Original Word: תִּגְרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tigrah
Pronunciation: tig-raw'
Phonetic Spelling: (tig-raw')
KJV: blow
NASB: opposition
Word Origin: [from H1624 (גָּרָה - provoke)]

1. strife, i.e. infliction

benefit

From garah; strife, i.e. Infliction -- blow.

see HEBREW garah

Word Origin
from garah
Definition
contention, strife, hostility
NASB Translation
opposition (1).

[תִּגְרָה] noun feminine contention, strife, hostility (compare Aramaic תִּגְרָא, often ᵑ7; see Thes; תִּגְרָה NHWB & Fl in ChWB^{ii. 581}) — only construct singular מִתִּגְרַת יָָֽדְךָ Psalm 39:11 from (i.e. through) the hostility of thy hand I am consumed.

I. גֵּרָה II. גֵּרָה see below גרר.

גֵּרוּת see below I. גור.

Occurrence and Immediate Setting

Psalm 39:10 employs תִּגְרָה in David’s plea, “Remove Your scourge from me; I am perishing by the discipline of Your hand”. The verse falls in a psalm of lament in which David, silenced by the weight of divine chastening, seeks relief while affirming God’s righteous governance over his life.

Divine Discipline and Covenant Relationship

The single use of תִּגְרָה illustrates a wider, consistent biblical pattern: the Lord disciplines His covenant people to restore rather than destroy. David recognizes both the source (“Your hand”) and the purpose (corrective, not merely punitive). The motif echoes through the Torah (Deuteronomy 8:5), the Prophets (Isaiah 10:26), the Writings (Job 13:21), and culminates in the New Testament teaching, “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves” (Hebrews 12:6).

Historical Background

In David’s era, ailments, droughts, or military setbacks were commonly interpreted as covenant sanctions (Leviticus 26; 2 Samuel 24). Psalm 39 places David within that theological framework, acknowledging divine sovereignty over every “stroke” that befalls the king or nation.

Theological Themes

1. God’s Holiness – The scourge underscores the incompatibility of sin with God’s nature.
2. Human Frailty – David confesses, “You consume a man like a moth” (Psalm 39:11), tying the scourge to the brevity of life.
3. Hope in Mercy – Discipline drives the psalmist not to despair but to petition, knowing God tempers wrath with compassion (Psalm 103:9-13).

Christological Insights

Isaiah 53:5 foretells One who would be “pierced for our transgressions… and by His stripes we are healed.” The scourge that rightly belongs to sinners ultimately falls on Christ, satisfying justice and opening the way for restorative, not condemnatory, discipline for believers (Romans 8:1).

Ministry Implications

• Pastoral Care – Encourage confession and reliance on God’s mercy when believers experience hardship that may be corrective.
• Preaching – Tie personal suffering to God’s larger redemptive intent without diminishing human responsibility.
• Discipleship – Model David’s response: silence before God, acknowledgment of sin, and earnest supplication.

Related Biblical Illustrations

Job 9:34; 13:21 – Job, like David, asks for relief from God’s rod.

Psalm 90:7-8 – Moses links divine displeasure with human mortality.

Hebrews 12:5-11 – The writer expounds Psalm 39’s principle, urging perseverance under discipline.

Revelation 3:19 – Christ continues the practice: “Those I love, I rebuke and discipline.”

Personal Application

Believers should read Psalm 39:10 as an invitation to:
• Examine personal sin in light of life’s afflictions.
• Submit to God’s refining hand, trusting His love.
• Pray for removal of the scourge once its corrective work is done, just as David did.

Summary

תִּגְרָה, though appearing only once, illumines the gracious purpose behind divine discipline: to awaken, purify, and ultimately restore God’s people to wholehearted fellowship with Himself.

מִתִּגְרַ֥ת מתגרת mit·tiḡ·raṯ mittigRat mittiḡraṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts