8655. teraphim

Lexical Summary

teraphim: Household gods, idols, images

Original Word: תְּרָפִים
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: traphiym
Pronunciation: te-rah-feem
Phonetic Spelling: (ter-aw-feme')
KJV: idols(-atry), images, teraphim
NASB: household idols, household idol, teraphim, idolatry
Word Origin: [plural from H7495 (רָפָא רָפָה - heal)]

1. a healer
2. Teraphim (singular or plural) a family idol

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

idolatry, images, teraphim

Plural from rapha'; a healer; Teraphim (singular or plural) a family idol -- idols(-atry), images, teraphim.

see HEBREW rapha'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
(a kind of idol) perhaps household idol
NASB Translation
household idol (2), household idols (10), idolatry (1), teraphim (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

תְּרָפִים noun masculine^{Zechariah 10:2}

plural (= plural of majesty Nö^{ZMG xlii (1888), 476}) a kind of idol, object of reverence, and means of divination (√ and etymology-meaning dubious, compare GFM^{Hast. DB TERAPHIM} Say^{ZA ii. 195} (citing Neubauer, and Assyrian tarpû, spectre), al. √ רפא, compare רְפָאִים); — always ׳ת: — portable and sometimes small Genesis 31:19,34: Genesis 31:35 (called אֱלֹהִים Genesis 31:30, all E), but in size and shape like a man 1 Samuel 19:13,16; in household shrine (see also l.c.) Judges 17:5 (+ אֵפוֺד, compare GFM^Ju), Judges 18:14,17 (both + אֵפוֺד, מֶּסֶל, מַסֵּכָה), compare Judges 18:20 (omitted מַסֵּכָה), Hosea 3:4 (+ ׳א, מַצֵּבָה, וֶבַךְ); condemned 1 Samuel 15:23; 2 Kings 23:24 (+ גִּלֻּלִים); used in divining (by king of Babylonian ), ׳שָׁאַל בַּתּ Ezekiel 21:26 (+ קִלְקַל בַּתִצִּים, רָאָח בַּכָּבֵד); as giving empty oracles Zechariah 10:2 ("" הַקּוֺסְמִים). — See GFM^l.c. Now^{Archaeology ii. 23} Sta^{Blb. Theol. d. A. T. under the word}.

תִּרְצָה see רצה.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and General Description

Teraphim are small cultic images, usually kept within the household, employed for protection, divination, or illegitimate worship. Their presence in Israel’s history illustrates the ongoing tension between covenant fidelity and the lure of idolatry.

Material Form and Appearance

Scripture gives only indirect clues. The teraphim Michal lays in David’s bed (1 Samuel 19:13) is large enough to mimic a man’s head and torso, suggesting life-sized or at least sizeable figures. Others are easily hidden in a camel’s saddle (Genesis 31:34), implying smaller, portable objects. They were likely carved wood or stone, sometimes overlaid with precious metal, resembling the “graven” and “molten” images mentioned alongside them (Judges 18:17).

Domestic and Cultic Functions

1. Household Guardianship: Rachel steals Laban’s teraphim, apparently believing they confer inheritance rights or divine favor upon the household (Genesis 31:19).
2. Divination: The king of Babylon “consults his idols” (Ezekiel 21:21) before war; Zechariah says “idols speak deceit” (Zechariah 10:2). They were considered oracular devices, competing with the legitimate means of revelation (Urim, prophets, Scripture).
3. Private Worship: Micah’s shrine includes an ephod and teraphim (Judges 17:5), indicating use in unauthorized priestly rites. Hosea 3:4 links teraphim with the ephod and sacrifice, showing their role in substitute temples when true worship is absent.

Key Biblical Occurrences and Lessons

• Genesis 31:19–35 – Rachel’s theft exposes the insecurity of relying on idols; the teraphim cannot protect Laban from loss.
• Judges 17–18 – Micah’s private sanctuary and the Danites’ theft of the teraphim reveal how syncretism spreads when leadership is absent: “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6).
• 1 Samuel 19:13, 16 – Michal’s deception underscores the irony that an idol is used to preserve the LORD’s anointed, yet has no life in itself.
• 2 Kings 23:24 – Josiah’s reforms purge “the household idols” along with mediums and necromancers, demonstrating true revival entails removing every competing spiritual authority.
• Hosea 3:4 – Israel’s exile leaves the nation “without ephod or household idols,” showing God will strip away even illegitimate supports to draw His people back to Himself.
• Zechariah 10:2 – Post-exilic prophets still confront teraphim, proving idolatry survives outward judgment and must be addressed in the heart.

Prophetic and Theological Assessment

Teraphim are consistently classified with “abominations” (2 Kings 23:24) and condemned as sources of deception (Zechariah 10:2). Rebellion is likened to their use (1 Samuel 15:23). The prophets treat them not as neutral cultural artifacts but as rivals to the living God. Their impotence highlights the uniqueness of the LORD, who alone speaks truth and directs history.

Redemptive-Historical Significance

The narrative arc moves from toleration (patriarchal period) to eradication (Josiah) to eschatological hope. Hosea foresees a day when Israel will be “without…household idols”—a necessary discipline that prepares for Messianic restoration (Hosea 3:5). Thus, the decline of teraphim parallels God’s progressive revelation: as the fullness of Scripture and the promise of Christ unfold, substitutes for divine guidance are exposed and eliminated.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Guard the Home: As teraphim thrived in private spaces, believers must ensure their households remain free from modern equivalents—objects, habits, or ideologies that usurp devotion to Christ.
• Discern True Guidance: Like Ezekiel’s Babylonian king, cultures still seek direction through counterfeit spirituality. Scripture, prayer, and the Holy Spirit are the believer’s sanctioned means of guidance.
• Reform Requires Removal: Josiah’s example proves revival is not merely emotional but involves decisive action against every form of idolatry, however embedded in tradition.
• Hope in Discipline: Seasons without visible supports (Hosea 3:4) can be God’s mercy, leading His people to depend wholly on Him, anticipating the ultimate reign of the Son of David.

Summary

Teraphim represent the persistent temptation to merge covenant faith with cultural religions. Their account warns, instructs, and ultimately points to the sufficiency of the LORD’s revelation culminating in Jesus Christ, in whom all counterfeit voices are silenced and true worship is restored.

Forms and Transliterations

בַּתְּרָפִ֔ים בתרפים הַתְּרָפִ֖ים הַתְּרָפִ֗ים הַתְּרָפִ֣ים הַתְּרָפִ֨ים הַתְּרָפִֽים׃ התרפים התרפים׃ וּתְרָפִ֔ים וּתְרָפִ֖ים וּתְרָפִֽים׃ ותרפים ותרפים׃ bat·tə·rā·p̄îm batteraFim battərāp̄îm hat·tə·rā·p̄îm hatteraFim hattərāp̄îm ū·ṯə·rā·p̄îm uteraFim ūṯərāp̄îm

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 31:19
HEB: רָחֵ֔ל אֶת־ הַתְּרָפִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְאָבִֽיהָ׃
NAS: stole the household idols that were her father's.
KJV: had stolen the images that [were] her father's.
INT: stole Rachel the household were father's

Genesis 31:34
HEB: לָקְחָ֣ה אֶת־ הַתְּרָפִ֗ים וַתְּשִׂמֵ֛ם בְּכַ֥ר
NAS: had taken the household idols and put
KJV: had taken the images, and put
INT: now Rachel had taken the household and put saddle

Genesis 31:35
HEB: מָצָ֖א אֶת־ הַתְּרָפִֽים׃
NAS: but did not find the household idols.
KJV: but found not the images.
INT: did not find the household

Judges 17:5
HEB: וַיַּ֤עַשׂ אֵפוֹד֙ וּתְרָפִ֔ים וַיְמַלֵּ֗א אֶת־
NAS: an ephod and household idols and consecrated
KJV: an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated
INT: made an ephod and household accomplish able

Judges 18:14
HEB: הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ אֵפ֣וֹד וּתְרָפִ֔ים וּפֶ֖סֶל וּמַסֵּכָ֑ה
NAS: an ephod and household idols and a graven image
KJV: an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image,
INT: these an ephod and household graven molten

Judges 18:17
HEB: הָ֣אֵפ֔וֹד וְאֶת־ הַתְּרָפִ֖ים וְאֶת־ הַמַּסֵּכָ֑ה
NAS: and the ephod and household idols and the molten image,
KJV: and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image:
INT: carved image and the ephod and household and the molten the priest

Judges 18:18
HEB: הָאֵפ֔וֹד וְאֶת־ הַתְּרָפִ֖ים וְאֶת־ הַמַּסֵּכָ֑ה
NAS: the ephod and household idols and the molten image,
KJV: the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.
INT: the graven the ephod and household and the molten said

Judges 18:20
HEB: הָ֣אֵפ֔וֹד וְאֶת־ הַתְּרָפִ֖ים וְאֶת־ הַפָּ֑סֶל
NAS: the ephod and household idols and the graven image
KJV: the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image,
INT: took the ephod and household and the graven and went

1 Samuel 15:23
HEB: מֶ֔רִי וְאָ֥וֶן וּתְרָפִ֖ים הַפְצַ֑ר יַ֗עַן
NAS: is as iniquity and idolatry. Because
KJV: [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected
INT: rebellion iniquity and idolatry and insubordination Because

1 Samuel 19:13
HEB: מִיכַ֜ל אֶת־ הַתְּרָפִ֗ים וַתָּ֙שֶׂם֙ אֶל־
NAS: took the household idol and laid
KJV: took an image, and laid
INT: took Michal the household and laid to

1 Samuel 19:16
HEB: הַמַּלְאָכִ֔ים וְהִנֵּ֥ה הַתְּרָפִ֖ים אֶל־ הַמִּטָּ֑ה
NAS: behold, the household idol [was] on the bed
KJV: were come in, behold, [there was] an image in the bed,
INT: the messengers behold the household on the bed

2 Kings 23:24
HEB: הַ֠יִּדְּעֹנִים וְאֶת־ הַתְּרָפִ֨ים וְאֶת־ הַגִּלֻּלִ֜ים
NAS: and the spiritists and the teraphim and the idols
KJV: and the wizards, and the images, and the idols,
INT: the mediums and the spiritists and the teraphim and the idols and all

Ezekiel 21:21
HEB: בַּֽחִצִּים֙ שָׁאַ֣ל בַּתְּרָפִ֔ים רָאָ֖ה בַּכָּבֵֽד׃
NAS: he consults the household idols, he looks
KJV: he consulted with images, he looked
INT: the arrows consults the household looks the liver

Hosea 3:4
HEB: וְאֵ֥ין אֵפ֖וֹד וּתְרָפִֽים׃
NAS: and without ephod or household idols.
KJV: and without an ephod, and [without] teraphim:
INT: without ephod household

Zechariah 10:2
HEB: כִּ֧י הַתְּרָפִ֣ים דִּבְּרוּ־ אָ֗וֶן
NAS: For the teraphim speak iniquity,
KJV: For the idols have spoken vanity,
INT: because the teraphim speak iniquity

15 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8655
15 Occurrences

bat·tə·rā·p̄îm — 1 Occ.
hat·tə·rā·p̄îm — 10 Occ.
ū·ṯə·rā·p̄îm — 4 Occ.