tachanun · supplication

What it means

tachanun (תַּחֲנוּן) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “supplication”.

A plea that asks for favor or mercy. It belongs to the same family as "show favor."

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. Requests asking for compassion.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• supplications ×16
• pleading ×1
• pleas for mercy ×1

Where it appears

• 2 Chronicles×1
• Job×1
• Psalms×8
• Proverbs×1
• Jeremiah×2
• Daniel×4
• Zechariah×1

• 2 Chronicles 6:21

  And listen to the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel, who pray toward this place; and you, listen from the place where you live, from the heavens; and listen and forgive.

• Job 41:3

  Will it multiply supplications to you, or will it speak to you soft words?

• Psalms 28:2

  Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry for help to you, when I lift my hands toward your holy inner sanctuary.

• Psalms 28:6

  Blessed be YHWH, for he has heard the voice of my supplications.

• Psalms 31:22

  And I said in my alarm, “I have been cut off from before your eyes.” But you heard the voice of my supplications when I cried for help to you.

• Psalms 86:6

  Give ear, YHWH, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

• Psalms 116:1

  I love, for YHWH hears my voice, my supplications.

• Psalms 130:2

  Adonai, hear my voice; let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

• Psalms 140:6

  I said to YHWH, “My El are you; listen, YHWH, to the voice of my supplications.”

• Psalms 143:1

  A psalm of David. YHWH, hear my prayer; listen to my supplications; in your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness.

• Proverbs 18:23

  The poor speaks pleas for mercy, but the rich answers harshly.

• Jeremiah 3:21

  A voice on the bare heights is heard, the weeping, the pleading of the children of Israel, for they have perverted their way, they have forgotten YHWH their Elohim.

• Jeremiah 31:9

  With weeping they will come, and with supplications I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of water, on a straight road on which they will not stumble; for I have become to Israel a father, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

• Daniel 9:3

  And I set my face toward Adonai Elohim, to seek him by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

• Daniel 9:17

  And now, listen, our Elohim, to the prayer of your servant and to his supplications, and make your face shine on your sanctuary that is desolate, for the sake of Adonai.

• Daniel 9:18

  Incline, my Elohim, your ear and hear; open your eyes and see our desolations and the city over which your name is called; for not because of our righteous acts do we present our supplications before you, but because of your great compassion.

• Daniel 9:23

  At the beginning of your supplications a word went out, and I have come to declare it, for you are greatly loved; so understand the word and comprehend the vision.

• Zechariah 12:10

  And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of favor and of supplications; and they will look to me, whom they have pierced; and they will lament over him like the lament over the only one, and grieve bitterly over him as one grieves bitterly over the firstborn.