Original Word: תְּלוּנָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tluwnah
Pronunciation: tel-oo-naw'
Phonetic Spelling: (tel-oo-naw')
KJV: murmuring
Word Origin: [from H3885 (לוּן לִין - To lodge) in the sense of obstinacy]

1. a grumbling

murmuring

Or tlunnah {tel-oon-naw'}; from luwn in the sense of obstinacy; a grumbling -- murmuring.

see HEBREW luwn

[תְּלֻנָּה] noun feminine murmuring; — plural construct תְּלֻנּוֺת (תְּלוּנֹּת) Exodus 16:12 2t.; suffix תְּלֹֻנּתֵיכֶם Exodus 16:7 3t.; תְּלוּנֹּתָם Numbers 17:25; — murmurings of Israel against ׳י (only P); Exodus 16:9,12; Numbers 17:25; followed by עַל Exodus 16:7,8, compare Exodus 16:8, Numbers 14:27; Numbers 17:20 ( + מַלִּינִם על).

Occurrences in Scripture

Exodus 16:7; Exodus 16:8 (threefold repetition); Exodus 16:9; Exodus 16:12; Numbers 14:27; Numbers 17:5; Numbers 17:10 — nine uses, all within the wilderness narratives.

Contextual Themes

1. Wilderness Provision (Exodus 16) – The people “grumbled against the LORD” over food and leadership. Their protest bookends the giving of manna and quail, revealing unbelief amid daily miracles.
2. Rebellion after the Spy Report (Numbers 14:27) – Discontent rises to outright refusal to enter the land, provoking a divine oath that the generation would fall in the desert.
3. Challenge to Divinely-Appointed Authority (Numbers 17) – Murmuring over priestly prerogatives is answered by Aaron’s budding rod, a sign “to put an end to their grumblings, so that they will not die” (Numbers 17:10).

Theological Insights

• Complaint is portrayed as covenant infidelity. It is never neutral speech; it questions the goodness and sufficiency of God.
• Each occurrence triggers a revelatory act: provision of bread, pronouncement of judgment, or confirmation of Aaronic priesthood. The LORD does not ignore murmuring; He either meets it with mercy or restrains it with discipline.
• Divine patience is evident. Before judgment falls, God repeatedly “hears” the grumbling (Exodus 16:12) and still supplies what is needed, displaying long-suffering that anticipates New Testament grace (Romans 2:4).

Practical Application for Ministry

• Corporate Worship – Reading Exodus 16 alongside John 6 highlights Christ as the true Bread, shifting focus from earthly dissatisfaction to heavenly sufficiency.
• Counseling and Discipleship – These passages expose heart-level distrust. Encourage believers to convert complaint into lament (Psalms) and intercession (Philippians 4:6).
• Leadership Training – Numbers 17 underscores God’s establishment of leaders. Grumbling against God-given oversight endangers unity and invites divine correction.

Christological and Redemptive Connections

Jesus echoes wilderness imagery: “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died” (John 6:49). Israel’s chronic complaint sets the stage for the Son who never murmured (1 Peter 2:23) and who satisfies every legitimate hunger. The budding rod prefigures resurrection life that validates Christ’s eternal priesthood (Hebrews 7:24-25).

Pastoral Reflections

The nine references form a narrative arc: initial doubts (Exodus 16), entrenched rebellion (Numbers 14), and resistance to ordained mediation (Numbers 17). Each stage invites self-examination: Are present-day murmurs masking unbelief? The antidote is fresh vision of God’s providence, promise, and priest—now fulfilled in Jesus Christ, “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

מַלִּינִ֖ם מלינם תְּלֻנֹּ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם תְּלֻנֹּתֵיכֶ֖ם תְּלֻנֹּתֵיכֶֽם׃ תְּלֻנּ֞וֹת תְּלֻנּוֹת֙ תְּלוּנֹּת֮ תְּלוּנֹּתָ֛ם תְלֻנֹּתֵיכֶ֖ם תלונת תלונתם תלנות תלנתיכם תלנתיכם׃ mal·lî·nim malliNim mallînim tə·lūn·nō·ṯām tə·lun·nō·ṯê·ḵem ṯə·lun·nō·ṯê·ḵem tə·lun·nō·wṯ tə·lūn·nōṯ telunNot təlūnnōṯ telunnoTam təlūnnōṯām telunnoteiChem təlunnōṯêḵem ṯəlunnōṯêḵem təlunnōwṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts