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תֶּמַח

𐤕𐤌𐤇

Temach

H8547 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain, possibly a personal or clan name

Definition

A proper name designating an individual or family group among the Nethinim, a class of temple servants described in the post-exilic books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The name denotes a specific group returning from Babylonian exile, but its literal meaning is unknown due to uncertain etymology.

Semantic Range

proper name of a Nethinim family; designation of a post-exilic temple servant group; the head or progenitor of a family line

Root / Etymology

etymology uncertain. The name תֶּמַח does not have a demonstrable Hebrew root, and scholarly attempts to link it to Hebrew or foreign etymologies remain inconclusive.

Historical & Contextual Notes

תֶּמַח appears exclusively in post-exilic lists enumerating families of the Nethinim who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:53; Nehemiah 7:55). The Nethinim were a distinct social group assigned to work in the temple precincts from the monarchic period onward, with their precise origins and status somewhat ambiguous. The use of תֶּמַח as a family or progenitor’s name reflects socio-religious realities of post-exilic Yehud, where reestablishing temple personnel was key. The name may have non-Hebrew, possibly foreign, origins, illustrating the diversity among Nethinim families. In English versions, Temach or Temah is used, and the name is sometimes rendered as 'Tamah' or 'Thamah' in Septuagint and Vulgate traditions; these are attempts to vocalize a name whose precise meaning was lost by the early Second Temple period. No known person by this name outside these genealogical lists, and the meaning is not clarified elsewhere.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; Temach, one of the Nethinim; Tamah, Thamah.

Bantu Hebrew

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

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Root Family

uncertain (uncertain) — uncertain, possibly personal or clan designation

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar
H1114 בִּלְשָׁן Bilshan
H1150 בִּנְעָא Bin'a
H116 אֱדַיִן and then

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8547-01 תָֽמַח tamach HNp Temah Temach 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8547-01 Ezra 2:53 תָֽמַח tamach HNp Temah Temach
H8547-01 Nehemiah 7:55 תָֽמַח tamach HNp Temah Temach
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