Hebrew word · H8519

תְּלֻנָּה

telunoteikhem

murmuring

A complaint or grievance, the noun formed from lun. It appears only in Exod 16:7, 8 (twice), 9, 12; Num 14:27; 17:20, 25 (Eng. 17:5, 10). It is always plural and always 'your/their complaints' aimed at God or his appointed leaders.

Appears 8 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

murmuring

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 Exodus 16:8

Range of meaning

A complaint or grievance, the noun formed from lun. It appears only in Exod 16:7, 8 (twice), 9, 12; Num 14:27; 17:20, 25 (Eng. 17:5, 10). It is always plural and always 'your/their complaints' aimed at God or his appointed leaders.

Against the English

English singular 'grumbling' (BSB in part) blurs the Hebrew plural. The plural points to a series of specific grievances voiced again and again.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek Old Testament: gongysmos. Vulgate: murmuratio / murmur. Outside the Bible the word is confined to this wilderness tradition.

From the study of Numbers 14:27

Range of meaning

A murmuring, a complaint: the noun from lûn. It is very rare and found only in Exod 16:7, 8 (twice), 9, 12; Num 14:27; 17:20 (Eng. 17:5). That is, only in the wilderness stories.

Against the English

"Complaints" (BSB, WEB) and "murmurings" (KJV) are both fair. Neither shows that this is a technical word kept for one pattern of events.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Exod 16 the same phrase, "the LORD has heard your grumblings", leads to manna and quail. God answers grumbling by providing. In Num 17:20 God acts to "make cease … the grumblings" by making Aaron's staff bud.

From the study of Numbers 17:10

Range of meaning

Grumbling, complaint, open murmuring against a leader. It comes from the verb lun/lin, 'to grumble, complain.' The noun occurs almost only in the wilderness accounts (Exod 16:7–12; Num 14:27; 17:5, 10).

Against the English

KJV and WEB 'murmurings' or 'complaining' and BSB 'grumbling' all work. Modern 'murmur,' though, suggests quiet muttering. In Numbers the 'grumbling' was public and could bring a whole community out against its leaders (16:41).

How it drifted

'Murmur' has softened in English to mean a low or quiet sound. In the wilderness stories the word describes a public challenge to divinely appointed leaders.

Used elsewhere in the period

Moses explains in Exod 16:7–8 that the people's grumbling is 'not against us but against the LORD.' In Num 14:27–29 grumbling leads to the death sentence on the wilderness generation, and in Num 16:41–49 to the plague. The Greek Septuagint uses gongysmos, the word Paul has in mind in 1 Cor 10:10 ('do not grumble, as some of them did').

Where it appears

Exodus · 5

  1. Exodus 16:7 תְּלֻנֹּתֵיכֶ֖ם grumblings your

    and in the morning you will see the LORD’s glory, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. For who are we, that you should grumble against us?”

    Here: 'Your grumblings', a plural noun: repeated, voiced complaints. In the wilderness stories this word means open, group protest against the leaders, bordering on revolt. It is not quiet muttering.

  2. Exodus 16:8 תְּלֻנֹּ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם תְלֻנֹּתֵיכֶ֖ם grumblings your

    And Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”

    Here: The plural is literally 'your complaints': the accusing grievances voiced against the leaders, quoted in v. 3. This is a rare noun, found only in the wilderness stories.

  3. Exodus 16:9 תְּלֻנֹּתֵיכֶֽם׃ grumblings your

    Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation of Israel, ‘Come before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling.’”

  4. Exodus 16:12 תְּלוּנֹּת֮ [the] grumblings of

    “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’”

    Here: Plural: the repeated, open complaints of vv. 2–3, where the people wished they had died in Egypt. Moses has just said (v. 8) that these were really aimed at YHWH, not at him and Aaron.

Numbers · 3

  1. Numbers 14:27 תְּלֻנּ֞וֹת [the] grumblings of

    “How long will this wicked congregation grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints that the Israelites are making against Me.

    Here: The noun built from the same root as the verb, in the plural: many grumblings, a whole record of them. It is a rare word, used almost only of Israel's wilderness complaints.

  2. Numbers 17:5 תְּלֻנּוֹת֙ [the] grumblings of

    The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid Myself of the constant grumbling of the Israelites against you.”

    Here: Plural: complaint after complaint. These are open accusations against the leaders God appointed, not quiet muttering. The word occurs almost only in the wilderness stories (Exod 16; Num 14; 17).

  3. Numbers 17:10 תְּלוּנֹּתָ֛ם grumblings their

    The LORD said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebellious, so that you may put an end to their grumbling against Me, lest they die.”

    Here: Plural, 'their complaints.' This word belongs to the wilderness stories, where complaining against God's chosen leaders counts as complaining against God himself (Exod 16:8).

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