Hebrew word · H8653

תַּרְעֵלָה

tar'elah

reeling

The word means reeling or staggering, the unsteady, shaking gait of a drunk. It is related to raʿal, 'to quiver, be brandished' (Nah 2:3, of spears). It occurs in Ps 60:3, 'wine of staggering,' and in Isa 51:17, 22. Zech 12:2 uses a related noun: Jerusalem as 'a cup of reeling' to the nations.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

reeling, staggering

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 Isaiah 51:17

Range of meaning

The word means reeling or staggering, the unsteady, shaking gait of a drunk. It is related to raʿal, 'to quiver, be brandished' (Nah 2:3, of spears). It occurs in Ps 60:3, 'wine of staggering,' and in Isa 51:17, 22. Zech 12:2 uses a related noun: Jerusalem as 'a cup of reeling' to the nations.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'trembling.' Modern readers usually take that to mean shaking with fear, but the Hebrew is about the body losing control under intoxication. BSB ('the cup that makes men stagger'), WEB and ESV ('staggering') are closer.

How it drifted

In 1611, 'trembling' could mean any shaking or tottering. Today it means fear first, so the KJV wording now points readers toward terror instead of drunken collapse.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 60:3 says 'You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.' That psalm is also a lament over a defeat sent by God. Zech 12:2 turns the image around against the nations.

From the study of Isaiah 51:22

Range of meaning

Reeling or staggering, the loss of balance from strong drink. From the root rʿl, "to shake, reel." Found only in Ps 60:3 (Heb. 60:5), "wine of staggering," and Isa 51:17, 22.

Against the English

KJV "cup of trembling" suggests fear and quaking. BSB/WEB/ESV "staggering" and NASB-type "reeling" fit the image of drunkenness better.

How it drifted

In 1611 "trembling" could cover any shaking or tottering. Today it almost always means shaking from fear, so readers of the KJV may picture a frightened person instead of a drunk one who cannot stand.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 60:3: "you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger." The related noun raʿal appears in Zech 12:2, where Jerusalem becomes a "cup of reeling" (saf raʿal) for the nations, the same picture turned outward.

From the study of Psalm 60:3

Range of meaning

Reeling, staggering, the trembling and dizziness of intoxication. It comes from a root r-ʿ-l, 'to quiver, shake, reel' (compare Nah 2:3 [2:4 Heb], spears 'brandished' or 'quivering'). The noun occurs only here and in Isa 51:17, 22: 'the bowl of the cup of staggering' (qubbaʿat kôs hattarʿēlâ), which Jerusalem has drunk 'to the dregs.'

Against the English

KJV 'astonishment' (see drift). YLT 'trembling'. WEB/NIV/ESV/NASB 'that makes us stagger.' BSB 'we are staggered.' The modern renderings are accurate.

How it drifted

In 1611 'astonishment' meant being stunned or stupefied, as if struck senseless (compare 'astonied'). Today it means surprise or amazement, which is a long way from a drunk man's helpless stagger.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 51:17–22 is the main parallel: God takes 'the cup of staggering' from Jerusalem's hand and gives it to her tormentors. The LXX here translates it κατανύξεως (katanyxeōs, 'of stupor'), the same word used in Isa 29:10, 'a spirit of stupor', which Paul quotes in Rom 11:8. HALOT and BDB both give 'reeling, staggering.'

Where it appears

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 60:3 תַּרְעֵלָֽה׃ staggering

    You have shown Your people hardship; we are staggered from the wine You made us drink.

    Here: A rare noun from a root meaning to quiver, shake or reel. Apart from this verse it appears only in Isaiah 51:17, 22 ('the cup of staggering'). It describes the dizzy, helpless lurch of a drunk man. The wine is described by what it does: it makes people stagger.

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 51:17 הַתַּרְעֵלָ֛ה <the> staggering

    Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you who have drained the goblet to the dregs—the cup that makes men stagger.

    Here: The swaying, staggering walk of someone who has drunk too much. The cup's contents leave the drinker unable to stand, which is why she is told to 'get up.'

  2. Isaiah 51:22 הַתַּרְעֵלָ֑ה <the> staggering

    Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God, who defends His people: “See, I have removed from your hand the cup of staggering. From that goblet, the cup of My fury, you will never drink again.

    Here: "Of the reeling": the cup whose contents make you lurch and stagger like a drunk. Here it pictures the helpless, disoriented collapse of the defeated city (v. 21: "drunk, but not with wine").

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