Hebrew word · H2956

טָרַד

tored

to pursue

The verb טָרַד (tarad) is rare in biblical Hebrew. It means to be continuous or unceasing, with a sense of pursuing, driving or harrying. In later Hebrew and Aramaic the root means to drive, pursue, keep busy or trouble someone. The Akkadian cognate ṭarādu means 'to drive away, send off'.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to pursue, chase, be continuous

1a) (Qal) dripping (participle)

Aramaic equivalent: te.rad (טְרַד "to chase away" H2957)

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 Proverbs 27:15

Range of meaning

The verb טָרַד (tarad) is rare in biblical Hebrew. It means to be continuous or unceasing, with a sense of pursuing, driving or harrying. In later Hebrew and Aramaic the root means to drive, pursue, keep busy or trouble someone. The Akkadian cognate ṭarādu means 'to drive away, send off'.

Against the English

English versions use 'continual' or 'constant'. That gets the endlessness right but loses the hint of pressure and harassment. The drip does not just go on, it wears at you.

Used elsewhere in the period

The participle appears only in the phrase delef tored (Prov 19:13; 27:15). The Greek Septuagint seems to have read the root in its 'drive out' sense: in its version of this verse, drips on a winter day 'drive a person out of his house'.

Where it appears

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 19:13 טֹ֝רֵ֗ד continuous

    A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.

    Here: An active participle, describing ongoing action. The basic idea is one thing chasing the next, so here it means relentless: drop after drop with no let-up.

  2. Proverbs 27:15 ט֭וֹרֵד continuous

    A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike—

    Here: A participle (a verb used like an adjective) describing the drip as ongoing and harrying. It does not stop, and it keeps after you. The same pair of words, 'relentless dripping', appears in Proverbs 19:13.

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