Lexical Summary teshubah: Return, repentance, answer Original Word: תְּשׁוּבָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance answer, be expired, return Or tshubah {tesh-oo-baw'}; from shuwb; a recurrence (of time or place); a reply (as returned) -- answer, be expired, return. see HEBREW shuwb NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shub Definition a return, answer NASB Translation answers (2), return (1), spring (2), turn (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs [תְּשׁוּבָה] noun feminine return, answer; — 1 suffix וּתְשֻׁבָתוֺ הָרָמָ֫תָה 1 Samuel 7:17 and his return was (=he returned) to Rama. 2 especially construct לִתְשׁוּבַת הַשָּׁנָה at the return of the year, i.e. of spring, 2 Samuel 11:1; 1 Kings 20:22,26; 2Chronicles 36:10, ׳הַשּׁ ׳לְעֵת תְּשׁ 1 Chronicles 20:1 ("" 2 Samuel 11:1). 3 answer, plural absolute תְּשֻׁבֹת Job 34:36, suffix תְּשׁוּבֹתֵיכֶם Job 21:34. שׁוּבָאֵל see שְׁבוּאֵל (compare Sabean proper name תֿובאל OsZMG xix (1865), 198 n. Hal485 DHMZMG xxxvii (1883), 16). Topical Lexicon Overview of the Word’s ReachThe term appears only eight times in Scripture yet touches three distinct spheres: the annual cycle of time (six texts in the historical books), the physical act of returning (1 Samuel 7:17), and intellectual or verbal “answering” (Job 21:34; Job 34:36). Together these uses frame a theology of rhythmic faithfulness—life moves in cycles, yet every cycle calls for an intentional response to God. The Annual Cycle and the Season of Battle 2 Samuel 11:1; 1 Kings 20:22, 26; 1 Chronicles 20:1; and 2 Chronicles 36:10 employ the word for “the turn of the year,” the early spring when roads dried and kings resumed campaigns. Ancient Near-Eastern monarchs followed an understood military calendar; Scripture quietly affirms God’s sovereignty over even that routine. When David remained in Jerusalem “at the turn of the year, the time when kings go out to battle” (2 Samuel 11:1), his passivity opened the door to sin with Bathsheba. The Chronicles notice carries added weight: the same season brought Nebuchadnezzar’s appointment of Zedekiah, setting Judah on a final slide toward exile (2 Chronicles 36:10). Patterns of time are thus morally charged; seasons invite obedience or disobedience and reveal hearts. Return to the Place of Ministry 1 Samuel 7:17 speaks of Samuel’s habitual return to Ramah, his home and base of operations: “Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there he judged Israel; and he built an altar to the LORD there”. The verse visualizes a faithful circuit in which the prophet oversees the nation yet always comes back to worship and intercession. In an era of tribal instability, that steady rhythm modeled covenant stability. Job’s Dialogues: The Poverty of Human “Answers” In Job 21:34 Job rejects the friends’ attempts at consolation: “So how can you comfort me with empty words? There is falsehood in your answers”. Elihu echoes the term in Job 34:36, pleading that Job be tested “for answering like wicked men.” The dialogue turns the word from cyclical time to intellectual response, exposing both the insufficiency of man’s reasoning and the need for a divinely grounded reply. Human “answers” apart from revelation prove hollow, pointing toward the eventual climactic speech of the LORD. Theological Threads 1. Providence over Patterns: Whether marking the agricultural calendar or a prophet’s travel schedule, every “turn” is under divine supervision (Psalm 31:15). Ministry Applications • Spiritual Discernment of Seasons: Churches should prayerfully observe recurring opportunities—missions months, stewardship seasons, academic terms—seeking faithful engagement rather than passive drift. Christological Resonance The “return” motif foreshadows the Messiah’s promised coming again (John 14:3; Acts 1:11), the ultimate teshubah of history. Meanwhile, the insufficiency of human answers in Job anticipates the incarnate Word who alone provides the final reply to suffering and sin (Hebrews 1:1-2). Key Texts for Preaching and Teaching 1 Samuel 7:17 — Regular rhythms of ministry and worship 2 Samuel 11:1 — Temptation in neglected duty 1 Kings 20:22 — Strategic readiness in seasonal transitions Job 21:34 — The emptiness of counsel detached from truth Together these passages remind God’s people that every turning of the calendar, every return to familiar places, and every spoken answer must be brought under the Lord’s authority, for the One who sets times and seasons also supplies the only answer that endures. Forms and Transliterations וְלִתְשׁוּבַ֣ת וּ֝תְשֽׁוּבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם וּתְשֻׁבָת֤וֹ ולתשובת ותשבתו ותשובתיכם לִתְשׁוּבַ֣ת לִתְשׁוּבַ֨ת לתשובת תְּ֝שֻׁבֹ֗ת תְּשׁוּבַ֨ת תשבת תשובת liṯ·šū·ḇaṯ litshuVat liṯšūḇaṯ tə·šū·ḇaṯ tə·šu·ḇōṯ teshuVat teshuVot təšūḇaṯ təšuḇōṯ ū·ṯə·šu·ḇā·ṯōw ū·ṯə·šū·ḇō·ṯê·ḵem uteshuvaTo uteshuvoteiChem ūṯəšuḇāṯōw ūṯəšūḇōṯêḵem velitshuVat wə·liṯ·šū·ḇaṯ wəliṯšūḇaṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 7:17 HEB: וּתְשֻׁבָת֤וֹ הָרָמָ֙תָה֙ כִּֽי־ NAS: Then his return [was] to Ramah, KJV: And his return [was] to Ramah; INT: his return Ramah for 2 Samuel 11:1 1 Kings 20:22 1 Kings 20:26 1 Chronicles 20:1 2 Chronicles 36:10 Job 21:34 Job 34:36 8 Occurrences |
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