Hebrew word · H2048

תָּלַל

hetalta

to deceive

Hebrew lexicons (BDB, HALOT) give 'mock, deride, deceive, trifle with'. The word means treating someone as a plaything: raising expectations and then pulling them away, or making them look foolish. Its uses cover both mocking someone and lying to them.

Appears 10 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) (Hiph) to deceive

2) (Hoph) be deceived

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Genesis 31:7

Range of meaning

Hebrew lexicons (BDB, HALOT) give 'mock, deride, deceive, trifle with'. The word means treating someone as a plaything: raising expectations and then pulling them away, or making them look foolish. Its uses cover both mocking someone and lying to them.

Against the English

'Deceived' (KJV, WEB) and 'cheated' (BSB, ESV, NIV, NASB) catch the result. YLT's 'played upon me' is closer to the tone of contempt. The Hebrew is less about a single lie and more about being toyed with again and again.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 8:29 (8:25 in English Bibles): Pharaoh should not 'deal deceitfully' again by going back on his promise. Judges 16:10, 13, 15: Delilah says to Samson, 'you have mocked me and told me lies.' 1 Kgs 18:27: Elijah mocks the prophets of Baal. Jer 9:5 (9:4 in English): 'each one deceives his neighbour.' Job 13:9: 'as one deceives a man.'

From the study of Isaiah 44:20

Range of meaning

In the active form: to deceive, trifle with, make a fool of, cheat. Here it is passive: to be deceived, deluded, made a fool of.

Against the English

'Deceived' (KJV, WEB) and 'deluded' (BSB and others) are both fine. Either can sound like an innocent error, though, while the Hebrew carries the sense of being toyed with or mocked.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 31:7 (Laban 'cheated me', hetel bi); Judges 16:10, 13, 15 (Delilah, 'you have mocked me'); Exodus 8:29 (Pharaoh's 'dealing deceitfully'); Jeremiah 9:5 (neighbours who 'deceive' one another). This passive form is found only here.

From the study of Jeremiah 9:5

Range of meaning

To mock, trifle with, make a fool of; hence to deceive by toying with someone. It is a rare verb, about ten occurrences, and always involves someone being played or strung along.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and NIV-type versions say 'deceive'. BSB says 'betrays'. YLT keeps 'mock'. 'Deceive' captures the result. 'Mock' captures the contemptuous, game-playing attitude. 'Betray' adds the breach of a relationship, which fits the context but is not the verb's own picture.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 31:7: Jacob says Laban 'has cheated me (hetel bi) and changed my wages ten times'. Exodus 8:29 (Hebrew 8:25): Moses warns Pharaoh not to 'deal deceitfully' again by going back on his promise. Judges 16:10, 13, 15: Samson's Delilah complains 'you have mocked me and told me lies'. 1 Kings 18:27: Elijah 'mocked' the prophets of Baal. Isaiah 44:20 uses a related form for a deluded heart. HALOT and BDB give 'mock, deceive, trifle with'.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 31:7 הֵ֣תֶל he has deceived

    And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me.

    Here: Laban has 'played games' with Jacob, making a fool of him by not keeping his word. The same verb describes Delilah's complaint that Samson kept mocking her (Judges 16:10–15).

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 8:29 הָתֵ֔ל to deceive

    “As soon as I leave you,” Moses said, “I will pray to the LORD, so that tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh and his officials and his people. But Pharaoh must not act deceitfully again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to the LORD.”

Judges · 3

  1. Judges 16:10 הֵתַ֣לְתָּ you have deceived

    Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me! Now please tell me how you can be tied up.”

  2. Judges 16:13 הֵתַ֤לְתָּ you have deceived

    Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.”

  3. Judges 16:15 הֵתַ֣לְתָּ you have deceived

    “How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”

    Here: To trick someone, toy with them, make a fool of them. It is the same complaint she made in 16:10 and 16:13. The irony is heavy: the woman who is being paid to betray him charges him with deceiving her.

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 18:27 וַיְהַתֵּ֧ל and he mocked

    At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”

    Here: An intensive verb meaning to make a fool of someone, toy with them, or trifle with them. Elijah is not just making fun. He is playing with them, leading them on with mock-serious advice.

Job · 2

  1. Job 13:9 כְּהָתֵ֥ל תְּהָתֵ֥לּוּ as deceives, will you deceive

    Would it be well when He examined you? Could you deceive Him as you would deceive a man?

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 44:20 הוּתַ֖ל [which] it is deceived

    He feeds on ashes. His deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

    Here: A passive verb: '(a heart that) has been made a fool of, deluded'. This form occurs only here in the Bible. The related active verb describes Laban cheating Jacob and Delilah's complaint 'you have mocked me'. It means being played and strung along, not an honest mistake.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 9:5 יְהָתֵ֔לּוּ they deceive

    Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity.

    Here: The verb form describes ongoing, habitual action: 'they keep toying with'. It means deceiving someone by making a fool of them, playing them. The word Jacob used of Laban cheating him (Genesis 31:7).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.