Lexical Summary teun: Error, wandering Original Word: תְּאֻן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance lie From 'aven; naughtiness, i.e. Toil -- lie. see HEBREW 'aven NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as aven Definition toil NASB Translation toil (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs תְּאֻנִים noun [masculine] toil Ezekiel 24:12 הֶלְאָת ׳תּ she hath wearied (me or herself) with toil (but Co strike out as dittograph compare ᵐ5). II. און (compare Arabic Topical Lexicon תְּאֻן (Strong’s Hebrew 8383)Figurative Meaning in Ezekiel 24 The lone biblical occurrence appears in Ezekiel 24:12, where תְּאֻן denotes the stubborn “thick scum” or “corrosion” that clings to an iron pot. The prophet is commanded to set the pot on the fire until its defilement is exposed, yet the residue refuses to melt away. The image communicates a moral uncleanness that has become so ingrained in Jerusalem that ordinary means can no longer purge it. Background of Ezekiel’s Parable of the Boiling Pot Ezekiel 24 opens on the very day Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem. The LORD instructs the prophet to set a pot on the fire, fill it with choice meat, and then let the liquid boil away until only charred bones and rust remain (Ezekiel 24:3-5, 10-11). The parable indicts the city for bloodshed and idolatry; the inhabitants are like choice cuts ruined by the vessel that contains them. The residual תְּאֻן symbolizes the cumulative guilt that has permeated the nation through persistent sin. Theological Implications 1. Total Depravity Displayed. The clinging scum declares that sin permeates not only individual acts but the very fabric of a society (Jeremiah 17:9). Prophetic Significance for Judah and Jerusalem The siege of 588-586 B.C. fulfilled the warning. Tainted leadership (princes, priests, prophets) had become indistinguishable from the populace in corruption. The fall of Jerusalem proved that covenant privileges offer no immunity when persistent rebellion nullifies them (Leviticus 26:27-33). Christological Foreshadowing The futility of the fire anticipates the necessity of a greater cleansing agent. Only the blood of the new covenant can do what repeated judgments could not—“cleanse our consciences from dead works” (Hebrews 9:14). The cross is the crucible where the believer’s impurity is finally dealt with, accomplishing what the Babylonian furnace could only prefigure. Application in Ministry • Preaching: Warn against the gradual build-up of tolerated sin; corrosion is usually invisible until crisis hits. Personal and Corporate Sanctification Ezekiel 24 challenges Christians to sustained self-examination (2 Corinthians 13:5). Spiritual disciplines—Word, prayer, fellowship—keep the vessel clean, but only continual reliance on the Spirit ensures that hidden deposits do not accumulate (Galatians 5:16-17). Related Biblical Themes • Dross and Refining – Proverbs 25:4; Isaiah 1:25. In sum, תְּאֻן serves as a vivid reminder that sin left unchecked hardens into an irremovable crust. The gospel of Jesus Christ provides the only solvent strong enough to dissolve it. Forms and Transliterations תְּאֻנִ֖ים תאנים tə’unîm tə·’u·nîm teuNimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 24:12 HEB: תְּאֻנִ֖ים הֶלְאָ֑ת וְלֹֽא־ NAS: She has wearied [Me] with toil, Yet her great KJV: She hath wearied [herself] with lies, and her great INT: toil has wearied has not 1 Occurrence |
    |
(medial 
) be at rest, at ease, enjoy life of plenty; 
one enjoying a life of ease, freedom from toil & trouble).