8587. taalumah
Lexical Summary
taalumah: Secret, mystery

Original Word: תַּעֲלֻמָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: ta`alummah
Pronunciation: tah-ah-loo-MAH
Phonetic Spelling: (tah-al-oom-maw')
KJV: thing that is hid, secret
NASB: secrets, what is hidden
Word Origin: [from H5956 (עָלַם - hidden)]

1. a secret

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
thing that is hid, secret

From alam; a secret -- thing that is hid, secret.

see HEBREW alam

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from alam
Definition
a hidden thing, secret
NASB Translation
secrets (2), what is hidden (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
תַּעֲלֻמָּהֿ noun feminine hidden thing, secret (so, with הֿ, van d. H. Bu, הּ- Baer Ginsb); — ׳תּ what is hidden Job 28:11; plural construct תַּעֲלֻמוֺת חָכְמָה Job 11:6 secrets of wisdom, לֵב ׳תּ Psalm 44:22.

Topical Lexicon
Hebrew Concept and Semitic Context

תַּעֲלֻמָּה denotes what is hidden from ordinary sight—inner thoughts, undiscovered facts, uncharted depths. In the Hebrew worldview, secrecy is not merely the absence of human knowledge but a domain God governs and to which He alone grants access. The term therefore carries both cognitive and moral weight: because God knows all secrets, He is the final arbiter of truth and justice.

Occurrences in Scripture

Job 11:6—“and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts of you less than your iniquity deserves.”
Job 28:11—“He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light.”
Psalm 44:21—“would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?”

Together these passages link secrecy to (1) God’s inexhaustible wisdom, (2) His capacity to uncover the natural and moral order, and (3) His penetrating knowledge of human motives.

Divine Omniscience and Accountability

Job 11:6 reveals that divine wisdom is multilayered and judicial: what God discloses both enlightens and indicts. Psalm 44:21 places the hidden recesses of the heart under God’s scrutiny, assuring sufferers that covenant faithfulness is never overlooked and warning pretenders that hypocrisy cannot stand. The theology of תַּעֲלֻמָּה thus undergirds an ethic of integrity (Proverbs 10:9) and reverent fear (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

Wisdom Literature and the Search for the Hidden

Job 28 personifies human ingenuity probing earth’s veins for ore, yet confesses that ultimate wisdom “is hidden from the eyes of every living thing” (Job 28:21). The chapter climaxes with the declaration that only God comprehends the way to wisdom, reinforcing that revelation, not discovery, grants true understanding. תַּעֲלֻמָּה therefore functions as a literary pivot: it sets human limitation against divine revelation, steering the reader toward humble dependence.

Redemptive and Christological Trajectory

In the New Testament, the Greek μυστήριον extends the concept of hidden wisdom now unveiled in Christ (Colossians 1:26–27). What was once inaccessible is made known through the gospel, fulfilling Job’s longing and answering Psalm 44’s appeal for God to act on what He sees within. Jesus embodies and discloses the deepest תַּעֲלֻמָּה—“Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).

Historical Reception in Jewish and Christian Interpretation

Rabbinic commentators viewed the term as proof that God judges motives, not merely deeds. Early Christian writers such as Augustine saw in these texts the prefigurement of the Spirit’s illuminating work. Medieval theologians applied the idea to contemplative prayer, distinguishing between the manifest and the hidden will of God. Reformers emphasized that Scripture, though sufficient, still leaves some תַּעֲלֻמּוֹת in God’s sovereign domain (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Ministry and Pastoral Application

1. Preaching: Use the word to expose the folly of secret sin and to comfort believers that unjust suffering is noticed by God.
2. Counseling: Encourage confession and transparency, reminding believers that God already knows the heart’s secrets.
3. Discipleship: Cultivate a pursuit of revealed wisdom (Proverbs 2:1–6) rather than speculative curiosity.

Spiritual Formation and Personal Reflection

Prayers modeled on Psalm 139:23–24 invite God to uncover hidden motives. Silence and meditation before Scripture allow the Spirit to shine light on personal תַּעֲלֻמּוֹת, producing repentance and renewed obedience.

Eschatological Significance

On the Day of the Lord, “nothing is concealed that will not be disclosed” (Luke 12:2). The final judgment will vindicate the righteous and expose the wicked, completing the trajectory begun in Job and Psalms. Believers rest in the promise that the Judge who knows all secrets also covers repentant sinners with the righteousness of Christ.

Summary

תַּעֲלֻמָּה compresses the themes of divine omniscience, human limitation, and moral accountability into a single word. It calls readers to humbly seek revealed wisdom, walk in integrity before the God who sees the heart, and hope in the ultimate unveiling of His redemptive purposes.

Forms and Transliterations
וְ֝תַעֲלֻמָ֗הּ ותעלמה תַּֽעֲלֻמ֣וֹת תַּעֲלֻמ֥וֹת תעלמות ta‘ălumōwṯ ta·‘ă·lu·mō·wṯ taaluMot vetaaluMah wə·ṯa·‘ă·lu·māh wəṯa‘ălumāh
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Job 11:6
HEB: וְיַגֶּד־ לְךָ֨ ׀ תַּֽעֲלֻמ֣וֹת חָכְמָה֮ כִּֽי־
NAS: And show you the secrets of wisdom!
KJV: And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom,
INT: and show the secrets of wisdom for

Job 28:11
HEB: נְהָר֣וֹת חִבֵּ֑שׁ וְ֝תַעֲלֻמָ֗הּ יֹ֣צִא אֽוֹר׃
NAS: from flowing, And what is hidden he brings
KJV: from overflowing; and [the thing that is] hid bringeth he forth
INT: the streams dams and what brings to the light

Psalm 44:21
HEB: ה֥וּא יֹ֝דֵ֗עַ תַּעֲלֻמ֥וֹת לֵֽב׃
NAS: out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
KJV: for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
INT: He knows the secrets of the heart

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8587
3 Occurrences


ta·‘ă·lu·mō·wṯ — 2 Occ.
wə·ṯa·‘ă·lu·māh — 1 Occ.

8586
Top of Page
Top of Page