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תָּמָר

𐤕𐤌𐤓

tâmâr

H8558 noun

SILEX Entry

Root תמר to be upright, to stand tall, to be erect

Definition

Date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera), a large, erect, fruit-bearing tree native to arid regions; frequently a symbol of beauty, uprightness, or prosperity. Used both for the physical tree, its trunk, and, occasionally, for its fruit.

Semantic Range

date palm tree, palm trunk, place name associated with palms, symbolic usage for stature or righteousness, personal name

Root / Etymology

Root is תמר (t-m-r), probably meaning 'to be upright, stand tall, be erect,' although the attested verbal form does not occur in Biblical Hebrew; the noun derives from the visual stance of the palm tree. The feminine noun form is primary in Hebrew.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term תָּמָר referred specifically to the date palm, which was prominent in the ancient southern Levant and associated with oasis agriculture. In the patriarchal and monarchic periods, the palm was valued for its edible dates, shade, and materials for construction. The name occurs as a place name (e.g., Elim in Exodus, City of Palms in Deuteronomy and Judges, likely Jericho), reflecting the palm's prevalence in those areas, and as a personal name (notably, Tamar in Genesis and 2 Samuel). Symbolically, the palm came to represent qualities such as uprightness and grace (Psalms 92:13), and appears in temple iconography (e.g., wall carvings in 1 Kings 6–7 and Ezekiel 40–41). English translations usually render תָּמָר as 'palm tree,' but this can obscure some nuances, such as symbolic or toponymic uses. Later Hebrew and other Semitic languages (e.g., Aramaic, Arabic) preserve the association with both tree and fruit.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to be erect; a palm tree; palm (tree).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

תמר (t-m-r) — uprightness, standing tall, erect stature

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H559 אָמַר palm-tree of
H8412 תַּדְמֹר Palm-City Tadmor
H8490 תִּימָרָה like upright columns of
H8559 תָּמָר to Palm-tree
H8560 תֹּמֶר palm-trunk

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8558-05 תְּמָרִ֑ים temarim HNcmpa palm trees date palms 4
H8558-01 הַ/תְּמָרִ֖ים hatemarim HTd/Ncmpa of Palms the date palms 4
H8558-02 כַּ/תָּמָ֣ר katamar HRd/Ncmsa like a palm tree like a date palm 1
H8558-06 בְ/תָמָ֔ר vetamar HR/Ncmsa on-the-palm date palm 1
H8558-04 תָּמָ֣ר tamar HNcmsa palm Palm-Tree 1
H8558-03 לְ/תָמָ֔ר letamar HR/Ncmsa to a palm tree to Tamar-Palm 1

Occurrences in Scripture

12 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8558-05 Exodus 15:27 תְּמָרִ֑ים temarim HNcmpa palm trees date palms
H8558-05 Leviticus 23:40 תְּמָרִ֔ים temarim HNcmpa of-palm-trees date palms
H8558-05 Numbers 33:9 תְּמָרִ֖ים temarim HNcmpa palm trees date palms
H8558-01 Deuteronomy 34:3 הַ/תְּמָרִ֖ים hatemarim HTd/Ncmpa of palm trees the date palms
H8558-01 Judges 1:16 הַ/תְּמָרִים֙ hatemarim HTd/Ncmpa of Palms the date palms
H8558-01 Judges 3:13 הַ/תְּמָרִֽים hatemarim HTd/Ncmpa the palm trees the date palms
H8558-04 Joel 1:12 תָּמָ֣ר tamar HNcmsa palm Palm-Tree
H8558-02 Psalms 92:13 כַּ/תָּמָ֣ר katamar HRd/Ncmsa like a palm tree like a date palm
H8558-03 Song of Songs 7:8 לְ/תָמָ֔ר letamar HR/Ncmsa to a palm tree to Tamar-Palm
H8558-06 Song of Songs 7:9 בְ/תָמָ֔ר vetamar HR/Ncmsa on-the-palm date palm
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