Lexical Summary tenuah: Movement, motion, shaking Original Word: תְּנוּאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance breach of promise, occasion From nuw'; alienation; by implication, enmity -- breach of promise, occasion. see HEBREW nuw' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom nu Definition opposition NASB Translation opposition (1), pretexts (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [תְּנוּאָה] noun feminine opposition; — suffix תְּנוּאָתִיּ Numbers 14:34 my opposition, of ׳י; plural תְּנוּאוֺת עָלַי יִמְצָא Job 33:10 = occasions, for hostility ("" count as enemy). Topical Lexicon Biblical UsageThe noun appears only twice in the Old Testament, carrying the sense of an adverse movement or turning against someone. In Numbers 14:34 it is spoken by the LORD—“you will know My opposition”—as He pronounces judgment on Israel’s unbelief at Kadesh-barnea. In Job 33:10 Elihu reports Job’s complaint that God “finds occasions against me”. In both settings the term marks a perceived divergence between God and man: in the first, God’s righteous distancing from rebellion; in the second, a sufferer’s experience of what feels like hostile scrutiny. Historical Setting in Numbers Numbers 13–14 narrates the pivotal moment when Israel, standing on the threshold of Canaan, recoiled in fear. The spies’ forty-day reconnaissance became the counter of God’s disciplinary timetable—forty years of wandering. “You will know My opposition” is more than a threat; it is a pedagogical promise. The generation that questioned God’s faithfulness would come to recognize, day after desert day, the solemn reality of living outside His favor. Yet even within judgment, grace lingered. The cloud, the manna, and the rock that followed them (1 Corinthians 10:1-4) testify that divine opposition never nullified covenant commitment. Job’s Complaint and Elihu’s Reply Job’s lament—“He finds occasions against me”—springs from baffled faith rather than willful sin. Elihu concedes Job’s sincerity yet insists God is not an enemy but an Instructor who “delivers a person from going down to the Pit” (Job 33:24). The contrast with Numbers is instructive. Israel’s experience was corrective wrath for open unbelief; Job’s perception of opposition was the refining work of hidden wisdom. Together the texts show that what humans label divine hostility may be either discipline for sin or purification through suffering, but never capricious cruelty. Theological Themes 1. Divine Holiness. Both passages affirm that God cannot remain neutral toward sin or unbelief. His “opposition” is the moral necessity of His character. Lessons for Ministry • Preach the seriousness of unbelief. The wilderness generation’s fate warns congregations against casual doubt of God’s promises (Hebrews 3:12-19). • Shepherd sufferers tenderly. When a believer echoes Job’s words, assure them that perceived enmity is not the final verdict; “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). • Discern discipline from accusation. Spiritual leaders help people distinguish the Holy Spirit’s convicting opposition to sin from Satan’s condemning counterfeit. Application for Personal Discipleship • Self-examination. When God seems distant, first ask whether willful disobedience has introduced a breach (Psalm 139:23-24). • Persevering faith. Even under discipline, cling to the covenant-keeping God who disciplines “for our good, so that we may share His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). • Hope in restoration. Israel entered the land through the next generation; Job received greater blessing after testing. Divine opposition is never the believer’s last horizon. Worship and Homiletical Use The term lends itself to corporate confession songs that acknowledge sin’s gravity while exalting grace. In preaching, compare Numbers 14 with Hebrews 4 to contrast the rest forfeited through unbelief with the rest secured in Christ. Illustrate with Job to show that feelings of abandonment are met by God’s self-revelation. Summary Appearing only in Numbers 14:34 and Job 33:10, the word portrays God’s adverse stance toward sin and the human experience of that stance in suffering. It underscores His holiness, His redemptive discipline, and His ultimate plan to reconcile wandering hearts through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations תְּ֭נוּאוֹת תְּנוּאָתִֽי׃ תנואות תנואתי׃ tə·nū·’ā·ṯî tə·nū·’ō·wṯ tənū’āṯî tənū’ōwṯ tenuaTi TenuotLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 14:34 HEB: וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־ תְּנוּאָתִֽי׃ NAS: and you will know My opposition. KJV: and ye shall know my breach of promise. INT: years will know my opposition Job 33:10 2 Occurrences |
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