Original Word: תַּהְפֻכָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tahpukah
Pronunciation: tah-poo-kah
Phonetic Spelling: (tah-poo-kaw')
KJV: (very) froward(-ness, thing), perverse thing
NASB: perverse things, perverse, perversity, perverted, what is perverted
Word Origin: [from H2015 (הָפַך - turned)]

1. a perversity or fraud

procession

From haphak; a perversity or fraud -- (very) froward(-ness, thing), perverse thing.

see HEBREW haphak

Word Origin
from haphak
Definition
perversity, perverse thing
NASB Translation
perverse (2), perverse things (3), perversity (2), perverted (2), what is perverted (1).

Root Idea and Moral Texture

תַּהְפֻכָה conveys the twisting or overturning of what is straight. Scripture places the term in the realm of moral distortion—behavior, speech, and attitudes that invert God’s order and therefore court His judgment.

Canonical Distribution

Ten occurrences appear in the Old Testament: Deuteronomy 32:20 and nine passages in Proverbs. Deuteronomy provides a covenantal setting, while Proverbs develops practical, everyday illustrations of the same corruption.

Covenant Background (Deuteronomy 32:20)

In the Song of Moses the LORD laments “a perverse generation, children of unfaithfulness.” תַּהְפֻכָה identifies the nation’s bent posture; covenant privileges have been distorted into idolatry and ingratitude. The divine response—hiding His face—underscores that perversity severs fellowship.

Emphasis in Wisdom Literature

Solomonic wisdom expands the theme:

• Proverbs 2:12–15 links perversity to “men of perverse speech” whose paths are dark and crooked.
• Proverbs 6:12–15 portrays the schemer who “continually sows discord.” His downfall is sudden, mirroring the very upheaval he causes.
• Proverbs 8:13 frames perversity as something the LORD hates; true fear of God therefore rejects it.
• Proverbs 10:31–32 sets a stark contrast: righteous lips edify, but the perverse tongue is excised—elimination language echoing covenant curses.
• Proverbs 16:28, 30 assigns community fragmentation to the perverse person: strife, broken friendships, sinister plotting.
• Proverbs 23:33 warns that intoxication unshackles the imagination to “confusing things,” or perversions of perception.

Association with Speech

Most occurrences appear in verbal contexts—mouth, lips, tongue. God’s wisdom equates perverse words with moral disorder, revealing that speech is both gauge and generator of character (compare Matthew 12:34).

Social Consequences

תַּהְפֻכָה undermines communal trust. It manufactures discord (Proverbs 16:28) and destabilizes friendships. The consistent biblical witness is that moral distortion never remains private; it tears at the fabric of family, city, and nation.

Divine Disposition

The LORD “hates” perversity (Proverbs 8:13) and eventually “cuts out” its instrument (Proverbs 10:31). Judgment is portrayed as removal, silence, or exposure—the undoing of the twisting.

Historical Insight

Israel’s prophets frequently diagnosed social collapse in terms similar to תַּהְפֻכָה (Isaiah 59:3–8; Jeremiah 3:22). While the word itself is rarer outside Proverbs, its concept saturates Israel’s moral history: covenant rebellion is an inversion of the creational norm.

Pastoral and Homiletical Uses

1. Diagnostics: evaluate counseling cases where relational chaos, gossip, or divisive rhetoric reveal deeper heart distortion.
2. Discipleship: teach believers to pursue straight paths by habitual truth-telling and confession.
3. Church Discipline: Proverbs 6:14–15 justifies corrective action toward chronic sowers of discord.
4. Evangelism: Deuteronomy 32:20 highlights alienation; the gospel offers reconciliation through the One “in whom there is no deceit” (1 Peter 2:22).

Christological Trajectory

Jesus embodies perfect uprightness; no תַּהְפֻכָה is found in Him. At the cross He absorbs the fate of the perverse, redeeming “a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15) and forming a people whose speech and conduct are reclaimed for righteousness.

Ministry Implications

• Cultivate congregational cultures that prize transparent speech.
• Counteract societal relativism by preaching the straight standard of Scripture.
• Address addictions (Proverbs 23:33) as gateways to distorted perception.
• Encourage memorization of Proverbs passages so believers can self-diagnose and repent when tempted toward perversity.

Summary Thought

תַּהְפֻכָה stands as a warning flare. Wherever God’s good order is bent, His word calls for immediate correction, lest the twist snap under judgment. The antidote is wisdom from above—truth in the inward parts, expressed in upright speech and deeds that realign with the righteous character of the Lord.

בְּֽתַהְפֻּכ֥וֹת בתהפכות תַּ֝הְפֻּכ֗וֹת תַּ֭הְפֻּכוֹת תַּֽהְפֻּכ֨וֹת ׀ תַּהְפֻּכ֑וֹת תַּהְפֻּכֹת֙ תַּהְפֻּכֽוֹת׃ תַהְפֻּכ֬וֹת תהפכות תהפכות׃ תהפכת bə·ṯah·pu·ḵō·wṯ betahpuChot bəṯahpuḵōwṯ tah·pu·ḵō·wṯ ṯah·pu·ḵō·wṯ tah·pu·ḵōṯ tahpuChot tahpuḵōṯ tahpuḵōwṯ ṯahpuḵōwṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts