Original Word: תּוּשִׁיָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tuwshiyah
Pronunciation: too-shee-yah
Phonetic Spelling: (too-shee-yaw')
KJV: enterprise, that which (thing as it) is, substance, (sound) wisdom, working
NASB: sound wisdom, deliverance, helpful insight, success, wisdom
Word Origin: [from an unused root probably meaning to substantiate]

1. support
2. (by implication) ability
3. (directly) help
4. (in purpose) an undertaking
5. (intellectually) understanding

foreigner, inhabitant, sojourner, stranger

Or tushiyah { too-shee-yaw'}; from an unused root probably meaning to substantiate; support or (by implication) ability, i.e. (direct) help, (in purpose) an undertaking, (intellectual) understanding -- enterprise, that which (thing as it) is, substance, (sound) wisdom, working.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
sound, efficient wisdom, abiding success
NASB Translation
deliverance (1), helpful insight (1), sound wisdom (7), success (1), wisdom (1).

תּוּשִׁיָּה noun feminine sound, efficient wisdom, abiding success (on derivation, see above; according to Fl De proposes advancement, or mental aptitude that advances: for the form, compare תּוּגָה and תַּאֲנִיָה; Sta^{§ 262}), a technical term of the Wisdom Literature; —

a. sound, efficient wisdom Isaiah 28:29 (of ׳י) הפליא עצח חגדיל תושׁיה; Proverbs 3:21 זּמְזִמָּה ׳נְצֹר תּ; Proverbs 8:14 (Wisdom speaks) ׳לִי עֵצָה ות; Proverbs 18:1 יִתְגַּלָּ֑ע ׳לכל תּ; Job 11:6 (of ׳י: see Di), Job 12:6 ׳עִמּוֺ עֹז ות; Job 26:3 לָרֹב ׳ות הוֺדָ֑˜עתָּ ("" יָעַצְתָּ לְלֹא חָכְמָה

b. of the effect of sound wisdom, abiding success (for the combination of meanings, compare הִשְׂכִּיל to shew wisdom. and also to achieve success). Job 5:12 ולא תעשׂינה ׳ידיהם ת do not achieve abiding success; Job 6:13 and abiding success ("" עַזְרָתִי) is driven from me; Proverbs 2:7 ׳יִצְמֹּן לַיִשָׁרִים ת; Micah 6:9 ותושׁיה יראה שֹׁמך, i.e (si vera lectio) he that seeth (heedeth) thy name is well-advised (Ges^{§ 155}, 2 b3; Dav:§ 29 e). — תֻּשִׁיָה Job 30:22, see sub. שׁוא.

Meaning and Scope

תּוּשִׁיָּה gathers into one term the ideas of competent wisdom, practical counsel, enduring success, and strategic help. It always assumes that the only sure source of such soundness is the LORD Himself and that any human share in it is derivative and covenantal.

Occurrences and Literary Setting

1. Wisdom Literature (Job and Proverbs) – eight occurrences
• Job 5:12 depicts God frustrating the plots of the crafty so “their hands achieve no success,” revealing that human ingenuity opposed to God is finally empty.
• Job 6:13 laments the apparent disappearance of “help” from Job’s own life, showing that true tushiyyah cannot be conjured by self-reliance.
• Job 11:6; 12:16; 26:3 press home that “sound wisdom” resides with God, not with Job’s counselors, thus confronting superficial theology.
• Proverbs 2:7: “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”
• Proverbs 3:21 exhorts, “My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound wisdom and discretion.”
• Proverbs 8:14 places tushiyyah on Wisdom’s lips: “Counsel and sound wisdom are mine; I have insight and strength.”
• Proverbs 18:1 warns that the self-isolated man “rebels against all sound wisdom,” highlighting community’s role in godly counsel.

2. Prophetic Literature – three occurrences
• Isaiah 28:29: “All this also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom,” asserting Yahweh’s mastery over nature and nations.
• Micah 6:9: “The voice of the LORD calls out to the city—and it is sound wisdom to fear Your name.” Here, covenant fear is equated with true tushiyyah, linking reverence and social justice.

Theological Emphases

• Divine Reservoir. Tushiyyah is pictured as a treasury God “stores up” (Proverbs 2:7). Human beings receive it; they never invent it.
• Moral Alignment. The upright (Proverbs 2:7) possess it; the crafty lose it (Job 5:12). Soundness is inseparable from righteousness.
• Effectual Power. The term includes the idea of capability—wisdom that works. Hence Job’s friends are faulted not only for wrong ideas but for useless counsel (Job 26:3).
• Covenant Fear. Micah ties tushiyyah to the fear of the LORD, showing that reverence is the atmosphere in which sound wisdom flourishes.
• Eschatological Fulfillment. Isaiah’s portrait of the LORD as “excellent in wisdom” anticipates the Messianic Servant “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

Historical Trajectory

• Patriarchal Age – In Job, tushiyyah exposes the inadequacy of ancient Near-Eastern retribution theology and points to a deeper reliance on God’s sovereignty.
• Monarchical Period – Proverbs, compiled in Solomon’s court and later circles, presents tushiyyah as the skill required for just governance and faithful domestic life.
• Exilic/Post-exilic Prophets – Isaiah and Micah wield the term to critique corrupt leadership and to call the remnant back to covenant obedience.

Ministry Significance

1. Preaching: Highlight tushiyyah when contrasting biblical counsel with secular self-help.
2. Pastoral Counseling: Emphasize that durable solutions arise from fearing the LORD and walking uprightly.
3. Discipleship: Train believers to seek God’s stored-up wisdom through Scripture meditation and communal accountability.
4. Cultural Engagement: Encourage Christian leaders to display competence grounded in godliness, demonstrating that true effectiveness is spiritual before it is tactical.

Practical Application

• Pray Proverbs 2:7–8 over your congregation, asking God to shield them with His stored-up wisdom.
• In decision-making, test strategies by Micah 6:9: Do they spring from reverent fear? If not, they lack tushiyyah.
• Combat isolation (Proverbs 18:1) by fostering biblical fellowship where counsel and correction can flow.

Summary

תּוּשִׁיָּה is God-given, righteousness-shaped, and results-oriented wisdom. Whether thwarting the plans of the wicked, guiding kings, or shepherding the remnant, it stands as a testimony that “power and sound wisdom are with Him” (Job 12:16). Those who fear His name receive it; those who resist Him forfeit it.

וְ֝תֻשִׁיָּ֗ה וְ֝תוּשִׁיָּ֗ה וְתֽוּשִׁיָּ֑ה וְתוּשִׁיָּ֑ה וְתוּשִׁיָּ֖ה ותושיה ותשיה לְֽת֫וּשִׁיָּ֥ה לתושיה תֻּ֝שִׁיָּ֗ה תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה תּוּשִׁיָּ֑ה תּוּשִׁיָּֽה׃ תושיה תושיה׃ תשיה lə·ṯū·šî·yāh leTushiYah ləṯūšîyāh tu·šî·yāh tū·šî·yāh tushiYah tušîyāh tūšîyāh vetushiYah wə·ṯu·šî·yāh wə·ṯū·šî·yāh wəṯušîyāh wəṯūšîyāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts