Lexical Summary
tehom: Deep, abyss, depths, primeval ocean
Original Word:תְּהוֹם
Part of Speech:Noun
Transliteration:thowm
Pronunciation:teh-HOME
Phonetic Spelling:(teh-home')
KJV: deep (place), depth
NASB:deep, deeps, depths, ocean depths, springs
Word Origin:[(usually feminine) fromH1949 (הוּם - noisy)]
1. an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water-supply)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, vain, vanity, waste,
Or thom {teh-home'}; (usually feminine) fromhuwm; an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water-supply) -- deep (place), depth.
see HEBREWhuwm
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitiondeep, sea, abyss
NASB Translationdeep (22), deeps (8), depths (4), ocean depths (1), springs (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Genesis 7:11 7t.Job 28:14 5t. (AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 62 Köii. 2. 167 Ency. Bib.DEEP) (almost always in poetry); — absoluteGenesis 1:2 +; plural absolutePsalm 77:17 +, etc.,Isaiah 63:13 + Isa 106:9 (only here with article); construct Isa 71:20 (but see infra); —
deep, of subterranean waters,Genesis 49:25 (poem in J; opposed to ),Deuteronomy 33:13 (opposed toid.);Genesis 7:11;Genesis 8:2 (P; "" ),Proverbs 8:28 ("" ),Job 28:14;Job 38:16 (both "" );Amos 7:4 (probably),Psalm 36:7 (opposed to ),Isaiah 51:10 (perhaps); so plural ,Proverbs 8:24 ("" ),Proverbs 3:20 (opposed to ), and probablyPsalm 33:7 ("" ),Psalm 135:6 ( + ).
(deep)sea, overwhelming TyreEzekiel 26:19 ("" ), roaring at theoph.Habakkuk 3:10; in General, "" ,Job 38:30 (); ""Jonah 2:6; alonEJob 41:24; figurative,Job 42:8 ("" , ; but possibly here of Jordan, compare
); in plural =abysses of sea,Exodus 15:5,8 (of Red Sea, so)Isaiah 63:13 ""Psalm 106:9;Psalm 77:17; alsoPsalm 78:15 (in simile),Psalm 107:26 (poetic of hollows of great waves, opposed to ); vaguely,Psalm 135:6;Psalm 148:7.
primaeval ocean, deep, in Hebrew cosmogony,Genesis 1:2 (P; "" ),Proverbs 8:27 ("" ),Psalm 104:6. — (compare, further, GunkSchöpfung u. Chaos 21 ff. OCWhitehouseHast. DB COSMOGONY ZimKAT3. 492 f., 509 f., 585).
deep, depth, of riverEzekiel 31:4 (Nile; "" , + ),Ezekiel 31:15 (""id.); plural ofbursts of water fertilizing Canaan,Deuteronomy 8:7 ( + , ). — OnPsalm 42:8 see
abyss (si vera lectio): =Shejôl,Psalm 71:20, but Ol We .
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Topical Lexicon
Meaning and ScopeWhile lexicons render תְּהוֹם as “deep,” “abyss,” or “subterranean water,” the biblical usage is richer than a mere geographic term. “Tehom” consistently evokes the unfathomable, untamed, and inaccessible realms—whether primordial waters, subterranean springs, or metaphorical depths of distress. It is never personified as a rival deity; rather, it serves as a backdrop against which the LORD’s sovereign power is displayed.
Creation Narrative
Genesis 1:2 introduces Scripture’s first conflict-stage: “darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters”. The verse establishes two themes that persist throughout the canon:
1. The deep represents unordered potential that only God can shape.
2. The Spirit’s hovering affirms God’s intimate governance over what seems chaotic.
Hence, from the opening lines of Scripture, tehom is under divine control, refuting any ancient Near Eastern myth that portrayed primeval waters as semi-divine forces.
The Flood and the Fountains of the Deep
Genesis 7:11 testifies that the cataclysmic judgment came when “all the fountains of the great deep burst forth.” Here tehom functions as an instrument of divine judgment, whileGenesis 8:2 resumes, “the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed,” marking the cessation of wrath. By connecting the deep both to creation (Genesis 1) and un-creation (Genesis 7–8), the narrative underscores God’s freedom to deploy or restrain the elements at His will.
Exodus and Redemptive History
In the Song of Moses the deep becomes an emblem of deliverance. “The depths covered them; they sank like a stone in the mighty waters” (Exodus 15:5). Israel’s passage through the sea prefigures liberation from every oppressive power, demonstrating that what threatens God’s people ultimately entombs their enemies. Later prophets recall this moment (Isaiah 51:10;Isaiah 63:13) to fortify hope amid new trials.
Poetic and Wisdom Literature
Psalms and Proverbs broaden the metaphorical range of tehom:
•Psalm 36:6: “Your judgments are like a great deep”—God’s ways are as unsearchable as the ocean trenches.
•Psalm 42:7: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls”—layers of anguish echo human longing for divine presence.
•Proverbs 3:20: “By His knowledge the deeps were broken open”—creation’s ordered beauty derives from God’s wisdom.
Poetic usage affirms that the most mysterious experiences of life—whether theological (God’s wisdom), emotional (inner turmoil), or physical (oceanic depths)—are all within the LORD’s purview.
Prophetic Oracles
Prophets employ tehom to dramatize both judgment and hope.Ezekiel 26:19 warns Tyre that “I will bring the deep upon you,” portraying conquest as drowning beneath chaotic forces. Conversely,Habakkuk 3:10 pictures nature’s homage: “the deep gave forth its voice, it lifted its hands on high,” yielding cosmic worship when the LORD intervenes. Such texts remind hearers that history’s upheavals, however tumultuous, bow to divine sovereignty.
Theology of Dominion
Across its occurrences, tehom underscores God’s unrivaled reign. Creation shows His authority to delimit it; the Flood reveals His prerogative to deploy it; redemption demonstrates His power to part it; poetry magnifies His wisdom within it; prophecy proclaims His future mastery over it. Never once is the deep depicted as an equal power. Scripture’s consistency here safeguards monotheism and assures believers that even the utmost chaos is bounded by covenant faithfulness.
Christological Echoes
Though the Hebrew term itself does not appear in the New Testament, its theological motif reverberates. Jesus sleeps unthreatened atop storm-tossed waves (Mark 4:35-41), walks upon the sea (Matthew 14:25), and commands wind and water, reenacting Old Testament assertions of Yahweh’s supremacy over the deep. His descent into the grave and triumphant resurrection transform “depths of the earth” (Psalm 71:20) into a pathway of victory, fulfilling the Old Testament trajectory that life, not chaos, has the final word.
Ministry Implications
1. Assurance in Chaos. Whether global crises or personal turmoil, believers cling to the truth that every “deep” is already navigated by the Spirit who hovered inGenesis 1:2.
2. Depths of Sin and Grace.Jonah 2:5 depicts exile in sin’s consequences—“The deep engulfed me.” YetPsalm 130:1 cries, “Out of the depths I call to You, O LORD.” Pastoral counsel draws upon these texts to invite confession and confidence in divine mercy.
3. Worship and Wonder. Calls such asPsalm 148:7, “Praise the LORD… all ocean depths,” summon congregations to join the entire cosmos in doxology, transforming the concept of the deep from fearsome to festive.
4. Missional Perspective. As sailors inPsalm 107 discover divine rescue from tehom, missionaries crossing literal and cultural oceans trust the same Sovereign who “stills the roaring of the seas” (Psalm 65:7).
Related Biblical Terms
While “yam” (sea) denotes the observable body of water and “mayim” (waters) the general fluid element, “tehom” conveys profundity—the concealed chambers beneath or beyond ordinary perception. Recognizing the distinction enriches exegesis of texts where depth, rather than surface, is the focus.
Conclusion
Tehom, the deep, threads through the Old Testament as both setting and symbol. At every turn it highlights the LORD’s creative, judicial, protective, and redemptive sovereignty. For readers and ministers today, the word invites unwavering trust: the One who rules the unfathomable holds every life circumstance securely in His hand.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּ֝תְּהֹמ֗וֹת בַּתְּהֹמ֑וֹת בתהמות וּֽמִתְּהֹמ֥וֹת וּמִתְּה֖וֹם וּתְהֹמֹ֔ת ומתהום ומתהמות ותהמת כִּתְהֹמ֥וֹת כתהמות תְ֝ה֗וֹם תְּ֝ה֗וֹם תְּ֭הוֹם תְּה֔וֹם תְּה֖וֹם תְּה֣וֹם תְּהֹמ֥וֹת תְּהֹמֹ֖ת תְּהֹמֽוֹת׃ תְּהֽוֹם־ תְּהוֹם֙ תְּהוֹם׃ תְּהוֹמ֣וֹת תְּהוֹמֽוֹת׃ תְה֑וֹם תְהֹמֹ֖ת תְהֹמֽוֹת׃ תְהֽוֹם׃ תְהוֹמ֑וֹת תהום תהום־ תהום׃ תהומות תהומות׃ תהמות תהמות׃ תהמת bat·tə·hō·mō·wṯ battehoMot battəhōmōwṯ kiṯ·hō·mō·wṯ kithoMot kiṯhōmōwṯ tə·hō·mō·wṯ ṯə·hō·mō·wṯ tə·hō·mōṯ ṯə·hō·mōṯ tə·hō·w·mō·wṯ ṯə·hō·w·mō·wṯ tə·hō·wm ṯə·hō·wm tə·hō·wm- teHom tehoMot təhōmōṯ ṯəhōmōṯ təhōmōwṯ ṯəhōmōwṯ təhōwm ṯəhōwm təhōwm- təhōwmōwṯ ṯəhōwmōwṯ ū·mit·tə·hō·mō·wṯ ū·mit·tə·hō·wm ū·ṯə·hō·mōṯ umitteHom umittehoMot ūmittəhōmōwṯ ūmittəhōwm utehoMot ūṯəhōmōṯ
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