Word Study for H8567 (תָּנָה)

tânâh /taw-naw'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root (identical with through the idea of attributing honor)

Meaningto ascribe (praise), i.e. celebrate, commemorate

KJV usagelament, rehearse.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of tânâh — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word tânâh, represented by H8567, is a primitive root used to describe acts of commemoration. It appears 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. Its definition encompasses a range of expressions, including to ascribe praise, celebrate, lament, or rehearse, often in a formal or public context.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The two uses of H8567 in scripture highlight its dual capacity for expressing both celebration and sorrow. In the Song of Deborah, it is used to describe the act of rehearsing God's deliverance, where the people "rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD" after being saved from their enemies Judges 5:11. Conversely, it is used to describe the annual ritual where the "daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah" for four days, establishing a tradition of formal mourning and remembrance Judges 11:40.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the actions associated with H8567:

H6666 tsᵉdâqâh (rightness): This word describes the "righteous acts" that are being rehearsed in Judges 5:11, linking H8567 to the celebration of divine justice.
H1323 bath (daughter): As the object of the action in Judges 11:40, this term connects H8567 to the act of lamenting a specific person, in this case, the "daughter of Jephthah."
H3212 yâlak (to walk): This word for "went" describes the physical journey undertaken by the daughters of Israel to perform the annual lament, indicating that rehearsing or lamenting was a deliberate, active practice Judges 11:40.
H6963 qôwl (voice or sound): In Judges 5:11, the rehearsing of God's acts takes place away from the "noise" of archers, contrasting the sound of conflict with the voice of praise and commemoration.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H8567 is found in its function as a term for active remembrance.

Commemoration of God's Acts: The word is used to establish the practice of publicly recounting and celebrating God's saving works. In Judges 5:11, it is a response to deliverance, where the people rehearse the "righteous acts" H6666 of the Lord.
Ritualized Lament: It also frames grief as a structured, communal act. The lament for Jephthah's daughter is not a one-time event but a yearly ritual, demonstrating a commitment to remembering and honoring a tragic loss within the community Judges 11:40.
Ascribing Honor: The root idea of "attributing honor" is central. Whether through celebrating God's righteousness or formally mourning a human life, H8567 signifies the act of assigning value and ensuring that a person or event is not forgotten.

Summary

In summary, H8567 is a specific and meaningful term for commemoration. Though rare, its two appearances demonstrate its significant role in capturing the full spectrum of remembrance. It shows how a single Hebrew word can be applied to both the joyful rehearsal of God's victories Judges 5:11 and the sorrowful, ritualized lament for human tragedy Judges 11:40, binding both joy and grief into the community's collective memory.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

יְתַנּוּ
תַנּוֹת

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

2 verses, all in Judges — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.