H8451 H8451
Torah, law, instruction; the Mosaic Law as divine covenant legislation, specific statutes and regulations, or human/prophetic teaching.
Torah is far richer than 'law' suggests. Derived from the verb yarah ('to throw, cast, direct, instruct'), it fundamentally means 'direction' or 'guidance' — and that pedagogical root never fully disappears even when the word names the most authoritative body of divine legislation in Israel's life. In its overwhelming majority usage (203 of 222 occurrences), torah refers to the Mosaic covenant instruction: 'the Torah of the LORD,' 'the Torah of Moses,' or simply 'the Torah' with the definite article. But Proverbs preserves the word's older, broader sense where a mother's torah is her teaching (Prov 1:8; 6:20) and a wise father's torah is his instruction (Prov 4:2). The plural torot names specific sets of regulations, especially in Leviticus's ritual legislation. German Weisung ('directive, instruction') and French enseignement ('teaching') both capture the non-legal pedagogical sense that English 'law' obscures.
Senses
1. Law / Torah (divine covenant instruction) — The Mosaic Law, the Torah of YHWH — the dominant sense at 203 occurrences. This covers the Torah as a comprehensive body of divine covenant instruction, whether specified as 'the Torah of Moses' (Josh 8:31), 'the Torah of the LORD' (Ps 19:7), or simply 'the Torah' with the article. It includes the Pentateuch as a written document, the covenant stipulations, and the entire Mosaic legislative-narrative complex. Spanish la Tora/la ley, Arabic al-sharia or al-tawrah, and Korean yulbeop (율법) all treat this as a proper or near-proper noun, reflecting its status as Israel's foundational legal-theological document. The range of contexts — from Deuteronomy's exhortations to keep 'this Torah' to the psalmist's meditative delight in God's Torah — shows the word functioning simultaneously as legal code, covenant charter, and object of devotion. 203×
AR["التَّوراةِ", "التَّوْراةَ", "التَّوْراةِ", "التَّوْرَاةَ", "التَّوْرَاةِ", "الشَّرِيعَةُ", "الشَّرِيعَةِ"]·ben["-ব্যবস্থা", "এই-ব্যবস্থা", "এই-ব্যবস্থার", "এই-ব্যবস্থার-", "বিধানের", "বিধির", "ব্যবস্থার", "ব্যবস্থার-(এই)", "ব্যবস্থার-(যা)", "সেই-ব্যবস্থা"]·DE["der-Torah"]·EN["the-Torah"]·FR["la-Torah", "le-Torah"]·heb["ה-תורה", "ה-תורה-"]·HI["-व्यवस्था", "-व्यवस्था-के", "तोराह", "तोराह-की", "तोराह-की-", "तोराह-के", "व्यवस्था", "व्यवस्था-की", "व्यवस्था-के"]·ID["Taurat", "Taurat-"]·IT["il-Torah"]·jav["Toret-punika", "Torèt", "angger-angger"]·KO["그-율법", "그-율법(접)", "그-율법-", "그-율법-의", "그-율법의", "그-율법이다"]·PT["a-Lei", "a-Torah", "a-lei"]·RU["-Тору", "-Торы", "-Учение", "Закона", "Торе", "Тору", "Торы", "Торы-"]·ES["es-la-Torá", "la-Torá", "la-ley"]·SW["cha-sheria", "cha-torati", "sheria", "sheria-hii", "torati", "ya-sheria"]·TR["-Tora'nın", "-Tora'yı", "Tevrat'ı", "Tevrat'ın", "Tevrat'ın-", "Tora'nın", "yasa"]·urd["-شریعت", "توریت-کی", "شریعت", "شریعت-کی", "شریعت-کی-", "شریعت-کے-مطابق"]
2. Laws / Regulations (plural statutes) — Specific laws, regulations, or ritual statutes — the plural torot, appearing 14 times. These are countable individual prescriptions rather than the Torah as a unified whole: 'the torah of the burnt offering' (Lev 6:9), 'the torah of the grain offering' (Lev 6:14), 'the torah of the sin offering' (Lev 6:25). God gave Israel 'torot and instructions' (Gen 26:5; Exod 16:28). German Gesetze (plural 'laws'), Spanish leyes, and French lois all shift to the plural, confirming the distinction from the singular comprehensive Torah. The concentration in Leviticus and Ezekiel reflects the priestly context of specific ritual legislation. 14×
AR["(تَوْرَاتِهِ)", "[تَوْرَاتِهِ]", "الشَّرَائِعَ", "تَوْرَاتِي", "شَرَائِعِهِ", "فِي-شَرَائِعِهِ", "وَ-الشَّرَائِعُ", "وَ-شَرائِعي", "وَ-شَرائِعَهُ", "وَ-شَرَائِعَ", "وَ-شَرَائِعِي"]·ben["(তার-বিধানগুলি)", "-তাঁর-ব্যবস্থাগুলিতে", "[তার-বিধান]", "আমার-বিধানগুলি", "আর-আমার-ব্যবস্থাসমূহ", "আর-ব্যবস্থা", "এবং-আমার-ব্যবস্থাগুলি", "এবং-তাঁর-ব্যবস্থাগুলি", "এবং-শিক্ষাগুলি", "তাঁর-বিধানসমূহ।", "বিধানগুলি", "বিধিগুলো"]·DE["Gesetz", "Sein-Gesetze", "der-Gesetze", "und-Mein-Gesetze", "und-Weisung", "und-der-Gesetze", "und-meine-Weisungen", "und-sein-Gesetz"]·EN["His-laws", "My-laws", "[ketiv]", "and-His-laws", "and-My-laws", "and-laws-my", "and-laws-of", "and-the-laws", "in-his-laws", "its-laws", "laws", "the-laws"]·FR["Son-lois", "et-Mon-lois", "et-le-lois", "et-loi", "et-lois-mon", "le-lois", "loi"]·heb["ב-תורותיו", "ה-תורות", "ו-ה-תורה", "ו-תורה", "ו-תורה-י", "ו-תורותי", "ו-תורותיו", "תורות", "תורותי", "תורותיו"]·HI["(उसकी-व्यवस्था)", "(उसकी-व्यवस्थाओं)", "उसकी-व्यवस्थाएँ", "उसकी-व्यवस्थाओं-में", "और-उसकी-शिक्षाओं-का", "और-मेरी-शिक्षाएँ", "और-व्यवस्थाएं", "और-व्यवस्थाओं-को-मेरी", "और-शिक्षाएं", "मेरी-व्यवस्थाएँ", "व्यवस्थाएं", "व्यवस्थाओं", "व्यवस्थाओं-उसकी"]·ID["[hukumnya]", "dalam-hukum-hukum-Nya", "dan-hukum-Ku", "dan-hukum-hukum", "dan-hukum-hukum-Ku", "dan-hukum-hukum-Nya", "hukum-hukum", "hukum-hukum-Ku", "hukum-hukum-Nya", "hukum-hukumnya"]·IT["Suo-leggi", "e-Mio-leggi", "e-il-leggi", "e-legge", "e-leggi-mio", "il-leggi", "la-mia-legge", "legge"]·jav["[angger-anggeré]", "angger-angger", "angger-angger-Kula", "angger-angger-ipun", "angger-anggeré", "lan-angger-angger-Kawula", "lan-toret-toret", "lan-torèt-Panjenengané", "miturut-angger-angger-ipun", "paugeran"]·KO["그-율법들을", "그-의-율법들-에서", "그것의-율법들", "그리고-그-의-율법들-을", "그리고-나의-가르침들을", "그리고-나의-율법들을", "그리고-율법들을", "그리고-율법들이니", "그의-율법들을", "나의-율법들", "율법들을"]·PT["(suas-leis)", "[sua-lei]", "as-instruções,", "e-Suas-leis", "e-as-torot", "e-instruções-minhas", "e-leis-de", "e-minhas-instruções?", "em-suas-leis", "leis", "minhas-leis", "suas-instruções."]·RU["(законах-его)", "(законы-его)", "[закон-его]", "[законе-его]", "в-законах-Его", "законы", "законы-Мои", "и-законы", "и-законы-Его", "и-законы-Мои", "и-учения", "и-учения-Мои", "учения-Его", "учениям"]·ES["[kethiv]", "en-leyes-de-él", "las-leyes", "leyes", "leyes-de-él", "mis-leyes", "sus-leyes", "y-las-leyes", "y-mis-leyes", "y-sus-leyes", "y-torás-de"]·SW["[sheria]", "katika-sheria-zake", "na-mafundisho", "na-mafundisho-yake", "na-mafundisho-yangu", "na-sheria", "na-sheria-zangu", "sheria", "sheria-zake", "sheria-zangu"]·TR["(yasalarını)", "[yasalarını]", "[yasasını]", "ve-toralarımı", "ve-yasalar", "ve-yasalarımı", "ve-yasalarını", "ve-öğretiler", "yasalari", "yasaları", "yasalarımı", "yasalarında", "yasalarını"]·urd["اور-اُس-کی-شریعتیں", "اور-شریعتیں", "اور-شریعتیں-میری", "اور-میری-شریعتیں", "اُس-کی-شریعتوں-میں", "اُس-کی-شریعتیں", "شریعتیں", "میری-شریعتوں"]
Gen 26:5, Exod 16:28, Exod 18:16, Exod 18:20, Lev 26:46, Neh 9:13, Ps 105:45, Isa 24:5, Ezek 43:11, Ezek 43:11, Ezek 44:5, Ezek 44:5 (+2 more)
3. Instruction / Teaching (human or prophetic) — Human or prophetic instruction and teaching — 5 occurrences where torah retains its etymological sense of 'direction, guidance' without direct reference to the Mosaic code. A mother's torah (Prov 1:8; 6:20), a father's torah (Prov 3:1; 4:2), and the torah of kindness on the lips of the virtuous woman (Prov 31:26). German Weisung ('directive'), Spanish ensenanza ('teaching'), and French instruction all select pedagogical vocabulary rather than legal terminology. This sense preserves the pre-Mosaic, non-legalistic core of the word and reminds us that 'Torah' began as a teacher's term before it became a legislator's. 5×
AR["شَرِيعَةً", "شَرِيعَتِي", "وَ-شَريعَةُ-", "وَ-شَرِيعَتِي"]·ben["আমার-শিক্ষা", "এবং-আমার-ব্যবস্থা", "এবং-বিধান-", "শিক্ষা"]·DE["Weisung", "und-Weisung", "und-Weisung-von"]·EN["and-Torah-of", "and-my-teaching", "instruction", "my-instruction", "my-teaching"]·FR["et-loi", "et-mon-loi-moi", "loi", "mon-loi-moi"]·heb["ו-תורת-", "ו-תורתי", "תורה", "תורתי"]·HI["और-व्यवस्था-", "और-व्यवस्था-मेरी", "व्यवस्था-मेरी", "शिक्षा"]·ID["dan-pengajaran", "dan-pengajaranku", "pengajaran", "pengajaranku"]·IT["e-legge", "e-legge-mio", "legge", "legge-mio"]·jav["lan-angger-angger-saking", "lan-piwulang-kula", "piwulang", "piwulang-kula"]·KO["가르침을", "그리고-가르침이", "그리고-나-의-가르침-을", "나-의-가르침-을"]·PT["e-lei-de-", "e-minha-lei", "instrução", "minha-lei"]·RU["закон", "и-учение-", "и-учение-моё -", "наставление-моё", "учение-моё"]·ES["la-ley", "mi-ley", "y-enseñanza-de-", "y-instrucción-mía"]·SW["mafundisho", "na-sheria-ya", "na-sheria-yangu", "sheria-yangu"]·TR["ve-öğretimi-benim", "ve-öğretisi-", "öğreti", "öğretimi-benim"]·urd["اور-شریعت", "اور-شریعت-میری", "شریعت", "شریعت-میری"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† תּוֹרָה n.f. Dt 1:5 direction, instruction, law (poss. in first instance from casting lots, WeG i, 410; H 394 (less confidently WeSkizzen iii, 167), SS SmAT Rel. Gesch. 36 BenzArch. 408 NowArch. ii, 97, opp. by KöOffenb. ii, 347 BaudPriest. 207);—ת׳, Ex 12:49 + 88 times; cstr. תּוֹרַת Ex 13:9 + 65 times; sfs. תּוֹרָתִי ψ 78:1 + 16 times; תֹּרָו֯תְךָ Je 32:23; תֹּרָתוֹ 44:23 + 34 times sfs.; pl.…