Lexical Summary techinnah: Supplication, plea, entreaty Original Word: תְּחִנָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance camp From chanan; graciousness; causatively, entreaty -- favour, grace, supplication. see HEBREW chanan NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chanan Definition favor, supplication for favor NASB Translation grace (1), mercy (1), petition (4), supplication (18), supplications (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs תְּחִנּה noun feminine favour, supplication for favour; — ׳ת Joshua 11:20 4t.; construct תְּחִנַּת 1 Kings 8:30,52 (twice in verse); תְּחִנָּתִי Jeremiah 37:20 5t.; תְּחִנֹּתֵיהֶם2Chronicles 6:39 etc. + 10 t. suffix; — 1 favour, shewn by Israel Joshua 11:29 (D); מאת יהוה Ezra 9:8. 2 supplication for favour, from God 1 Kings 8:52 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 33:13; Psalm 119:170; "" תְּפִלָּה 1 Kings 8:28 2Chronicles 6:19; Psalm 6:10; Psalm 55:2; תפלה (ו)תחנה 1 Kings 8:38,45,49,54 2Chron 6:29; 6:35; 6:39; 1 Kings 9:3; אשׁר התפלל ׳ת 1 Kings 8:30 (= תַּחֲנוּן2Chronicles 6:21); לִפְנֵי ׳תִּמֹּלּ ת let the supplication fall before, Yahweh Jeremiah 36:7, the king Jeremiah 37:20, Jeremiah Jeremiah 42:2; לפני ׳הִמִּיל ת present supplication before, Yahweh Jeremiah 42:9; Daniel 9:20, the king Jeremiah 38:26. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Nuance תְּחִנָּה (techinnah) expresses a heartfelt plea for unmerited favor. It combines the idea of “grace” (root חן) with the urgency of a petition, stressing dependence on the mercy of the One addressed. The term is never casual; it is the language of a suppliant who knows he has no claim apart from the character of God. Distribution in Scripture Techinnah appears twenty-five times, spread over historical narrative, temple liturgy, prophetic discourse, penitential prayer, and individual lament: • Conquest history: Joshua 11:20 The concentration in 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 6 (eight occurrences in each chapter) marks Israel’s high-water moment of corporate prayer, framing techinnah as the temple’s raison d’être. Covenant and Temple Focus At the dedication of the temple Solomon repeatedly pairs “prayer” and “supplication,” asking that God’s eyes be open “toward this house night and day” (1 Kings 8:29). Verse 28 provides a paradigm: “Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today.” Here techinnah grounds every future appeal for forgiveness, rain, deliverance, or restoration (8:30-53). When the Chronicler retells the event, he preserves the word to remind post-exilic readers that their rebuilt temple is still a place where techinnah is heard. God’s response in 1 Kings 9:3 seals the covenant dynamic: He has “heard your prayer and petition.” The sacred space is validated because the God of grace listens to supplication. Royal Repentance and Restoration The darkest king in Judah’s history, Manasseh, illustrates the power of techinnah: “When he prayed to Him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom.” (2 Chronicles 33:13) The narrative shows that no sin is beyond reach of divine mercy when approached in genuine supplication. Similarly, Ezra 9:8 describes return from exile as “a brief moment of grace.” The phrase picks up the resonance of techinnah—undeserved favor granted solely because the people have pleaded for it. Crisis in Jeremiah During the Babylonian siege, Jeremiah is repeatedly asked to carry the people’s techinnah to God (Jeremiah 36:7; 42:2). The prophet also uses the word when appealing to Zedekiah for his own life (37:20; 38:26), demonstrating that techinnah may be addressed to earthly authorities, though ultimately resting on God’s sovereignty. Personal Lament and Devotion In the Psalms the term becomes intensely personal: “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.” (Psalm 6:9) “Listen to my prayer, O God, and do not ignore my plea.” (Psalm 55:1) “May my plea come before You; deliver me according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:170) Each verse pairs techinnah with confident expectation; the plea is bold because it rests on covenant promises. Withheld Supplication Joshua 11:20 offers a sobering counterpoint: God hardens the Canaanite hearts “that they should come against Israel in battle, that Israel might devote them to destruction… without mercy.” Their lack of techinnah underscores divine judgment. Mercy spurned becomes mercy denied. Exilic Intercession Daniel stands in the prophetic succession when he “was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God” (Daniel 9:20). Techinnah is woven with confession and covenant memory, prompting the revelation of the Seventy Weeks—proof that God not only hears but answers with redemptive history. Theological Observations 1. Grace precedes merit. Techinnah assumes dependence, not entitlement. Ministry Significance • Corporate Worship: Techinnah encourages congregational prayers that confess sin and request specific acts of divine favor. Practical Application Believers today echo Solomon and Daniel when they plead for revival, justice, or guidance. The same Lord who promised to hear techinnah at the temple now invites supplication “in My name” (John 14:14). Confidence is grounded not in human worthiness but in the unchanging character of the God who “hears the cry of the afflicted” (Job 34:28). Forms and Transliterations וְהַתְּחִנָּ֖ה והתחנה מִתְּחִנָּתִֽי׃ מתחנתי׃ תְּחִנַּ֖ת תְּחִנַּ֣ת תְּחִנַּ֤ת תְּחִנַּתְכֶ֖ם תְּחִנָּ֑ה תְּחִנָּ֗ה תְּחִנָּת֔וֹ תְּחִנָּת֖וֹ תְּחִנָּתְךָ֮ תְּחִנָּתִ֑י תְּחִנָּתִ֗י תְּחִנָּתִ֣י תְּחִנָּתָ֑ם תְּחִנָּתָם֙ תְּחִנֹּ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם תְחִנָּ֜ה תְחִנָּתִ֖י תְחִנָּתִי֙ תְחִנָּתֵ֙נוּ֙ תחנה תחנת תחנתו תחנתי תחנתיהם תחנתך תחנתכם תחנתם תחנתנו mit·tə·ḥin·nā·ṯî mittechinnaTi mittəḥinnāṯî tə·ḥin·nā·ṯām tə·ḥin·nā·ṯə·ḵā ṯə·ḥin·nā·ṯê·nū tə·ḥin·nā·ṯî ṯə·ḥin·nā·ṯî tə·ḥin·nā·ṯōw tə·ḥin·nāh ṯə·ḥin·nāh tə·ḥin·naṯ tə·ḥin·naṯ·ḵem tə·ḥin·nō·ṯê·hem techinNah techinNat techinnaTam techinnatChem techinnateCha techinnaTenu techinnaTi techinnaTo techinNoteiHem təḥinnāh ṯəḥinnāh təḥinnaṯ təḥinnāṯām təḥinnāṯəḵā ṯəḥinnāṯênū təḥinnāṯî ṯəḥinnāṯî təḥinnaṯḵem təḥinnāṯōw təḥinnōṯêhem vehattechinNah wə·hat·tə·ḥin·nāh wəhattəḥinnāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 11:20 HEB: הֱיוֹת־ לָהֶ֖ם תְּחִנָּ֑ה כִּ֚י לְמַ֣עַן NAS: no mercy, but that he might destroy KJV: that he might destroy them utterly, [and] that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy INT: receive like mercy in order 1 Kings 8:28 1 Kings 8:30 1 Kings 8:38 1 Kings 8:45 1 Kings 8:49 1 Kings 8:52 1 Kings 8:52 1 Kings 8:54 1 Kings 9:3 2 Chronicles 6:19 2 Chronicles 6:29 2 Chronicles 6:35 2 Chronicles 6:39 2 Chronicles 33:13 Ezra 9:8 Psalm 6:9 Psalm 55:1 Psalm 119:170 Jeremiah 36:7 Jeremiah 37:20 Jeremiah 38:26 Jeremiah 42:2 Jeremiah 42:9 Daniel 9:20 25 Occurrences |
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