תָּלָא (ta.la)
ta.la
to hang
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb talâ means to hang or to cling. It appears in only three verses, yet it carries significant weight in each instance. In Deuteronomy 21:23, it describes the public display of a executed criminal’s body on a tree or pole, a practice meant to signify shame and divine curse.
Beyond this judicial use, the word conveys physical attachment. In II Samuel 18:9, Absalom is caught by his hair in the branches of an oak, literally hanging from it until he is captured. This vivid image contrasts with Hosea’s metaphorical language, where clinging to idols is described using related imagery of being bound or hung upon false gods.
The term bridges the physical act of suspension and the spiritual condition of dependence. Whether describing a body suspended in judgment or a person entangled in idolatry, talâ emphasizes the consequences of being held fast by something external. Translators often render it as "hang" or "cling," preserving the tension between literal suspension and metaphorical attachment.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word talâ speaks of a life suspended in uncertainty or physically held fast by external forces. In Deuteronomy 28:66, it describes a state where your future feels unstable, with fear dominating both day and night. This image reminds us that true security does not come from our own control, but from the One who holds all things together.
When we feel like Absalom, caught in the branches of our own pride or circumstances, we are reminded of our need for deliverance. The Bible acknowledges these moments of vulnerability without shame. Instead of trying to cling tighter to fleeting assurances, we are invited to rest in God’s steadfast love, which remains firm even when our footing feels shaky.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they had hung up/ them1×
- hung up1×
- [is] hung up1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תְּלֻאִ֥ים1×
- תְּלָא֥וּ/ם1×
- תְלוּאִ֖ים1×
Key Verses
-
Deuteronomy 28:66
Your life will hang in doubt before you. You will be afraid night and day, and will have no assurance of your life.
This verse uses talâ to describe the psychological torment of living without assurance, highlighting how uncertainty can consume daily peace.
-
II Samuel 21:12
So David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them in the day that the Philistines killed Saul in Gilboa;
Here the word refers to the physical hanging of Saul and Jonathan, connecting the act of suspension with the shame of death in battle.
-
Hosea 11:7
My people are determined to turn from me. Though they call to the Most High, he certainly won’t exalt them.
The text implies a turning away that leaves the people unsupported, contrasting their reliance on idols with God’s refusal to elevate them.