טָהֵר
𐤈𐤄𐤓
ṭâhêr
H2891 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To be pure, clean, free from contamination or impurity. Refers both to ritual/ceremonial purity (particularly in relation to tabernacle/temple practice and concepts of sacred versus profane or unclean status), and to moral or ethical innocence. Can denote causing something or someone to become pure or clean — to purify, cleanse, or declare clean (ritually, physically, or morally). The term can indicate both the state of being clean and the process or act of making so, whether through ritual procedures or personal conduct.
Semantic Range
to be ritually clean, to become pure, to be declared clean, to make pure or clean, to purify (ritually or morally), to cleanse, to pronounce clean, to remove impurity
Root / Etymology
Root טהר (ṭ-h-r). Basic meaning: to be or become clean/pure. The derived stem hiphil (causative) broadens to 'cause to be clean/pure, purify, cleanse,' and thus the word encompasses both stative and causative actions relating to purity.
Historical & Contextual Notes
טָהֵר is central to the Priestly literature of the Torah, appearing extensively in Leviticus and Numbers, where commandments regarding ritual purification are detailed for people, objects, and sacred space. Its basic sense is not simply the absence of physical dirt, but rather a state of being free from whatever would disqualify participation in religious life or worship—whether bodily conditions (e.g., skin disease, contact with a corpse, emissions), or the state of objects (e.g., vessels, food, garments). The verb is used in both qal (stative: be clean) and pi``el/hiphil (causative: declare/purify/make clean) stems. In exilic and post-exilic texts, the concept expands beyond material/ritual to a more internal, moral sphere, as seen in Psalms and Prophets, where purification of the heart or spirit is sought. The English translation 'clean' can obscure the precise distinction between ritual and moral/ethical usages. טָהֵר is distinct from חָסֵד (ḥesed, loyalty/faithfulness) or צָדִיק (tsadiq, righteous), which connote ethical/moral character, while טָהֵר specifically emphasizes absence or removal of impurity. Over time, the term's usage broadened, but its foundation remains tied to the priestly system's definitions of fitness for sacred contact or community involvement. In later periods, concepts of טָהֺרָה (tahorah, purity) moved fully into both the ethical and ritual domains, but in the Hebrew Bible, ritual purity is primary.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, to be bright; i.e. (by implication); to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy); be (make, make self, pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify(-ier, self).
Bantu Hebrew
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טהר (ṭ-h-r) — to be pure, to be clean, to be free from impurity
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2889 | טָהוֹר | in the pure one |
| H2890 | טְהוֹר | ritually pure |
| H2892 | טֹהַר | for purity |
| H2893 | טׇהֳרָה | in his ritual purity |
Word Forms
48 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2891-40 |
וְ/טָהֵֽר | vetaher | HC/Vqq3ms |
and he shall be clean | and he became pure | 13 |
H2891-03 |
הַ/מִּטַּהֵ֛ר | hamitaher | HTd/Vtrmsa |
of the one being cleansed | the one purifying himself | 11 |
H2891-46 |
וְ/טִהֲר֤/וֹ | vetiharo | HC/Vpq3ms/Sp3ms |
and shall pronounce him clean | and he purified him | 6 |
H2891-11 |
לְ/טַהֵ֣ר | letaher | HR/Vpc |
to cleanse | to purify | 5 |
H2891-48 |
יִטְהַ֤ר | yitehar | HVqi3ms |
he shall be clean | he will be pure | 5 |
H2891-42 |
וְ/טִהַ֖ר | vetihar | HC/Vpq3ms |
and he shall pronounce clean | and he purified | 5 |
H2891-23 |
תִטְהֲרִ֔י | titehari | HVqi2fs |
will you be made clean | you will be pure | 2 |
H2891-30 |
וַֽ/יְטַהֲרוּ֙ | vayetaharu | HC/Vpw3mp |
and they purified | and they purified | 2 |
H2891-45 |
וְ/טִ֣הַרְתִּ֔י/ם | vetiharetim | HC/Vpq1cs/Sp3mp |
and-I-will-cleanse-them | and I purified them | 2 |
H2891-47 |
וְ/טִהֲר֥וּ | vetiharu | HC/Vpq3cp |
and-they-shall-purify | and they purified | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
95 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2891-36 |
Genesis 35:2 | וְ/הִֽטַּהֲר֔וּ | vehitaharu | HC/Vtv2mp |
and purify yourselves | and purify yourselves |
H2891-40 |
Leviticus 11:32 | וְ/טָהֵֽר | vetaher | HC/Vqq3ms |
and it shall be clean | and he became pure |
H2891-38 |
Leviticus 12:7 | וְ/טָהֲרָ֖ה | vetaharah | HC/Vqq3fs |
and she shall be clean | and she became pure |
H2891-41 |
Leviticus 12:8 | וְ/טָהֵֽרָה | vetaherah | HC/Vqq3fs |
and-she shall be clean | and she became pure |
H2891-46 |
Leviticus 13:6 | וְ/טִהֲר֤/וֹ | vetiharo | HC/Vpq3ms/Sp3ms |
and shall pronounce him clean | and he purified him |
H2891-40 |
Leviticus 13:6 | וְ/טָהֵֽר | vetaher | HC/Vqq3ms |
and be clean | and he became pure |
H2891-42 |
Leviticus 13:13 | וְ/טִהַ֖ר | vetihar | HC/Vpq3ms |
and he shall pronounce clean | and he purified |
H2891-42 |
Leviticus 13:17 | וְ/טִהַ֧ר | vetihar | HC/Vpq3ms |
and shall pronounce clean | and he purified |
H2891-46 |
Leviticus 13:23 | וְ/טִהֲר֖/וֹ | vetiharo | HC/Vpq3ms/Sp3ms |
and shall pronounce him clean | and he purified him |
H2891-46 |
Leviticus 13:28 | וְ/טִֽהֲר/וֹ֙ | vetiharo | HC/Vpq3ms/Sp3ms |
and shall pronounce him clean | and he purified him |