The physical sensations of blindness and panic mirror the moral incapacity of a heart estranged from God.
• Eschatological Reversal: What appears as an unmitigated curse in Deuteronomy becomes, in prophetic perspective, a means of deliverance for God’s remnant. The same phenomenon can serve both judgment and salvation, depending on one’s standing with the LORD.

Intertextual Connections

Other biblical passages echo the concept though employing different vocabulary:
• “The LORD set a panic against them” (Judges 7:22).
• “They shall stumble over one another as if fleeing the sword” (Leviticus 26:37).
• “God gave them over to a depraved mind” (Romans 1:28).

These texts confirm that mental disarray is a recurring instrument of divine judgment and a sign of spiritual estrangement.

Ministerial and Practical Implications

1. Call to Obedience: Preachers may leverage Deuteronomy 28 to warn against willful sin. Disregarding God’s commands risks more than external discipline; it invites inward chaos.
2. Assurance in Spiritual Warfare: Zechariah 12 offers comfort that God can confound hostile forces without compromising His protective gaze on His people. Believers may rest in His ability to overturn sophisticated opposition through a single stroke of bewilderment.
3. Pastoral Care: When congregants battle confusion, the word reminds us to discern whether the distress stems from medical, situational, or spiritual causes. Prayer for restored clarity should be paired with calls to repentance where needed and with practical support in every case.
4. Intercession for the Nations: The prophetic use of תִּמָּהוֹן encourages believers to pray that hostile systems be rendered ineffective, while citizens and rulers alike come to repentance and renewed understanding.

Summary

תִּמָּהוֹן stands as a solemn witness that the LORD holds mastery over the human mind. In covenant context it warns the faithful against drifting into disobedience; in prophetic context it reassures the faithful that God will disorient their adversaries. Ultimately, the term magnifies both the moral seriousness of sin and the steadfast commitment of God to preserve His redemptive plan.

Forms and Transliterations

בַּתִּמָּה֔וֹן בתמהון וּבְתִמְה֖וֹן ובתמהון bat·tim·mā·hō·wn battimmaHon battimmāhōwn ū·ḇə·ṯim·hō·wn ūḇəṯimhōwn uvetimHon

Englishman's Concordance

Deuteronomy 28:28
HEB: בְּשִׁגָּע֖וֹן וּבְעִוָּר֑וֹן וּבְתִמְה֖וֹן לֵבָֽב׃
NAS: and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart;
KJV: and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
INT: madness blindness bewilderment of heart

Zechariah 12:4
HEB: כָל־ סוּס֙ בַּתִּמָּה֔וֹן וְרֹכְב֖וֹ בַּשִּׁגָּע֑וֹן
NAS: horse with bewilderment and his rider
KJV: every horse with astonishment, and his rider
INT: every horse bewilderment and his rider madness

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8541
2 Occurrences

bat·tim·mā·hō·wn — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇə·ṯim·hō·wn — 1 Occ.