Original Word: תְּהוֹם
Part of Speech: Noun
Transliteration: thowm
Pronunciation: teh-HOME
Phonetic Spelling: (teh-home')
KJV: deep (place), depth
NASB: deep, deeps, depths, ocean depths, springs
Word Origin: [(usually feminine) from H1949 (הוּם - noisy)]

1. an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water-supply)

confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, vain, vanity, waste,

Or thom {teh-home'}; (usually feminine) from huwm; an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water-supply) -- deep (place), depth.

see HEBREW huwm

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
deep, sea, abyss
NASB Translation
deep (22), deeps (8), depths (4), ocean depths (1), springs (1).

תִּהוֺם noun feminine^{Genesis 7:11 7t.}

and masculine^{Job 28:14 5t.} (Albr^{ZAW xvi (1896), 62} Kö^{ii. 2. 167 Ency. Bib}.^DEEP) deep, sea, abyss (almost always in poetry); — absolute ׳ת Genesis 1:2 +; plural absolute תְּהֹמוֺת Psalm 77:17 +, etc., ׳בַּתּ Isaiah 63:13 + Isa 106:9 (only here with article); construct תְּהוֺמוֺת Isa 71:20 (but see 5 infra); —

1 deep, of subterranean waters, Genesis 49:25 (poem in J; opposed to שָׁמַיִם), Deuteronomy 33:13 (opposed to id.); ׳רַבָּה מַעְיְנוֺת ת Genesis 7:11; Genesis 8:2 (P; "" אֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמַיִם), ׳עִינוֺת ת Proverbs 8:28 ("" שְׁחָקִים), Job 28:14; Job 38:16 (both "" יָם); תְּהוֺם רַבָּה Amos 7:4 (probably), רַבָּה ׳מִשְׁמָּטֶיךָ ת Psalm 36:7 (opposed to אֵל צִדְקָֽתְךָ כְּהַרְרֵי), Isaiah 51:10 (perhaps); so plural תְּהֹמוֺת, Proverbs 8:24 ("" מַעְיָנוֺת), Proverbs 3:20 (opposed to שְׁחָקִים), and probably Psalm 33:7 ("" מֵי הַיָּם), Psalm 135:6 ( + יַמִּים).

2 (deep) sea, overwhelming Tyre Ezekiel 26:19 ("" הַמַּיִם הָרַבִּים), roaring at theoph. Habakkuk 3:10; in General, "" יָם, Job 38:30 (׳מְּנֵי ת); "" מַיִם Jonah 2:6; alonE Job 41:24; figurative, קוֺרַא ׳אֶלתֿ ׳ת Job 42:8 ("" מִשְׁבָּרִים, גַּלִּים; but possibly here of Jordan, compare

4); in plural = abysses of sea, Exodus 15:5,8 (of Red Sea, so) Isaiah 63:13 "" Psalm 106:9; Psalm 77:17; also Psalm 78:15 (in simile), Psalm 107:26 (poetic of hollows of great waves, opposed to שָׁמַיִם); vaguely, כָּלתְּֿהֹמוֺת Psalm 135:6; Psalm 148:7.

3 primaeval ocean, deep, in Hebrew cosmogony, ׳מְּנֵי ת Genesis 1:2 (P; "" מְּנֵי הַמַּיִם), Proverbs 8:27 ("" שָׁמַיִם), Psalm 104:6. — (compare, further, Gunk^{Schöpfung u. Chaos 21 ff.} OCWhitehouse^{Hast. DB COSMOGONY} Zim^{KAT3. 492 f., 509 f., 585}).

4 deep, depth, of river Ezekiel 31:4 (Nile; "" מַיִם, + נַהֲרוֺתֶיהָ), Ezekiel 31:15 ("" id.); plural of bursts of water fertilizing Canaan, יוצאים בבקעה ובהר Deuteronomy 8:7 ( + עֲיָנֹת, נַחֲלֵי מַיִם). — On Psalm 42:8 see

2. 5. abyss (si vera lectio): תְּהוֺמוֺת הָאָרֶץ = Shejôl, Psalm 71:20, but Ol We תַּחְתִיּוֺת.

[תַּחְמֻּכָה] see הפך. תָּו see תוה. below,

תּוֺא see תְּאוֺ. [תּוֺאָם] see תאם.

Meaning and Scope

While lexicons render תְּהוֹם as “deep,” “abyss,” or “subterranean water,” the biblical usage is richer than a mere geographic term. “Tehom” consistently evokes the unfathomable, untamed, and inaccessible realms—whether primordial waters, subterranean springs, or metaphorical depths of distress. It is never personified as a rival deity; rather, it serves as a backdrop against which the LORD’s sovereign power is displayed.

Creation Narrative

Genesis 1:2 introduces Scripture’s first conflict­-stage: “darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters”. The verse establishes two themes that persist throughout the canon:

1. The deep represents unordered potential that only God can shape.
2. The Spirit’s hovering affirms God’s intimate governance over what seems chaotic.

Hence, from the opening lines of Scripture, tehom is under divine control, refuting any ancient Near Eastern myth that portrayed primeval waters as semi-divine forces.

The Flood and the Fountains of the Deep

Genesis 7:11 testifies that the cataclysmic judgment came when “all the fountains of the great deep burst forth.” Here tehom functions as an instrument of divine judgment, while Genesis 8:2 resumes, “the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed,” marking the cessation of wrath. By connecting the deep both to creation (Genesis 1) and un-creation (Genesis 7–8), the narrative underscores God’s freedom to deploy or restrain the elements at His will.

Exodus and Redemptive History

In the Song of Moses the deep becomes an emblem of deliverance. “The depths covered them; they sank like a stone in the mighty waters” (Exodus 15:5). Israel’s passage through the sea prefigures liberation from every oppressive power, demonstrating that what threatens God’s people ultimately entombs their enemies. Later prophets recall this moment (Isaiah 51:10; Isaiah 63:13) to fortify hope amid new trials.

Poetic and Wisdom Literature

Psalms and Proverbs broaden the metaphorical range of tehom:
• Psalm 36:6: “Your judgments are like a great deep”—God’s ways are as unsearchable as the ocean trenches.
• Psalm 42:7: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls”—layers of anguish echo human longing for divine presence.
• Proverbs 3:20: “By His knowledge the deeps were broken open”—creation’s ordered beauty derives from God’s wisdom.

Poetic usage affirms that the most mysterious experiences of life—whether theological (God’s wisdom), emotional (inner turmoil), or physical (oceanic depths)—are all within the LORD’s purview.

Prophetic Oracles

Prophets employ tehom to dramatize both judgment and hope. Ezekiel 26:19 warns Tyre that “I will bring the deep upon you,” portraying conquest as drowning beneath chaotic forces. Conversely, Habakkuk 3:10 pictures nature’s homage: “the deep gave forth its voice, it lifted its hands on high,” yielding cosmic worship when the LORD intervenes. Such texts remind hearers that history’s upheavals, however tumultuous, bow to divine sovereignty.

Theology of Dominion

Across its occurrences, tehom underscores God’s unrivaled reign. Creation shows His authority to delimit it; the Flood reveals His prerogative to deploy it; redemption demonstrates His power to part it; poetry magnifies His wisdom within it; prophecy proclaims His future mastery over it. Never once is the deep depicted as an equal power. Scripture’s consistency here safeguards monotheism and assures believers that even the utmost chaos is bounded by covenant faithfulness.

Christological Echoes

Though the Hebrew term itself does not appear in the New Testament, its theological motif reverberates. Jesus sleeps unthreatened atop storm-tossed waves (Mark 4:35-41), walks upon the sea (Matthew 14:25), and commands wind and water, reenacting Old Testament assertions of Yahweh’s supremacy over the deep. His descent into the grave and triumphant resurrection transform “depths of the earth” (Psalm 71:20) into a pathway of victory, fulfilling the Old Testament trajectory that life, not chaos, has the final word.

Ministry Implications

1. Assurance in Chaos. Whether global crises or personal turmoil, believers cling to the truth that every “deep” is already navigated by the Spirit who hovered in Genesis 1:2.
2. Depths of Sin and Grace. Jonah 2:5 depicts exile in sin’s consequences—“The deep engulfed me.” Yet Psalm 130:1 cries, “Out of the depths I call to You, O LORD.” Pastoral counsel draws upon these texts to invite confession and confidence in divine mercy.
3. Worship and Wonder. Calls such as Psalm 148:7, “Praise the LORD… all ocean depths,” summon congregations to join the entire cosmos in doxology, transforming the concept of the deep from fearsome to festive.
4. Missional Perspective. As sailors in Psalm 107 discover divine rescue from tehom, missionaries crossing literal and cultural oceans trust the same Sovereign who “stills the roaring of the seas” (Psalm 65:7).

Related Biblical Terms

While “yam” (sea) denotes the observable body of water and “mayim” (waters) the general fluid element, “tehom” conveys profundity—the concealed chambers beneath or beyond ordinary perception. Recognizing the distinction enriches exegesis of texts where depth, rather than surface, is the focus.

Conclusion

Tehom, the deep, threads through the Old Testament as both setting and symbol. At every turn it highlights the LORD’s creative, judicial, protective, and redemptive sovereignty. For readers and ministers today, the word invites unwavering trust: the One who rules the unfathomable holds every life circumstance securely in His hand.

בַּ֝תְּהֹמ֗וֹת בַּתְּהֹמ֑וֹת בתהמות וּֽמִתְּהֹמ֥וֹת וּמִתְּה֖וֹם וּתְהֹמֹ֔ת ומתהום ומתהמות ותהמת כִּתְהֹמ֥וֹת כתהמות תְ֝ה֗וֹם תְּ֝ה֗וֹם תְּ֭הוֹם תְּה֔וֹם תְּה֖וֹם תְּה֣וֹם תְּהֹמ֥וֹת תְּהֹמֹ֖ת תְּהֹמֽוֹת׃ תְּהֽוֹם־ תְּהוֹם֙ תְּהוֹם׃ תְּהוֹמ֣וֹת תְּהוֹמֽוֹת׃ תְה֑וֹם תְהֹמֹ֖ת תְהֹמֽוֹת׃ תְהֽוֹם׃ תְהוֹמ֑וֹת תהום תהום־ תהום׃ תהומות תהומות׃ תהמות תהמות׃ תהמת bat·tə·hō·mō·wṯ battehoMot battəhōmōwṯ kiṯ·hō·mō·wṯ kithoMot kiṯhōmōwṯ tə·hō·mō·wṯ ṯə·hō·mō·wṯ tə·hō·mōṯ ṯə·hō·mōṯ tə·hō·w·mō·wṯ ṯə·hō·w·mō·wṯ tə·hō·wm ṯə·hō·wm tə·hō·wm- teHom tehoMot təhōmōṯ ṯəhōmōṯ təhōmōwṯ ṯəhōmōwṯ təhōwm ṯəhōwm təhōwm- təhōwmōwṯ ṯəhōwmōwṯ ū·mit·tə·hō·mō·wṯ ū·mit·tə·hō·wm ū·ṯə·hō·mōṯ umitteHom umittehoMot ūmittəhōmōwṯ ūmittəhōwm utehoMot ūṯəhōmōṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts