וְ/טָמֵ֖א

𐤅/𐤈𐤌𐤀

ṭâmêʼ

shall be unclean

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.

H2930

Numbers 19:11 · Word #6

Lexicon H2930

Lemmaטָמֵא
Lemma (Paleo)𐤈𐤌𐤀
Transliterationṭâmêʼ
Strong'sH2930
DefinitionTo 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.

Morphology HC/Vqq3ms All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state
Binyan q — Qal — Simple active
Conjugation q — Sequential Perfect — Perfect with waw-consecutive, continuing a narrative
Person 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they")
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number s — Singular — Singular

Common Translation

Phraseshall be unclean

SIBI-P1 Translation H2930-40

and he became unclean

Morphological NotesVerb, Qal stem, sequential perfect (wayyiqtol), 3rd person masculine singular with prefixed conjunction וְ.
Rendering RationaleThe Qal stem expresses the simple action or entry into a state, here becoming ritually impure. The sequential perfect (3ms) with prefixed conjunction conveys a past narrative action: "and he became unclean," preserving both root meaning and masculine singular morphology.

View full lexicon entry for H2930 →

SILEX v2

SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)

and he shall be unclean

Same as P1No — adjusted for context
RationaleP1 'and he became unclean' is incorrect; the Hebrew form is imperfect, functioning modally here, indicating future/obligation ('shall be'), not a completed action.