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טָמֵא

𐤈𐤌𐤀

ṭâmêʼ

H2930 verb

SILEX Entry

Root טמא to be(come) unclean, to defile, to bring impurity

Definition

To be or become ritually unclean (impure), to be in a state of impurity, or to render someone or something ritually impure. The verb conveys entrance into a state that restricts participation in certain Israelite cultic practices or contact with holy objects and spaces, primarily due to physical contact with substances, persons, or situations regarded as sources of impurity. In additional contexts, the verb can be used for actions that render someone or something morally unacceptable or abominable, but the primary focus is ritual status.

Semantic Range

to become ritually unclean, to be in a state of impurity, to render someone or something ritually unclean, to be rendered unsuitable for sacred use, to describe moral abomination (in later or figurative contexts), to declare or pronounce unclean, to pollute or profane in a cultic sense

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root טמא, which fundamentally denotes the idea of being or becoming unclean or impure, primarily in a ritual sense. The verbal forms most often indicate the entering into, existing in, or causing of such a state.

Historical & Contextual Notes

טָמֵא is a central term in the Israelite purity system, used extensively in Leviticus and Numbers, and often paired with טָהוֹר (ṭāhôr, 'clean, pure') as its antonym. The root and its derivatives are almost exclusively concerned with cultic or legal categories having to do with one's eligibility for participation in the sacred communal life of Israel, more than personal hygiene or physical cleanliness. The sources of impurity may include bodily discharges, contact with corpses or certain animals, or skin diseases, among others. Although some post-biblical (later Second Temple or rabbinic) uses develop a greater emphasis on moral impurity, in the Hebrew Bible the primary concern is with ritual status and community boundaries. Standard English translations sometimes conflate ritual impurity with moral guilt, but the biblical categories distinguish between these. In narrative or later literary contexts, the verb can figuratively signify moral abomination or pollution, but this is secondary to its ritual meaning. Key occurrences are found in the priestly laws of Leviticus, narrative consequences (e.g., for those who touch the dead), and in the prophets' rhetorical use to describe Israel's collective violation of covenantal purity.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated); defile (self), pollute (self), be (make, make self, pronounce) unclean, [idiom] utterly.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

טמא (ṭ-m-ʾ) — ritual uncleanness, impurity, defilement

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2931 טָמֵא in a ritually-unclean state
H2932 טֻמְאָה in ritual-impurity of
H2933 טָמָה we became defiled

Word Forms

52 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2930-52 יִטְמָ֖א yitema HVqi3ms shall be unclean he becomes unclean 34
H2930-40 וְ/טָמֵ֥א vetame HC/Vqq3ms and be unclean and he became unclean 22
H2930-23 טִמֵּא֙ time HVpp3ms he has defiled he made unclean 9
H2930-43 וְ/טִמֵּ֥א vetime HC/Vpq3ms then he shall pronounce unclean and he rendered unclean 7
H2930-06 לְ/טָמְאָה letameah HR/Vqc for defilement to become unclean 7
H2930-49 יִטַּמָּ֖א yitama HVti3ms defile himself he will make himself unclean 5
H2930-10 נִטְמָ֑אָה nitemaah HVNp3fs has defiled she has become ritually unclean 5
H2930-44 וְ/טִמְּא֥/וֹ vetimeo HC/Vpq3ms/Sp3ms then he shall pronounce him unclean and he defiled him 4
H2930-28 תִּטַּמָּ֑אוּ titamau HVti2mp defile yourselves you will defile yourselves 3
H2930-17 טַמֵּ֧א tame HVpa he was defiled ritually impure 3

Occurrences in Scripture

162 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2930-23 Genesis 34:5 טִמֵּא֙ time HVpp3ms had defiled he made unclean
H2930-23 Genesis 34:13 טִמֵּ֔א time HVpp3ms he had defiled he made unclean
H2930-26 Genesis 34:27 טִמְּא֖וּ timeu HVpp3cp had defiled they have made unclean
H2930-52 Leviticus 5:3 יִטְמָ֖א yitema HVqi3ms one becomes defiled he becomes unclean
H2930-28 Leviticus 11:24 תִּטַּמָּ֑אוּ titamau HVti2mp you shall defile yourselves you will defile yourselves
H2930-52 Leviticus 11:24 יִטְמָ֥א yitema HVqi3ms he shall be unclean he becomes unclean
H2930-40 Leviticus 11:25 וְ/טָמֵ֥א vetame HC/Vqq3ms and be unclean and he became unclean
H2930-52 Leviticus 11:26 יִטְמָֽא yitema HVqi3ms shall be unclean he becomes unclean
H2930-52 Leviticus 11:27 יִטְמָ֥א yitema HVqi3ms shall be unclean he becomes unclean
H2930-40 Leviticus 11:28 וְ/טָמֵ֣א vetame HC/Vqq3ms and be unclean and he became unclean
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