Hebrew word · H8496

תֹּךְ

tokh

oppression

Oppression, injury, extortion. Probably from a root tkk, 'to crush or oppress'. It occurs only three times: Psalm 10:7; 55:11; 72:14.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) injury, oppression, oppressor

2) (TWOT) fraud, deceit, deceitful

Also means: ta.khakh (תָּכָךְ "deceitful" H8501)

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 Psalm 10:7

Range of meaning

Oppression, injury, extortion. Probably from a root tkk, 'to crush or oppress'. It occurs only three times: Psalm 10:7; 55:11; 72:14.

Against the English

KJV 'fraud', BSB 'violence', WEB/ESV/NASB 'oppression'. It is rare, so translators guess at its exact shade. Psalm 72:14, where the king redeems the poor 'from tōk and violence', suggests it means exploiting the weak, which fits 'oppression'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 72:14 pairs it with ḥāmās (violence) as something the just king rescues the needy from. Psalm 55:11 pairs it with mirmāh in the city marketplace.

From the study of Psalm 72:14

Range of meaning

Oppression, injury, crushing mistreatment, especially the kind that works through exploitation: extortion, fraud and economic pressure. It is a rare word, found only three times (Ps 10:7; 55:11; 72:14).

Against the English

Most modern versions (BSB, WEB, ESV, NIV, NASB) have 'oppression'. KJV has 'deceit' and YLT 'fraud'. Both pick up the word's link with deception in its other two uses, where it stands next to words for lying and fraud.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 10:7: the wicked man's mouth is 'full of cursing, deceit (mirmot) and tok'. Ps 55:11: 'tok and fraud (mirmah) do not depart from her streets'. The Septuagint translated it here as tokos, the Greek word for interest on a loan, and the Latin Psalter followed with usuris ('usury'). That shows ancient translators heard economic exploitation in the word. The spelling מִתּוֹךְ is identical to the common phrase 'from the midst of' (from H8432), but the parallel with ḥamas makes 'oppression' the clear reading here (BDB, HALOT).

Where it appears

Psalms · 3

  1. Psalm 10:7 וָתֹ֑ךְ and oppression

    His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and violence; trouble and malice are under his tongue.

    Here: 'And oppression': the harm done by grinding someone down. A rare word, used only here and in Psalm 55:11 and 72:14. Psalm 55:11 pairs it with deceit just as this verse does.

  2. Psalm 55:11 תֹּ֣ךְ oppression

    Destruction is within; oppression and deceit never leave the streets.

  3. Psalm 72:14 מִתּ֣וֹךְ from oppression

    He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their blood is precious in his sight.

    Here: 'From oppression': a rare word for grinding, crushing mistreatment, often linked with fraud and extortion. It comes first in the sentence for emphasis: this is what the poor are pulled out of.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 29:13 תְּכָכִ֣ים oppression<s>

    The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.

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