תְּשׁוּבָה (te.shu.vah)
te.shu.vah
turn
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 8 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun teshuvah primarily means "return" or "recurrence." In its most literal sense, it describes the cyclical nature of time, such as the completion of a year or the coming around of a season. This concrete usage grounds the word in physical reality before it takes on more abstract meanings.
Beyond time, teshuvah extends to the idea of an answer or reply, suggesting that a response is a return to a previous state of communication. It also signifies a physical turning back to a place or person. This dual sense of returning to a location and answering a call appears in historical narratives where characters move between locations or respond to divine prompts.
The word carries significant weight in poetic and prophetic literature, particularly in Job and the Samuel-Kings narratives. Here, it often describes the act of turning back to God or returning from exile. The sources highlight its use in contexts where restoration is key, whether that is the return of a year or the return of a people to their covenant relationship.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word teshuvah carries a beautiful duality: it means both "return" and "answer." In its most literal sense, it describes the natural cycle of time, such as the turning of seasons or the return of a year. This grounding in physical reality reminds us that life moves in rhythms, and there is a proper time for everything.
Yet this same word also describes the act of responding to another person. When we answer a call or reply to a friend, we are returning to them across the distance. In the biblical narrative, this concept deepens into spiritual restoration. It is not merely about moving back to a starting line, but about re-engaging with God and community with sincerity.
For your faith life, this offers a gentle invitation. When you feel distant or when silence seems to fill the space between you and God, remember that teshuvah is available. It is an act of turning back, of answering the divine call with your own honest presence. This word assures us that relationship is always open to renewal.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 8 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to/ [the] return of3×
- answers1×
- and/ to/ [the] return of1×
- and/ return/ his1×
- and/ answers/ your1×
- [the] return of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לִ/תְשׁוּבַ֣ת2×
- תְּשׁוּבַ֨ת1×
- תְּ֝שֻׁבֹ֗ת1×
- לִ/תְשׁוּבַ֨ת1×
- וּ֝/תְשֽׁוּבֹתֵי/כֶ֗ם1×
- וּ/תְשֻׁבָת֤/וֹ1×
- וְ/לִ/תְשׁוּבַ֣ת1×
Key Verses
-
I Samuel 7:17
His return was to Ramah, for his house was there, and he judged Israel there; and he built an altar to Yahweh there.
This verse highlights teshuvah as a physical return to one's home base, showing how the word anchors spiritual leadership in personal stability and place.
-
Job 21:34
So how can you comfort me with nonsense, because in your answers there remains only falsehood?”
Here the word shifts to mean "answers," illustrating that a true response must carry truth rather than empty words.
-
II Samuel 11:1
At the return of the year, at the time when kings go out, David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.
The phrase "at the return of the year" uses teshuvah to mark a specific cyclical time, grounding historical events in the natural order.