Lexical Summary tphowtsah: Dispersion, scattering Original Word: תְּפוֹצָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance dispersion From puwts; a dispersal -- dispersion. see HEBREW puwts Brown-Driver-Briggs [תְּפוֺצָה] assumed as singular of noun feminine plural suffix וּתְפוֺצוֺתֵיכֶם Jeremiah 25:34 (so van d. H) your dispersions (ᵑ9 and others); but Baer Gi תִיכֶם-, explained as verb Tiph`el1singular Thes and others, so (reading תְּפִיצוֺתִיכֶם) Hi Gf Köi.471; word corrupt; Gr וְנִמַּצְתִּיכֶם, Gie וְנִמַּצְתֶּם. Topical Lexicon Root Concept Built on the verb meaning “to scatter, disperse,” תְּפוֹצָה depicts the condition or result of being scattered abroad. It is an abstract noun that points not merely to the act of scattering but to the fractured state that follows. Biblical Usage The word appears once, in Jeremiah 25:34. In the oracle against Judah’s leaders, the prophet says: “Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock, for the days of your slaughter have come; you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery”. The phrase “you will fall” renders the underlying Hebrew term, portraying the ruin of the shepherds and, by implication, the diaspora of the flock they were charged to guard. The noun therefore crystallizes Jeremiah’s warning that national leadership would collapse and the people be driven from their land. Historical Setting Jeremiah ministered in the decades leading to the Babylonian exile (circa 626–586 BC). Political intrigue, covenant infidelity and prophetic rejection culminated in divine judgment. Nebuchadnezzar’s campaigns scattered the population (2 Kings 25:11–12) and left Judah’s societal structures smashed—precisely the “dispersion” Jeremiah foretold with תְּפוֹצָה. Theological and Prophetic Significance 1. Covenant Discipline: Deuteronomy 28:64; 30:3 had already linked scattering and regathering to covenant obedience. Jeremiah’s use of תְּפוֹצָה shows that the threatened curse had arrived. Canonical Connections • Genesis 11:9—scattering at Babel reveals dispersion as judgment against pride. Ministry Implications 1. Faithful Oversight: Modern pastors, elders and ministry leaders are cautioned by Jeremiah’s imagery. Neglect or abuse scatters; Christlike shepherding gathers (Acts 20:28). Summary תְּפוֹצָה encapsulates the sobering reality of divine scattering caused by covenant unfaithfulness, yet it also frames the larger biblical narrative in which God turns dispersion into an instrument for global redemption and eventual restoration. Forms and Transliterations וּתְפוֹצ֣וֹתִיכֶ֔ם ותפוצותיכם ū·ṯə·p̄ō·w·ṣō·w·ṯî·ḵem utefoTzotiChem ūṯəp̄ōwṣōwṯîḵemLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 25:34 HEB: יְמֵיכֶ֖ם לִטְב֑וֹחַ וּתְפוֹצ֣וֹתִיכֶ֔ם וּנְפַלְתֶּ֖ם כִּכְלִ֥י NAS: of your slaughter and your dispersions have come, KJV: of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; INT: the days of your slaughter and your dispersions will fall vessel 1 Occurrence |
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