H8525 H8525
furrow; a trench plowed in a field for sowing or irrigation
The telem is the individual furrow cut by a plow into the soil of a cultivated field. In ancient Palestine, plowing produced shallow furrows of eight to ten centimeters. Hosea uses 'furrows of the field' as a metonym for agricultural land itself (10:4; 12:11), while Job 31:38 personifies the land's furrows crying out against injustice. Psalm 65:10 celebrates God watering the earth and settling its furrows with rain — a vivid image of divine provision through ordinary agriculture.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A furrow plowed into a field, the basic unit of agricultural cultivation. All five occurrences relate to tilled land. Hosea 10:4 and 12:11 use the construct 'furrows of the field' as a concrete agricultural image. Job 31:38 personifies the furrows weeping, and Psalm 65:10 describes God settling the furrows with rain. English uniformly renders 'furrow(s),' Spanish uses 'surco(s),' and French 'sillon' — all preserving the concrete agricultural reference. Job 39:10 may reference the furrow in the context of yoking an animal to the plow. 5×
AR["أخاديدُها", "أَتلامُها", "أَتلامِ", "بِحَبْلِهِ"]·ben["-লাঙলের-মধ্যে", "আলগুলি-", "তার-আলগুলো", "তার-জলপ্রবাহ", "নালার"]·DE["[בתלם]", "[תלמי]", "[תלמיה]", "sein-furrows"]·EN["furrows-of", "in-the-furrow", "its-furrows"]·FR["dans-בתלם", "sa-תלמיה-elle", "sillon"]·heb["ב-תלם", "תלמי", "תלמיה"]·HI["उसकी-मेड़ों-को", "क्यारियाँ-उसकी", "क्यारियों", "खालियों", "खेत-की-नाली-में"]·ID["Alur-alurnya", "alur-alurnya", "di-alur"]·IT["[תלמיה]", "in-in-il-furrow", "its-furrows-sua", "solchi"]·jav["Galur-ipun", "galengan-ipun", "ing-galengan", "tegal"]·KO["그-의-밤고랑-들-을", "그것의-이랑들이", "밤들의", "밤랑-에서"]·PT["Seus-sulcos", "no-sulco", "seus-sulcos", "sulcos-de"]·RU["бороздах", "борозды-её", "в-борозде"]·ES["Sus-surcos", "en-surco", "los-surcos-de", "sus-surcos"]·SW["Mifereji-yake", "katika-mfereji", "mifereji-ya", "mifereji-yake"]·TR["karıkları", "karıklarını", "karıklarının", "karığa"]·urd["اس کی کیاریاں", "اُس-کی-کیاریوں-کو", "سیاڑ-میں", "کھیتوں-کی-نالیوں"]
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
† תֶּ֫לֶם n.m. Jb 31:38 furrow;—abs. ת׳ Jb 39:10 (other conj. Du PerlesAnal. 53); pl. cstr. תַּלְמֵי שָׂדָ֑י Ho 10:14; 12:12; sf. תְּלָמֶיהָ Jb 31:38 ψ 65:11.—On ploughing in Pal. v. HoggEncy. Bib. agriculture VogelsteinLandwirthsch. 25 ff., on depth of furrow (not more than 8–10 centim.) Id.ib.36 AnderlindZPV ix.25, 29; also BenzArch. s. v.—תִּלָּם v. תֵּל supr.