Original Word: טָחה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tachah
Pronunciation: tah-KHAH
Phonetic Spelling: (taw-khaw')
KJV: (bow-)shot
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to stretch a bow, as an archer

bowshot

A primitive root; to stretch a bow, as an archer -- (bow-)shot.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to hurl, shoot
NASB Translation
bowshot* (1).

[טָחָה] verb hurl, shoot (Late Hebrew id.; Arabic spread, extend, carry far with, e.g. a ball Lane^1832c) — only

Pil. Participle (Ges^{§ 75} R 18) plural construct הַרְחֵק כִּמְטַחֲוֵי קֶשֶׁת Genesis 21:16 (E), literally making distant like shooters of a bow = about a bowshot off.

Root Idea and Immediate Context

ṭāḥâ (Strong 2909) communicates the single, vivid action of casting or hurling something through the air. Its sole Old Testament appearance is in Genesis 21:16, set within the narrative of Hagar and Ishmael’s exile. Most English versions render it “a bowshot,” emphasizing both distance and the dynamic motion implied by the verb.

Narrative Significance in Genesis 21

After Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away, they wander in the wilderness of Beersheba until their skin of water is spent. Verse 16 records Hagar’s agonized decision: “Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ And as she sat nearby, she lifted her voice and wept” (Genesis 21:16). The term “bowshot” marks the measurable space Hagar deliberately places between herself and her son so as not to behold his presumed death. The verb’s basic sense of flinging or shooting a projectile underscores the emotional violence of her separation; she metaphorically “hurls” herself to a distance equal to the casting of an arrow.

Cultural and Historical Background

In patriarchal times the bow was a common weapon for hunting and warfare (Genesis 27:3; 48:22), and “a bowshot” served as a colloquial measure of distance. By invoking this everyday term, the narrator locates the episode firmly within ancient Near-Eastern life while evoking themes of survival in the wilderness, dependence on God, and the fragility of life outside covenant protection.

Theological Reflections

1. Human desperation laid bare: Hagar’s act embodies the limit of human capacity. When every resource is exhausted, she resigns herself to death at a symbolic distance.
2. Divine compassion intervenes: Immediately following the verse that contains ṭāḥâ, “God heard the voice of the boy” (Genesis 21:17). The spatial gap created by the “bowshot” becomes the stage upon which God’s nearness is revealed; distance does not impede divine hearing.
3. Covenant parallels: While Isaac remains with Abraham under explicit covenant promises, Ishmael’s preservation illustrates God’s broader benevolence toward Abraham’s offspring and foreshadows the extension of blessing to the nations (Genesis 17:20; Romans 15:9).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Counseling the despairing: Hagar’s separation from Ishmael visualizes the emotional withdrawal common in deep discouragement. The account invites pastoral exhortation that God is attentive even when believers feel “cast far off.”
• Faith amid scarcity: The wilderness setting, water depletion, and the single “bowshot” distance allow sermons or studies on trusting God for provision when human means fail (Philippians 4:19).
• Intercession across distances: As God hears Ishmael’s cry though physically apart from Hagar, so believers may trust that prayers for distant loved ones are effective (Colossians 1:3).

Related Biblical Themes

Bow imagery—Judah’s bow (Zechariah 9:13), Jonathan’s archery (1 Samuel 20:37), and prophetic pictures of God’s judgment or deliverance (Habakkuk 3:9)—all involve arrows “cast” through the air, echoing the root idea of ṭāḥâ. In each case, the flight of an arrow highlights swiftness, precision, and purpose, qualities applicable to God’s actions in history.

Christological Connections

Just as the arrow’s trajectory moves from sender to target, so the incarnate Son is “sent” by the Father (John 20:21). The isolation pictured by ṭāḥâ faintly anticipates the abandonment echoing from Psalm 22:1, fulfilled at the cross. Yet, as Ishmael is saved, Christ’s resurrection secures ultimate deliverance for all who believe (Romans 10:9-13).

Summary of Significance

Though ṭāḥâ surfaces only once, its lone appearance paints a compelling snapshot of human hopelessness met by divine mercy. The “bowshot” distance in Genesis 21:16 becomes a narrative hinge: a space of despair transformed into a testimony of God’s faithfulness. In preaching, teaching, and personal devotion, ṭāḥâ therefore serves as a poignant reminder that no matter how far circumstances may seem to fling us, the Lord’s arm is never too short to save (Isaiah 59:1).

כִּמְטַחֲוֵ֣י כמטחוי kim·ṭa·ḥă·wê kimtachaVei kimṭaḥăwêInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts