← H8541 H8543 →

תַּמּוּז

𐤕𐤌𐤅𐤆

Tamuz

H8542 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain (foreign name; no native Hebrew root)

Definition

Tammuz, the name of a deity associated with vegetation cycles, fertility, and seasonal death and rebirth, particularly known as a Babylonian and later Near Eastern god; in the Hebrew Bible, refers to the object of lamentation practices linked to dying-and-rising god motifs. The term denotes the deity Tammuz specifically, and by extension, related cultic observances.

Semantic Range

Tammuz (the deity); by extension, related cultic practices of mourning or worship; name of a month in later Near Eastern calendars (not attested as such in Hebrew Bible)

Root / Etymology

Likely borrowed directly from Akkadian Dumuzi (Sumerian Dumu.Zi), meaning 'faithful son,' though its deeper etymology is rooted in Mesopotamian languages and mythology, not clear Hebrew derivation. Not a native Semitic Hebrew root.

Historical & Contextual Notes

תַּמּוּז (Tammûz) appears in Ezekiel 8:14, where Israelite women are described as lamenting for Tammuz at the Temple, referencing fertility cults common in Mesopotamia and the Levant. This reflects post-exilic or exilic influence, as the Akkadian/Babylonian deity Dumuzi was central to Mesopotamian religion. Tammuz was associated with the annual cycle of vegetation—the dying and rising god motif. In later Near Eastern contexts, the name also became attached to the fourth month of the Babylonian calendar (corresponding to June–July), but this usage is not attested in the Hebrew Bible. English translations typically retain the name as 'Tammuz,' but sometimes add explanatory notes about his role as a fertility deity; traditional renderings as merely 'Tammuz' can obscure the broader mythological and cultic context of the word. The usage in Ezekiel marks a critique of syncretistic religious practices among Israelites during the Babylonian period. The word does not denote an Israelite or Judahite religious concept but an adopted foreign cult term.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; Tammuz, a Phoenician deity; Tammuz.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

— (—) — foreign proper name; Mesopotamian dying-and-rising deity

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H116 אֱדַיִן then
H133 אַדְמָתָא Admatha
H175 אַהֲרוֹן and in Aharon
H1834 דַּמֶּשֶׂק Damascus
H1867 דָּֽרְיָוֵשׁ Darius

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8542-01 הַ/תַּמּֽוּז hatamuz HTd/Np Tammuz the Tammuz 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8542-01 Ezekiel 8:14 הַ/תַּמּֽוּז hatamuz HTd/Np Tammuz the Tammuz
← H8541 Hebrew Lexicon H8543 →