תַּנְחֻ֫מֶת (tan.chu.met)
tan.chu.met
Tanhumeth
N:N-M-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-M-P
Word Overview
The name Tanhumeth is a Hebrew masculine proper noun meaning "consolation." It appears in only two biblical verses, both located in the historical books of 2 Kings and Jeremiah.
It identifies the father of Seraiah, a military leader who remained in the land after Jerusalem’s destruction. Seraiah joined Gedaliah, the governor appointed by Babylon, to help stabilize the remnant community (2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8). The name itself reflects a hope for comfort during a time of national tragedy.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Tanhumeth carries a quiet weight in the biblical narrative, meaning simply "consolation." It appears in the lives of Seraiah and his fellow leaders who gathered at Mizpah after the fall of Jerusalem. These men chose to stay in their land under Babylonian rule, trusting God’s provision even when everything around them had collapsed. Their story reminds us that comfort is not always an absence of pain, but a presence of hope in the midst of it.
When we face our own seasons of loss or uncertainty, this name invites us to look for God’s sustaining grace. The remnant did not have all the answers, yet they found strength in community and obedience. We too can find consolation not by escaping difficulty, but by resting in the One who remains faithful through every storm.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Tanhumeth2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תַּנְחֻ֜מֶת2×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 25:23
Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.
This verse records Seraiah’s arrival at Mizpah with his men, showing how the meaning of his father’s name—consolation—became a lived reality as they sought stability under Gedaliah’s leadership after the city’s destruction.
-
Jeremiah 40:8
then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men came to Gedaliah to Mizpah.
Here the same group is listed again, reinforcing that their decision to stay and serve was an act of faith, embodying the comfort promised by God even in exile.