Hebrew word · H8442
תּוֹעָה
to'ah
error
Error, straying, confusion. It comes from taʿah, 'to wander, go astray', which is used of lost animals, drunkards staggering (Isa 28:7), and people led astray (Isa 3:12; 9:16).
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) error, wandering, impiety, perversions
1a) error (in morals and religion)
1b) confusion, disturbance
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
- Range of meaning
Error, straying, confusion. It comes from taʿah, 'to wander, go astray', which is used of lost animals, drunkards staggering (Isa 28:7), and people led astray (Isa 3:12; 9:16).
- Against the English
'Error' (KJV, WEB, ESV) is accurate but sounds like a mistake in logic. BSB 'speaks falsely' and NIV 'spread error' bring out the misleading force.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Occurs only here and in Nehemiah 4:8 (Heb. 4:2), where enemies plot to cause toʿah, confusion, in Jerusalem. The root is frequent in Isaiah for leaders who mislead the people (3:12; 9:16).
Where it appears
Nehemiah · 1
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Nehemiah 4:8 תּוֹעָֽה׃ confusion
and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.
Isaiah · 1
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Isaiah 32:6 תּוֹעָ֔ה error
For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.
Here: From a root meaning 'to wander or stray'. He speaks misleading things about God that send people off course. The word occurs only here and in Nehemiah 4:8.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.