H8433b H8433b
Reproof, correction, or reasoned argument; verbal rebuke aimed at moral reform or a formal complaint lodged before God.
A richly textured Hebrew noun covering the spectrum from wise counsel's sharp edge to the formal arguments of a sufferer before God. In Proverbs, it appears repeatedly alongside musar (discipline), painting reproof as the indispensable companion of moral formation — 'reproofs of instruction are the way of life' (Prov 6:23). Yet in Job and Habakkuk, the same word takes on a forensic quality: Job marshals his tokachath as a legal brief before the Almighty (Job 23:4), and Habakkuk stations himself on the watchtower to hear God's response to his complaint (Hab 2:1). Spanish 'reprensión' and 'argumentos,' German 'Zurechtweisung' and 'arguments,' all reflect this double register of correction and disputation.
Senses
1. reproof, rebuke, correction — Verbal reproof, rebuke, or corrective discipline — the stern but life-giving word of a parent, sage, or God that calls the hearer back to the right path. Proverbs clusters this sense heavily: paired with musar in Prov 3:11, 12:1, 15:5, and standing as the hallmark of wisdom's voice in Prov 1:23, 25. Multilingual glosses converge on correction language — Spanish 'reprensión/castigos,' French 'reproche,' German 'Zurechtweisung' — confirming a unified concept of formative rebuke. Ps 73:14 extends the idea to God's chastening of the psalmist. 21×
AR["إِلَى-تَوْبِيخِي", "التَّوْبِيخِ", "بِ-تَوْبيخاتٍ", "بِتَوْبِيخَاتِ", "تَوْبيخٍ", "تَوْبيخَ", "تَوْبِيخٌ", "تَوْبِيخَاتُ", "تَوْبِيخِي", "مِنْ-تَوْبِيخِهِ", "وَ-التَّوْبِيخَ", "وَ-تَأْديبي", "وَ-تَوْبِيخٌ", "وَ-تَوْبِيخِي", "وَ-في-تَوْبيخاتِ"]·ben["-এর-তিরস্কার", "-তিরস্কারে", "আমার-তিরস্কার", "আমার-তিরস্কারে", "আমার-যুক্তি", "আর-তিরস্কারে", "এবং-তিরস্কার", "ও-আমার-তিরস্কার", "ও-আমার-শাসন", "ও-তিরস্কার", "তাঁর-তিরস্কারে", "তিরস্কার", "তিরস্কারকে", "তিরস্কারে-"]·DE["Zurechtweisung", "[בתוכחות]", "[בתוכחתו]", "[ובתכחות]", "[ותוכחתי]", "[לתוכחתי]", "[תוכחות]", "[תוכחתי]", "mit-rebukes", "und-Zurechtweisung", "und-mein-chastening"]·EN["His-reproof", "and-in-rebukes-of", "and-my-chastening", "and-my-rebuke", "and-reproof", "are-the-reproofs-of", "argument-my", "at-my-rebuke", "life-giving-reproof", "my-rebuke", "rebuke", "reproof", "with-rebukes", "with-rebukes-of-"]·FR["[בתוכחות]", "[ובתכחות]", "dans-reproche", "dans-son-réprimande-lui", "et-mon-réprimande-moi", "et-reproche", "et-réprimande", "mon-réprimande-moi", "réprimande", "à-mon-réprimande-moi"]·heb["ב-תוכחות", "ב-תוכחתו", "ו-ב-תוכחות", "ו-תוכחת", "ו-תוכחתי", "ל-תוכחתי", "תוכחות", "תוכחת", "תוכחתי"]·HI["और-डाँट", "और-डाँट-मेरी", "और-डाँट-से", "और-में-डांट", "और-मेरी-ताड़ना", "डाँट", "डाँट-उसकी-से", "डाँट-को", "डाँट-मेरी", "डाँट-मेरी-की-ओर", "डाँटें", "में-डांट", "मेरा-तर्क"]·ID["dan-dengan-teguran", "dan-hajaran-ku", "dan-teguran", "dan-teguranku", "dengan-teguran-Nya", "dengan-teguran-teguran", "kepada-teguranku", "sanggahanku", "teguran", "teguranku"]·IT["[בתוכחות]", "[ובתכחות]", "e-rimprovero", "e-rimprovero-mio", "in-rimprovero-suo", "per-rimprovero-mio", "rimprovero", "rimprovero-mio"]·jav["Kalayan-pépeling", "dhateng-pepenget", "dhateng-pepenget-kula", "dukaning", "kaliyan-panggendaming", "lan-dukaning", "lan-ing-panyuwelan", "lan-pepenget", "lan-pepenget-kula", "pambuktekaken-kawula", "pepenget", "pepenget-kula", "pepenget-saking", "saha-paukuman-kawula"]·KO["-꾸짖음들-로", "그-의-책망-을", "그리고-꾸짖음들의", "그리고-나-의-책망-을", "그리고-책망-을", "그리고-책망이", "나-의-책망-에", "나-의-책망-을", "나-의-책망-이", "나의-항변-을", "징벌들로-", "책망-들-은", "책망-을", "책망을", "책망이"]·PT["Com-repreensões", "com-correções-de", "de-sua-repreensao", "e-em-correções-de", "e-minha-correção", "e-minha-repreensão", "e-repreensão", "minha-argumentação", "minha-repreensão", "repreensão", "repreensão-de", "repreensões-de", "repreenção", "à-minha-repreensão"]·RU["И-обличение", "и-в-обличениях", "и-обличение", "и-обличение-моё", "к-обличению-моему,", "обличение", "обличение-моё", "обличение-моё.", "обличением-Его.", "обличения", "обличениями", "с-обличениями"]·ES["Con-castigos", "a-mi-reprensión", "con-reprensiones-de", "corrección", "corrección-de", "las-reprensiones-de", "mi-reprensión", "reprensión", "su-reprensión", "y-en-reprensiones-de", "y-la-reprensión", "y-mi-corrección", "y-mi-reprensión", "y-reprensión"]·SW["Kwa-maonyo", "karipio", "karipio-la", "kwa-karipio-langu", "kwa-maonyo-ya", "maonyo-yangu", "mashtaka-yangu", "na-adhabu-yangu", "na-karipio", "na-karipio-lake", "na-karipio-langu", "na-kwa-adhabu", "na-maonyo", "ni-maonyo-ya"]·TR["Azarlamalarla", "azarlamalarla", "azarlamalarımı", "azarlamama", "azarlayamamı", "azarından", "uyarı", "uyarıdan", "uyarıları", "uyarısını", "uyarıyı", "ve-azarlamama", "ve-azarlanmam", "ve-azarı", "ve-hiddetle", "ve-uyarı"]·urd["اور-تنبیہ-میری", "اور-سرزنش-کو", "اور-ملامت", "بَ-سرزنشوں", "تنبیہ-اُس-کی-سے", "تنبیہات", "سرزنش", "سرزنش-سے", "سرزنشوں-سے", "ملامت", "میری-تنبیہ", "میری-تنبیہ-کی-طرف", "میری-دلیل", "و-تنبیہات", "وَ-میری-تنبیہ"]
2. argument, complaint, case — A legal or forensic argument, a reasoned complaint or case presented in formal disputation before God. Job 23:4 is the paradigm: 'I would fill my mouth with arguments,' where tokachath denotes structured reasoning rather than moral correction. Ps 38:14 similarly uses it for the sufferer's case, and Hab 2:1 frames the prophet waiting to hear God's reply to his tokachath. Spanish 'argumentos/réplicas' and German 'arguments' distinguish this forensic register from the wisdom-correction sense. 3×
AR["تَوْبيخاتٌ", "حُجَجًا", "شَكوايَ"]·ben["আমার-তিরস্কারের", "তিরস্কার", "যুক্তিতে"]·DE["[תוכחות]", "[תוכחתי]", "arguments"]·EN["arguments", "my-complaint", "with-arguments"]·FR["[תוכחתי]", "reproche", "réprimande"]·heb["תוכחות", "תוכחתי"]·HI["उत्तर", "तर्कों-से", "मेरी-डाँट"]·ID["argumen-argumen", "keluhanku."]·IT["[תוכחתי]", "rimprovero"]·jav["alesan", "pengaduan-kawula", "wangsulan"]·KO["꾸짖음들-이", "나-의-원망", "변호들로"]·PT["argumentos", "de-argumentos.", "minha-repreensão"]·RU["возражений", "доказательствами", "обличение-моё"]·ES["de-argumentos.", "mi-reprensión", "réplicas"]·SW["hoja", "majibu", "malalamiko-yangu"]·TR["cevaplar", "kanıtlarla", "şikayetime-benim"]·urd["اپنی-تنبیہ-کا", "جوابات", "دلیلوں-سے"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† תּוֹכַ֫חַת n.f. argument, reproof;—ת׳ Pr 10:17 + 9 times; sf. תּוֹכַחְתִּי Hb 2:1 + 5 times; תּוֹכַחְתּוֹ Pr 3:11; pl. תּוֹכָחוֹת ψ 38:15 + 3 times; cstr. תּוֹכְחוֹת Pr 6:23 Ez 25:17; תֹּכְחוֹת 5:15 (but latter del. Co; given by SS under תּוֹכֵחָה);— 1. argument, impeachment, spoken by lips and mouth ψ 38:15 Jb 13:6; 23:4 Hb 2:1. 2. reproof, chiding Pr 1:23; 27:5; ‖ עצה 1:25, 30; ‖ מוסר 3:11;…