לַ/טָּמֵ֔א
𐤋/𐤈𐤌𐤀
ṭâmêʼ
for the unclean
In a ritual or cultic context, 'ṭāmêʼ' means unclean, impure—designating a person, animal, object, or food that is ritually or ceremonially unsuitable for sacred use or participation in religious acts due to contact with certain substances, conditions, or actions. It can also denote a state of impurity resulting from transgression of ritual boundaries, contact with the dead, particular diseases, or emissions. While the term often carries technical cultic meaning, it can be extended metaphorically to moral or social pollution, though the primary sense remains ritual.
temba "fault, blame, accusation" (Kikongo) · tembe "blemish, fault, stain, impurity" (Lingala)Numbers 19:17 · Word #2
Lexicon H2931
| Lemma | טָמֵא |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤈𐤌𐤀 |
| Transliteration | ṭâmêʼ |
| Strong's | H2931 |
| Definition | In a ritual or cultic context, 'ṭāmêʼ' means unclean, impure—designating a person, animal, object, or food that is ritually or ceremonially unsuitable for sacred use or participation in religious acts due to contact with certain substances, conditions, or actions. It can also denote a state of impurity resulting from transgression of ritual boundaries, contact with the dead, particular diseases, or emissions. While the term often carries technical cultic meaning, it can be extended metaphorically to moral or social pollution, though the primary sense remains ritual. |
Morphology HRd/Aamsa
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | A — Adjective — Describes a noun |
| Subtype | a — Adjective — Adjective |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
| State | a — Absolute — The noun stands independently |
Common Translation
| Phrase | for the unclean |
SIBI-P1 Translation H2931-06
for the ritually unclean one
| Morphological Notes | Preposition לַ (to/for the) + adjective masculine singular absolute טָמֵא with definite article assimilation; denotes a single male or grammatically masculine entity in a state of ritual impurity. |
| Rendering Rationale | The adjective טָמֵא denotes a state of ritual impurity; rendered as "ritually unclean" to preserve its cultic sense. The prefixed לַ with assimilated definite article yields "for the," and the masculine singular form is reflected in "one." |
View full lexicon entry for H2931 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
for the ritually unclean one
| Same as P1 | Yes |
| Rationale | P1 is sufficiently accurate and matches both context and the silex_definition for the designation of an impure person; kept as is. |
Bantu Hebrew
לַ/טָּמֵ֔א (ṭâmêʼ) — In a ritual or cultic context, 'ṭāmêʼ' means unclean, impure—designating a person, animal, object, or food that is ritually or ceremonially unsuitable for sacred use or participation in religious acts due to contact with certain substances, conditions, or actions. It can also denote a state of impurity resulting from transgression of ritual boundaries, contact with the dead, particular diseases, or emissions. While the term often carries technical cultic meaning, it can be extended metaphorically to moral or social pollution, though the primary sense remains ritual.