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טָמֵא

𐤈𐤌𐤀

ṭâmêʼ

H2931 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root טמא to be unclean, to become impure, to be ritually defiled

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.

Semantic Range

ritually unclean; impure; defiled (in a cultic/ritual context); unclean person, animal, object, or food; unsuited for sacred space; sometimes metaphorically polluted or morally corrupt

Root / Etymology

Root ט-מ-א (ṭ-m-ʼ), meaning 'to be or become unclean, impure (especially in a ritual sense).' The adjectival form טָמֵא derives directly from this root, expressing the result or persistent state of ritual impurity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The adjective טָמֵא is predominantly used in priestly and legal texts (especially Leviticus and Numbers) to establish and regulate boundaries around purity required for participation in communal worship and proximity to sancta. The concept of 'uncleanness' is fundamentally about ritual status rather than inherent moral or physical state, primarily concerned with eligibility to enter sacred spaces or partake in offerings. Objects, animals, and even places can also be described with טָמֵא, marking them as excluded from sanctified use until they undergo prescribed cleansing processes. In post-exilic usage, the boundary between ritual and ethical impurity sometimes blurs, but the primary meaning remains ritual. Later Jewish and Christian translations sometimes render the term as 'unclean' or 'defiled,' and in some cases as 'polluted,' but these English words may also carry modern connotations not present in the Hebrew. The term stands in complementary opposition to טָהוֹר (ṭāhôr, 'clean, pure'), which denotes fitness for religious engagement. Notably, 'uncleanness' does not automatically imply sinfulness or wickedness but rather an expected state in various life circumstances (e.g., after childbirth, during menstruation, after caring for the dead).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from טָמֵא; foul in a religious sense; defiled, [phrase] infamous, polluted(-tion), unclean.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

טמא (ṭ-m-ʾ) — to be unclean, to become impure, to be ritually defiled

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2930 טָמֵא in defiling you
H2932 טֻמְאָה in ritual-impurity of
H2933 טָמָה we became defiled

Word Forms

16 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2931-09 טָמֵא֒ tame HAamsa unclean ritually unclean 41
H2931-02 הַ/טָּמֵ֖א hatame HTd/Aamsa the unclean the ritually unclean one 11
H2931-11 טְמֵאָ֗ה temeah HAafsa unclean ritually unclean 9
H2931-13 טְמֵאִ֥ים temeim HAampa unclean ritually unclean ones 8
H2931-10 טְמֵא teme HAamsc of unclean ritually-unclean of 4
H2931-12 טְמֵאַ֣ת temeat HAafsc unclean ritually unclean of 2
H2931-04 הַ/טְּמֵאִ֥ים hatemeim HTd/Aampa are the unclean ones the ritually unclean ones 2
H2931-16 וְ/טָמֵ֥א vetame HC/Aamsa and unclean and he became ritually unclean 2
H2931-03 הַ/טְּמֵאָה֙ hatemeah HTd/Aafsa the unclean the ritually unclean (feminine) 2
H2931-07 לַ/טְּמֵאָ֔ה latemeah HRd/Aafsa and the unclean to the ritually unclean one (feminine) 1

Occurrences in Scripture

88 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2931-09 Leviticus 5:2 טָמֵא֒ tame HAamsa unclean ritually unclean
H2931-11 Leviticus 5:2 טְמֵאָ֗ה temeah HAafsa unclean ritually unclean
H2931-11 Leviticus 5:2 טְמֵאָ֔ה temeah-2 HAafsa unclean ritually unclean
H2931-09 Leviticus 5:2 טָמֵ֑א tame-2 HAamsa unclean ritually unclean
H2931-09 Leviticus 5:2 טָמֵ֖א tame-3 HAamsa unclean ritually unclean
H2931-09 Leviticus 7:19 טָמֵא֙ tame HAamsa unclean thing ritually unclean
H2931-09 Leviticus 7:21 טָמֵ֗א tame HAamsa unclean ritually unclean
H2931-11 Leviticus 7:21 טְמֵאָ֗ה temeah HAafsa unclean ritually unclean
H2931-09 Leviticus 7:21 טָמֵ֔א tame-2 HAamsa unclean ritually unclean
H2931-02 Leviticus 10:10 הַ/טָּמֵ֖א hatame HTd/Aamsa the unclean the ritually unclean one
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