טְחֹר
𐤈𐤇𐤓
ṭᵉchôr
H2914 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A painful swelling, boil, or tumor characterized by inflammation, often appearing as a bodily affliction. In biblical contexts, refers especially to disease manifestations such as tumors or sores inflicted as a sign or punishment, particularly of the groin or lower body region.
Semantic Range
painful tumor, boil, inflammatory swelling, bodily sore (especially in the groin region); symbolic affliction, physical manifestation of punishment
Root / Etymology
Uncertain; possibly from an unused root *ṭḥr related to burning, inflammation, or swelling, although this root is not otherwise attested in Biblical Hebrew. The noun טְחֹר appears only in specific narrative contexts.
Historical & Contextual Notes
טְחֹר occurs primarily in 1 Samuel (ch. 5-6), describing the affliction sent upon the Philistines after they took the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites. Context indicates a painful and disfiguring bodily swellings, likely intended to convey sudden severe illness as a form of divine punishment. The Septuagint renders the term with 'ἀδροῖα' (tumors), and some later translations (including the KJV as 'emerods') anachronistically use 'hemorrhoids,' though this may reflect later interpretive traditions rather than the precise medical condition. The term is not used for ordinary boils (שְׁחִין sheḥin) or other skin afflictions in other biblical narratives. In later Hebrew texts, cognates and similar terms are rare or absent. The focus in biblical use is on sudden, dramatic affliction, rather than clinical specificity.
Translation Consistency
‘Swelling’ is a natural, neutral English noun that covers the full semantic range (painful tumor, boil, inflammatory lump, bodily sore) without being overly clinical or too narrow. It matches typical biblical usage referring to an inflammatory affliction and reads naturally across contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to burn; a boil or ulcer (from the inflammation), especially a tumorin the anus or pudenda (the piles); emerod.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
טחר (ṭ-ḥ-r) — to burn, to inflame, to swell
Word Forms
6 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2914-02 |
טְחֹרֵ֣י | techorey | HNcmpc |
tumors | inflammatory swellings of | inflammatory swellings of | 2 |
H2914-01 |
בַּ/טְּחֹרִ֔ים | batechorim | HRd/Ncmpa |
in-hemorrhoids | in the inflamed tumors | with the inflamed tumors | 2 |
H2914-04 |
טְחֹרֵי/כֶ֜ם | techoreykhem | HNcmpc/Sp2mp |
your tumors | your inflamed tumors | your inflamed tumors | 1 |
H2914-06 |
וּ/בַ/טְּחֹרִ֔ים | uvatechorim | HC/Rd/Ncmpa |
and with scabs | and in the inflamed tumors | and with inflamed tumors | 1 |
H2914-05 |
טְחֹרִֽים | techorim | HNcmpa |
in their secret parts | inflamed tumors | inflamed tumors | 1 |
H2914-03 |
טְחֹרֵי/הֶֽם | techoreyhem | HNcmpc/Sp3mp |
their tumors | their inflamed tumors | their inflamed tumors | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2914-06 |
Deuteronomy 28:27 | וּ/בַ/טְּחֹרִ֔ים | uvatechorim | HC/Rd/Ncmpa |
and with scabs | and in the inflamed tumors | and with inflamed tumors |
H2914-01 |
1 Samuel 5:6 | בַּ/טְּחֹרִ֔ים | batechorim | HRd/Ncmpa |
and with hemorrhoids | in the inflamed tumors | with the inflamed tumors |
H2914-05 |
1 Samuel 5:9 | טְחֹרִֽים | techorim | HNcmpa |
in their secret parts | inflamed tumors | inflamed tumors |
H2914-01 |
1 Samuel 5:12 | בַּ/טְּחֹרִ֑ים | batechorim | HRd/Ncmpa |
in-hemorrhoids | in the inflamed tumors | with the inflamed tumors |
H2914-02 |
1 Samuel 6:4 | טְחֹרֵ֣י | techorey | HNcmpc |
tumors | inflammatory swellings of | inflammatory swellings of |
H2914-04 |
1 Samuel 6:5 | טְחֹרֵי/כֶ֜ם | techoreykhem | HNcmpc/Sp2mp |
your tumors | your inflamed tumors | your inflamed tumors |
H2914-03 |
1 Samuel 6:11 | טְחֹרֵי/הֶֽם | techoreyhem | HNcmpc/Sp3mp |
their tumors | their inflamed tumors | their inflamed tumors |
H2914-02 |
1 Samuel 6:17 | טְחֹרֵ֣י | techorey | HNcmpc |
tumors | inflammatory swellings of | inflammatory swellings of |