Lexical Summary tirgal: To train, to accustom, to teach Original Word: תִּרְגַּל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance teach to go A denominative from ragal; to cause to walk -- teach to go. see HEBREW ragal NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originsee ragal. Topical Lexicon Lexical Range and Root Connections Although תִּרְגַּל (Strong’s Hebrew 8637) never appears in the Hebrew canon, the form clearly belongs to the verbal root רגל, a root cluster that revolves around the foot—literally and metaphorically. From this single root Scripture draws notions of walking, treading, spying out, slandering, training, and habitual practice. Because תִּרְגַּל is a Piel imperfect 2 ms form (“you train,” “you accustom,” or, in some contexts, “you practice repeatedly”), its conceptual reach lies in the sphere of deliberate, repeated action. Form and Grammatical Possibilities The intensive (Piel) stem intensifies the idea of habitual action. In Biblical Hebrew the Piel of רגל can denote systematic conduct, whether commendable (training a child to walk) or condemnable (spreading slander). The second-masculine-singular conjugation underlines personal responsibility: the subject is the one who chooses either to discipline his steps or to misuse them. Cultural and Historical Background Ancient Near-Eastern societies saw the foot as an emblem of both dominion and journey. Training the feet meant schooling the life-path. Conversely, letting them wander into a pattern of sin invited calamity (see Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 1:15). Israelite parents literally guided toddlers by the hand, then figuratively by Torah, so that walking uprightly became a covenantal metaphor (Deuteronomy 10:12–13). When that pattern was reversed—feet hastening to evil (Isaiah 59:7)—the nation’s moral fabric frayed. Thematic Emphases in Scripture 1. Habituation to Righteousness: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Though a different verb is used, the principle of cultivated habit mirrors the nuance behind תִּרְגַּל. Ministry Significance • Discipleship and Spiritual Formation: Pastors and teachers model and reinforce holy habits—prayer, Scripture intake, service—so that believers may be “trained to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14). Pastoral Application Believers are never neutral; they are always imprinting the soul through repeated choices. The unused form תִּרְגַּל stands as a grammatical reminder: every disciple is in training, either setting his steps in righteousness or rehearsing unrighteous patterns that will harden into character. Summary Though unattested in the Masoretic text, תִּרְגַּל encapsulates the biblical call to disciplined, repeated action. It reminds the Church that feet trained by grace carry the gospel steadily forward, while feet habituated to sin lead into spiritual peril. Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance ū·ṯə·qê·p̄ət — 1 Occ.ū·ṯə·qip̄ — 2 Occ. biṯ·qap̄ — 1 Occ. wə·ṯā·qə·pā — 1 Occ. bə·ṯō·qep̄ — 1 Occ. ṯā·qə·pōw — 1 Occ. tō·qep̄ — 1 Occ. wə·ṯar·’ă·lāh — 1 Occ. tar·būṯ — 1 Occ. wə·ṯar·bîṯ — 1 Occ. ū·mə·ṯur·gām — 1 Occ. tar·dê·māh — 5 Occ. tar·dê·maṯ — 1 Occ. wə·ṯar·dê·māh — 1 Occ. tir·hā·qāh — 2 Occ. biṯ·rū·maṯ — 1 Occ. hat·tə·rū·māh — 15 Occ. kiṯ·rū·maṯ — 1 Occ. lat·tə·rū·mō·wṯ — 1 Occ. liṯ·rū·maṯ — 3 Occ. |