Lexical Summary tanchum: consolation, consolations, comforting Original Word: תַּנְחוּם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance comfort, consolation Or tanchum {tan-khoom'}; and (feminine) tanchuwmah {tan-khoo-maw'}; from nacham; compassion, solace -- comfort, consolation. see HEBREW nacham NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom nacham Definition consolation NASB Translation comforting (1), consolation (2), consolations (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs [תַּנְחוּם] noun masculinePsalm 94:19 consolation, only in plural (usually abstract and intensive) תַּנְחוּיִם Jeremiah 16:7; suffix תַּנְחוּמֶיךָ Psalm 94:19; תַּנְחֻמֶיהָ Isaiah 66:11; תַּנְחוּמוֺת Job 15:11; תַּנְחוּמֹתֵיכֶם Job 21:2. Topical Lexicon Overview The noun תַּנְחוּם denotes comfort, consolation, or solace extended to a troubled soul. All five canonical occurrences appear in poetry or prophetic discourse, accentuating God’s concern for emotional and spiritual restoration amid suffering. Occurrences and Literary Context 1. Job 15:11 – Eliphaz questions whether Job has despised “the consolations of God.” Here תַּנְחוּם is linked with divine counsel that, if rightly received, would steady a believer in affliction. Theological Themes Divine Initiative: In each text, true consolation originates with God. Even human acts of comfort (Job 21:2; Jeremiah 16:7) are portrayed as reflections—or absences—of His character. Covenant Faithfulness: Psalm 94 and Isaiah 66 connect consolation with God’s steadfast love (חֶסֶד). Comfort is covenantal, not merely sentimental. Eschatological Hope: Isaiah projects consolation into the future restoration of Zion, anticipating the Messianic era when sorrow gives way to joy (compare Revelation 21:4). Judgment and Withdrawal: Jeremiah 16 depicts a grief so severe that consolation is suspended, underscoring the gravity of sin and exile. Patterns of Usage • Paired with distress words (“anxiety,” “mourner”) revealing contrast between anguish and relief. Ministry Implications Pastoral Care: Effective comfort mirrors God’s own character—truthful, patient, and covenant-rooted. Corporate Worship: Psalm 94 encourages believers to seek comfort in communal praise, reminding the assembly that divine consolation delights the soul. Missional Outlook: Isaiah 66 invites the Church to embody maternal compassion, welcoming repentant sinners into the consolations of Zion. Christological Foreshadowing The promise of overflowing consolation finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the “consolation of Israel” awaited by Simeon (Luke 2:25). His atoning work secures the Spirit, called “another Counselor,” who perpetually applies God’s comfort to believers’ hearts. Relationship to New Testament Teaching Pauline letters echo תַּנְחוּם with παράκλησις. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 builds on the Old Testament foundation: God “comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble.” The consistency between testaments affirms a unified redemptive theme—divine comfort received and shared. Pastoral Reflection Where grief silences song (Jeremiah 16:7), the gospel supplies a greater consolation that cannot be rescinded. Whether facing personal anxiety, communal upheaval, or eschatological longing, the believer clings to God’s unbroken promise: “As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13). Forms and Transliterations תַּ֝נְחוּמֶ֗יךָ תַּנְח֥וּמֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃ תַּנְחֻמ֣וֹת תַּנְחֻמֶ֑יהָ תַּנְחוּמִ֔ים תנחומיך תנחומים תנחומתיכם׃ תנחמות תנחמיה tan·ḥu·me·hā tan·ḥū·me·ḵā tan·ḥū·mîm tan·ḥū·mō·ṯê·ḵem tan·ḥu·mō·wṯ tanchuMeicha tanchuMeiha tanchuMim tanchuMot tanChumoteiChem tanḥumehā tanḥūmeḵā tanḥūmîm tanḥūmōṯêḵem tanḥumōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 15:11 HEB: הַמְעַ֣ט מִ֭מְּךָ תַּנְחֻמ֣וֹת אֵ֑ל וְ֝דָבָ֗ר NAS: Are the consolations of God too KJV: [Are] the consolations of God small INT: small too are the consolations of God the word Job 21:2 Psalm 94:19 Isaiah 66:11 Jeremiah 16:7 5 Occurrences |
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