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תָּוֶךְ

𐤕𐤅𐤊

tâvek

H8432 noun

SILEX Entry

Root תוך to divide, to separate, middle

Definition

A noun denoting the center or midst of something, often used to indicate the interior, middle part, or interior space of a physical location, group, or situation; frequently used in prepositional phrases to mean 'in the midst of' or 'among.' In narrative and legal contexts, indicates a position within or among persons, physical objects, or abstract circumstances (such as the midst of a crisis). The semantic range covers both literal spatial middle and figurative senses such as social or temporal centrality.

Semantic Range

midst, middle part, center, interior space, within, among, between, in the midst of something, during (of time), within (of people or things), at the center (physical or figurative), among a group, in the thick of a situation

Root / Etymology

Likely from the Hebrew root תוך (to sever, to cut, to divide) though the root is not actively used elsewhere, making the precise history uncertain. The noun is a morphological derivative carrying the idea of 'that which is severed off' or the 'partitioned part,' i.e., the middle after separation from the edges. Etymology uncertain beyond this.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, תָּוֶךְ commonly specifies the central area of a space, such as the midst of the camp (Exod 14:16), the center of a city (Josh 8:22), or core of a group. In ritual and legal texts, it refers to action occurring 'within' a designated area or among a group. The prepositional usage (often with בְּ, 'in') is idiomatic—'in the midst of'—emphasizing location among or within rather than at the absolute geometric center. The term's figurative use expands to mean 'amid circumstances' (e.g., 'in the midst of trouble'). English translations such as 'midst' or 'among' often capture the meaning, but the Hebrew can mark subtle distinctions between being at the center of, within the bounds of, or among a set, depending on context. The later English use of 'middle' or 'amid' may obscure the boundary-crossing or included-inside nuance of the Hebrew. No Theological or post-exilic sense of exclusive religious identity attaches to the term. Contrasts with מֶרְכָּז (merkaz, 'center' proper) and אֶמְצָע (emtza', 'middle').

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to sever; a bisection, i.e. (by implication) the centre; among(-st), [idiom] between, half, [idiom] (there-, where-), in(-to), middle, mid(-night), midst (among), [idiom] out (of), [idiom] through, [idiom] with(-in).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

תוך (t-w-k) — divide, separate, middle, interior

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8484 תִּיכוֹן the central one
H8496 תֹּךְ from the midst of

Word Forms

34 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8432-05 בְּ/ת֣וֹךְ betokhe HR/Ncmsc in the midst of in the midst of 175
H8432-16 מִ/תּ֣וֹךְ mitokhe HR/Ncmsc from the midst of from the midst of 55
H8432-04 בְּ/תוֹכָֽ/ם betokham HR/Ncmsc/Sp3mp among them in their midst 33
H8432-21 תּ֖וֹךְ tokhe HNcmsc the midst center of 24
H8432-02 בְּ/תוֹכָֽ/הּ betokhah HR/Ncmsc/Sp3fs in its midst in her midst 21
H8432-07 בְּ/תוֹכְ/כֶ֖ם betokhekhem HR/Ncmsc/Sp2mp among you in your midst 15
H8432-29 בְ/תוֹךְ vetokhe HR/Ncmsc in the midst of midst of 10
H8432-11 בְּ/תוֹכ֑/וֹ betokho HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms in the midst of it in its midst 10
H8432-27 בְ/תוֹכָ֖/הּ vetokhah HR/Ncmsc/Sp3fs in her midst in her midst 9
H8432-06 בְּ/תוֹכֵ֔/ךְ betokhekhe HR/Ncmsc/Sp2fs in your midst in your midst 9

Occurrences in Scripture

420 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8432-05 Genesis 1:6 בְּ/ת֣וֹךְ betokhe HR/Ncmsc in the midst of in the midst of
H8432-05 Genesis 2:9 בְּ/ת֣וֹךְ betokhe HR/Ncmsc in the midst of in the midst of
H8432-05 Genesis 3:3 בְּ/תוֹךְ betokhe HR/Ncmsc in the midst of in the midst of
H8432-05 Genesis 3:8 בְּ/ת֖וֹךְ betokhe HR/Ncmsc among in the midst of
H8432-05 Genesis 9:21 בְּ/ת֥וֹךְ betokhe HR/Ncmsc inside in the midst of
H8432-01 Genesis 15:10 בַּ/תָּ֔וֶךְ batavekhe HRd/Ncmsa in the midst in the midst
H8432-05 Genesis 18:24 בְּ/ת֣וֹךְ betokhe HR/Ncmsc within in the midst of
H8432-05 Genesis 18:26 בְּ/ת֣וֹךְ betokhe HR/Ncmsc within in the midst of
H8432-16 Genesis 19:29 מִ/תּ֣וֹךְ mitokhe HR/Ncmsc out of the midst from the midst of
H8432-09 Genesis 23:6 בְּ/תוֹכֵ֔/נוּ betokhenu HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cp among us in our midst
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