Strong's Hebrew: 8637. תִּרְגֵּל (tirgal) -- To train, to accustom, to teach

◄ 8637. tirgal ►

Lexical Summary

tirgal: To train, to accustom, to teach

Original Word: תִּרְגַּל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tirgal
Pronunciation: teer-GAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (teer-gal')
KJV: teach to go
Word Origin: [a denominative from H7270 (רָגַל - spies)]

1. to cause to walk

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 Origin
see 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.
2. Rehearsed Sin: “Their feet rush into evil” (Isaiah 59:7). What is practiced becomes second nature; thus Piel forms of רגל are sometimes rendered “practice slander” (Psalm 15:3, NIV).
3. Systematic Reconnaissance: In Numbers 13:2 the spies are commanded to “explore the land,” an activity described by the same root. Walking the territory repeatedly produced informed judgment—either faithful (Joshua and Caleb) or fearful (the other ten spies).

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).
• Guarding the Tongue: Because רגל can shade into “slander,” the word warns against rehearsed gossip. “He who spreads slander is a fool” (Proverbs 10:18). Congregations cultivate an atmosphere of grace by refusing to let malicious patterns take root.
• Missional Footing: Paul cites Isaiah 52:7 when he writes, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” (Romans 10:15). Habitual proclamation replaces habitual sin.

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 Texts