תִּפְלָה (tiph.lah)
tiph.lah
folly
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun tiphlah denotes a profound emptiness or moral unsavoriness that manifests as folly. It describes actions or attitudes that are not merely unintelligent, but fundamentally hollow and unseemly. In the biblical text, this word carries a heavy ethical weight, pointing to behavior that lacks substance and dignity.
Its usage is concentrated in the books of Job and Jeremiah, where it highlights the absurdity of opposing divine wisdom. For instance, Job uses the term to describe the futile arguments of his friends, while Jeremiah applies it to the empty practices of idolatry. The word suggests that such folly is not just a mistake, but a repugnant distortion of what is right.
This concept distinguishes itself from simple ignorance by emphasizing the offensive nature of the emptiness. It is a state of being that fails to align with reality and moral order. Translators often render it as "folly" or "absurdity," capturing the sense that such actions are not just wrong, but fundamentally nonsensical in the face of God’s truth.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word tiphlah points to a deep emptiness that looks like wisdom but lacks all substance. It is not simply a lack of knowledge, but a hollow performance that offends the moral order God established. When we encounter such behavior in others or recognize it within ourselves, it invites us to look past the noise and seek what is truly solid.
In Job 24:12, this concept appears when the cries of the injured go unheard. The text calls the injustice done by the powerful 'folly,' showing that true wisdom always aligns with justice and compassion. God sees what human systems often ignore or dismiss as irrelevant.
Jeremiah 23:13 warns against prophets who lead people astray through empty claims. Their words had no weight because they did not come from a heart aligned with God's truth. This reminds us that genuine faith produces actions that reflect reality, not just impressive speech. We are invited to rest in the stability of God’s word, which never fades or fails.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- offensiveness2×
- unseemliness1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תִּפְלָֽה\׃1×
- תִּפְלָ֖ה1×
- תִפְלָ֑ה1×
Key Verses
-
Job 24:12
From out of the populous city, men groan. The soul of the wounded cries out, yet God doesn’t regard the folly.
This verse applies the term to social injustice, showing that ignoring the suffering of the vulnerable is considered a profound moral absurdity in God's eyes.
-
Jeremiah 23:13
“I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria. They prophesied by Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
Here the word describes prophetic deception, highlighting how leading people away from God through false claims is a hollow and dangerous act.
-
Job 1:22
In all this, Job didn’t sin, nor charge God with wrongdoing.
Although this verse does not contain the word tiphlah, it provides the necessary context for Job's integrity, contrasting his faithful endurance with the empty arguments of his friends which the book later characterizes as folly.