Lexical Summary
taraph: To tear, rend, pluck, seize
Original Word:טָרַף
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:taraph
Pronunciation:tah-raf'
Phonetic Spelling:(taw-raf')
KJV: catch, X without doubt, feed, ravin, rend in pieces, X surely, tear (in pieces)
NASB:tear, surely been torn to pieces, tearing, tears, tore, torn, torn in pieces
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to pluck off or pull to pieces
2. causatively to supply with food (as in morsels)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
catch, without doubt, feed, rend in pieces, surely, tear in pieces
A primitive root; to pluck off or pull to pieces; causatively to supply with food (as in morsels) -- catch, X without doubt, feed, ravin, rend in pieces, X surely, tear (in pieces).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto tear, rend, pluck
NASB Translationfeed (1), ravening (1), ravenous (1), surely been torn to pieces (2), tear (7), tearing (2), tears (2), tore (2), torn (2), torn in pieces (2), torn to pieces (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Late Hebrew
id., especially of wild beasts; Aramaic
tear, seize, especially of creditors;
torn flesh or
animal; Arabic
depasture, said of camel) —
PerfectJob 16:9;Hosea 6:1, etc.;ImperfectPsalm 7:3;Amos 1:11 (but see below);Genesis 49:27;Hosea 5:14;Psalm 50:22;InfinitivePsalm 17:12;Participle activeJob 18:4, etc.; —tear rend, of wild beasts,Genesis 37:33 (J),Genesis 44:28 (J; infinitive absolute with Punic q. v. ),Exodus 22:12 (J E; infinitive absolute with
q. v.) Elsewhere only in simile and metaphor; simile of Gad's fiercenessDeuteronomy 33:20 (like a lioness, poem); so of BenjaminGenesis 49:27 (as a wolf, poem); of the remnant of Jacob, like a young lion among sheep,Micah 5:7; of the wicked,Psalm 17:12 (lion),Psalm 7:3 object (like a lion);Psalm 22:14 psalmist's foes like lion ("" );Ezekiel 22:25 (), princes like wolvesEzekiel 22:27 (id.); metaphor of Israel's princes, like young lionEzekiel 19:3,6 (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb); of Nineveh's kingNahum 2:13 (as lion); of God's treatment of the wickedHosea 5:14 (like a lion),Psalm 50:22; subject wrath of God () conceived as assailing Job,Job 16:9his wrath teareth and persecuteth me; compareHosea 6:1 subject ("" ; on tenses see Dr§ 84 ; 171, 174 n. 1); subject anger of Edom (absolute)Amos 1:11, but read perhaps forand he kept his anger perpetually, so Ol onPsalm 103:9 We; , said of Job by BildadJob 18:4.
Imperfect of animaltorn (by wild beasts)Exodus 22:12 (JE); also in prediction of judgment on people of JerusalemJeremiah 5:6.
PerfectGenesis 37:33 (J)Joseph has certainly been torn in pieces; compareGenesis 44:28 (J).
Imperative masculine singular suffix, note especially 2nd accusative ,Proverbs 30:8let me devour my appointed bread (of men, late; compareProverbs 31:15, andPsalm 111:5;Malachi 3:10).
Topical Lexicon
Root Idea and Semantic Rangeטָרַף depicts forcible rending. From the physical violence of a predator comes a broader palette of ideas: ravaging, plundering, tearing others or oneself, and—by extension—providing food that has been torn for consumption (Proverbs 30:8). The contexts cluster around five major themes.
Predation in Narrative Events
• Patriarchal grief. Jacob concluded that “Joseph has surely been torn to pieces” (Genesis 37:33) and, decades later, still spoke of the son who “has been torn to pieces” (Genesis 44:28). The verb conveys raw horror and irreversibility; no rescue seems possible once טָרַף has occurred.
• Tribal portraits. Jacob’s final oracle paints Benjamin as “a ravenous wolf” who “devours the prey” (Genesis 49:27), while Moses blesses Gad as a lion who “tears off an arm or even a head” (Deuteronomy 33:20). The imagery legitimizes vigorous defense of the covenant community against enemies.
Legal Protection and Social Justice
Exodus sets a precedent: if an entrusted animal is “actually torn apart” the caretaker can produce the carcass and “need not make restitution” (Exodus 22:13). The law humbly faces the reality that some losses come from uncontrollable predation; justice must weigh intent, not merely outcome. Ezekiel later indicts officials who invert that standard—“like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives to make unjust gain” (Ezekiel 22:27). טָרַף thus becomes a diagnostic term for systemic abuse in a covenant nation.
Divine Agency: Discipline and Deliverance
Prophets ascribe טָרַף to the LORD Himself when covenant faithlessness demands severe correction: “I will be like a lion to Ephraim… I Myself will tear them to pieces” (Hosea 5:14). YetHosea 6:1 holds the counter-promise: “He has torn us, but He will heal us.” The same hand that rends can restore; the tearing is surgical, not capricious, aimed at covenant renewal.Psalm 50:22 issues a similar warning to the complacent worshiper: “lest I tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you.” Divine טָרַף is irrevocable only when repentance is refused.
Human Violence, Self-Destruction, and Lament
Job compares God’s mysterious affliction to predation: “His anger has torn me and assailed me” (Job 16:9). He also rebukes the self-consuming friend who “tears yourself in anger” (Job 18:4). The psalmists cry for protection: “or they will tear me like a lion” (Psalm 7:2); “They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul” (Psalm 22:13).Psalm 22, echoed in the crucifixion narratives, casts טָרַף imagery onto Messiah’s suffering, showing that the righteous may experience the very violence they abhor, yet God vindicates in resurrection.
Eschatological and Missional Motifs
Prophets envision both judgment on the nations and the future triumph of the remnant. Edom’s unrelenting anger “kept tearing” (Amos 1:11) and will meet divine recompense. Conversely, the faithful remnant becomes “like a lion… which tramples and tears as it goes” (Micah 5:8), a symbol of decisive victory granted by God to fulfill His redemptive plan.
Provision and Daily Dependence
In a rare benign nuance, Agur prays, “Feed me with the bread that is my portion” (Proverbs 30:8). Here טָרַף sheds its violence and speaks of sustenance already procured, underscoring continual reliance on God for “daily bread.”
Pastoral and Ministry Implications
1. Shepherding mirrors God’s protective impulse—leaders must prevent predatory exploitation within the flock (Ezekiel 22:25-27).
2. Discipline, though painful, carries healing intent (Hosea 6:1); ministries confront sin so restoration may follow.
3. Intercession must address both external threats and self-inflicted wounds (Job 18:4), guiding believers from destructive anger to humble trust.
4. Proclamation of the gospel invites hearers to flee the coming wrath where God Himself will “tear” the unrepentant (Psalm 50:22) and to seek refuge in the torn yet risen Messiah foretold byPsalm 22.
טָרַף therefore serves as a vivid theological lens: sin ravages, justice restrains, God chastens, Christ endures the tearing in our place, and covenant people are called to live as agents of protection and provision rather than predation.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶ֝טְרֹ֗ף אֶטְרֹף֙ אטרף הַ֝טְרִיפֵ֗נִי הטריפני וְטָרַ֖ף וְטָרַ֥ף וַיִּטְרֹ֤ף וטרף ויטרף טָרַ֨ף ׀ טָרָ֖ף טָרֹ֣ף טָרֹ֥ף טֹ֣רְפֵי טֹ֣רֵֽף טֹֽרֵ֥ף טֹרֵ֥ף טֹרֵף֙ טֹרַ֖ף טֹרָ֑ף טרף טרפי יִטְרָ֔ף יִטְרֹ֣ף יִטָּרֵ֑ף יִטָּרֵ֖ף יטרף לִטְר֑וֹף לִטְרָף־ לטרוף לטרף־ ’eṭ·rōp̄ ’eṭrōp̄ etRof haṭ·rî·p̄ê·nî hatriFeni haṭrîp̄ênî liṭ·rāp̄- liṭ·rō·wp̄ liṭrāp̄- litRof liṭrōwp̄ ṭā·rap̄ ṭā·rāp̄ ṭā·rōp̄ taRaf ṭārap̄ ṭārāp̄ taRof ṭārōp̄ ṭō·rap̄ ṭō·rāp̄ ṭō·rə·p̄ê ṭō·rêp̄ toRaf ṭōrap̄ ṭōrāp̄ toRef Torefei ṭōrêp̄ ṭōrəp̄ê vaiyitRof vetaRaf way·yiṭ·rōp̄ wayyiṭrōp̄ wə·ṭā·rap̄ wəṭārap̄ yiṭ·rāp̄ yiṭ·rōp̄ yiṭ·ṭā·rêp̄ yitRaf yiṭrāp̄ yitRof yiṭrōp̄ yittaRef yiṭṭārêp̄
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