tefila · prayer

What it means

tefila (תְּפִלָּה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “prayer”.

Words addressed to God to ask, to intercede or to praise. Several psalms bear this name.

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. Words addressed to God: asking, interceding, praising.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Prayer: what is said to God to ask, intercede or praise; also the title of some psalms. It comes from פָּלַל, “pray” (H6419). BDB: intercession, supplication.

• Solomon's prayer in the temple 1 Kings 8:28
• “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears” 2 Kings 20:5
• “Hear my prayer” in the Psalms Psalms 4:1Psalms 17:1
• “My house a house of prayer” Isaiah 56:7
• Title: “A prayer of the afflicted one”, “A prayer of Habakkuk” Psalms 102:1Habakkuk 3:1

How we translate it

“Prayer” 76 times and “prayers” 1. It is kept apart from תְּחִנָּה, “supplication”, and רִנָּה, “cry”, which often go with it (“to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication… to listen to the cry and to the prayer”, 1 Kings 8:28).

How it is translated

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

• prayer ×76
• prayers ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×8
• 2 Kings×2
• 2 Chronicles×12
• Nehemiah×4
• Job×1
• Psalms×32
• Proverbs×3
• Isaiah×5
• Jeremiah×2
• Lamentations×2
• Daniel×3
• Jonah×1
• Habakkuk×1

• 2 Samuel 7:27

  For you, YHWH Tsevaot, Elohim of Israel, have made this known to your servant, saying, ‘A house I will build for you’; therefore your servant has found his heart to pray to you this prayer.

• 1 Kings 8:28

  Yet turn to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, YHWH my Elohim, to listen to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you today;

• 1 Kings 8:29

  that your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which you said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer that your servant prays toward this place.

• 1 Kings 8:38

  whatever prayer, whatever supplication that is made by any human being, by all your people Israel, when each knows the sore of his own heart and spreads out his hands toward this house,

• 1 Kings 8:45

  then listen in the heavens to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice for them.

• 1 Kings 8:49

  then listen in the heavens, the place where you live, to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice for them;

• 1 Kings 8:54

  And it happened, when Solomon finished praying to YHWH all this prayer and supplication, that he rose from before the altar of YHWH, from kneeling on his knees, with his hands spread out toward the heavens.

• 1 Kings 9:3

  And YHWH said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication with which you made supplication before me; I have consecrated this house that you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.

• 2 Kings 19:4

  Perhaps YHWH your Elohim will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to taunt the living Elohim, and will rebuke him for the words that YHWH your Elohim has heard; so lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left.’”

• 2 Kings 20:5

  “Go back and say to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘Thus says YHWH, the Elohim of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of YHWH.

• 2 Chronicles 6:19

  Turn to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, YHWH my Elohim, to listen to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you,

• 2 Chronicles 6:20

  that your eyes may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which you said that you would put your name there, to listen to the prayer that your servant prays toward this place.

• 2 Chronicles 6:29

  whatever prayer, whatever supplication that is made by any human being or by all your people Israel, who know, each his own sore and his own pain, and spread out his hands toward this house,

• 2 Chronicles 6:35

  then listen from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and do justice for them.

• 2 Chronicles 6:39

  then listen from the heavens, from the place where you live, their prayer and their supplications, and do justice for them, and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

• 2 Chronicles 6:40

  Now, my Elohim, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.

• 2 Chronicles 7:12

  YHWH appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.

• 2 Chronicles 7:15

  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place.

• 2 Chronicles 30:27

  Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling, to the heavens.

• 2 Chronicles 33:18

  The rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his Elohim, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of YHWH, the Elohim of Israel, they are in the acts of the kings of Israel.

• 2 Chronicles 33:19

  His prayer and how he let himself be entreated by him, and all his sin and his unfaithfulness, and the places where he built high places and set up the Asherahs and the carved images before he humbled himself, they are written in the words of Hozai.

• Nehemiah 1:6

  let your ear, I beg you, be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant, which I am praying before you today, day and night, for the sons of Israel your servants, and confessing the sins of the sons of Israel, which we have sinned against you; and I and my father’s house have sinned.

• Nehemiah 1:11

  I beg you, Adonai, let your ear, I beg you, be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name; and give success, I beg you, to your servant today, and grant him mercy before this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.

• Nehemiah 11:17

  and Mattaniah son of Micah, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, head of the beginning, who gave thanks in the prayer; and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.

• Job 16:17

  although there is no violence in my palms, and my prayer is pure.

• Psalms 4:1

  For the director. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David. When I call, answer me, Elohim of my righteousness. In distress you gave me room; show me favor and hear my prayer.

• Psalms 6:9

  YHWH has heard my plea; YHWH receives my prayer.

• Psalms 17:1

  A prayer of David. Hear, YHWH, what is righteous; heed my cry; give ear to my prayer, which comes not from lips of deceit.

• Psalms 35:13

  But I, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I afflicted with fasting my soul, and my prayer to my bosom would return.

• Psalms 39:12

  Hear my prayer, YHWH, and to my cry for help give ear; to my tears do not be deaf, for a resident alien I am with you, a temporary resident like all my fathers.

• Psalms 42:8

  By day YHWH will command his loyal love, and in the night his song is with me, a prayer to the El of my life.

• Psalms 54:2

  Elohim, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.

• Psalms 55:1

  For the director. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. Give ear, Elohim, to my prayer, and do not hide yourself from my supplication.

• Psalms 61:1

  For the director. On a stringed instrument. Of David. Hear, Elohim, my cry; attend to my prayer.

• Psalms 65:2

  You who hear prayer, to you all flesh will come.

• Psalms 66:19

  But surely Elohim has heard; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

• Psalms 66:20

  Blessed be Elohim, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his loyal love from me.

• Psalms 69:13

  But I, my prayer is to you, YHWH, at a time of favor; Elohim, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me with the truth of your salvation.

• Psalms 72:20

  The prayers of David, son of Jesse, have come to an end.

• Psalms 80:4

  YHWH Elohim Tsevaot, how long will you fume against the prayer of your people?

And 37 more times.