Torah
/ˈtɔː.rə/noun
The Hebrew scriptures, especially the first five books of the Bible, or their teachings and laws.
Did you know?In Jewish mystical traditions such as Kabbalah, the Torah’s letters are treated not only as text but as a sacred structure whose combinations can reveal layers of cosmic meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*y-r-y / *y-r-h
“An ancestral Semitic root associated with directing, indicating, or casting; its precise prehistoric form is reconstructed rather than directly recorded.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
יָרָה (yārāh)
“To point out, direct, instruct, or— in another related usage—shoot or cast.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
תּוֹרָה (tōrāh)
“Instruction, teaching, guidance, or law.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
νόμος (nomos)
“The usual Septuagint translation of Torah: law, custom, or established rule.”
Medieval Hebrew and Jewish English
Hebrew/English
Torah
“A transliteration used for the Pentateuch and, more broadly, Jewish religious teaching.”
Modern English
English
Torah
“The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or the body of Jewish teaching and law.”