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תָּמָר

𐤕𐤌𐤓

Tamar

H8559 noun

SILEX Entry

Root תמר to be upright, to stand tall, palm tree

Definition

A personal name and also a common noun meaning 'palm tree.' Used most often as a feminine personal name, indicating beauty or uprightness metaphorically associated with the palm. As a toponym, denotes a location named for its palm trees. The semantic range extends from literal reference to the date palm tree to metaphorical use in personal and place names.

Semantic Range

palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera); feminine personal name; place name; metaphor for beauty, stature, or uprightness

Root / Etymology

From the root תמר (t-m-r), meaning 'to be erect,' 'to be upright,' or 'to grow tall,' directly associated with the date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera). The noun תָּמָר primarily means 'palm tree' and is secondarily used as a personal and place name, derived from the root's association with the tall, upright habit of the tree.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, תָּמָר is used as a feminine given name for several women of significance: 1) Tamar, daughter-in-law of Judah (Genesis 38); 2) Tamar, daughter of King David (2 Samuel 13); 3) Tamar, daughter of Absalom (2 Samuel 14:27). Each name likely evokes the imagery of the palm, which was a symbol of fruitfulness, beauty, and stature in ancient Israelite culture. As a place name, תָּמָר refers to a site in the southern portion of Israelite territory, likely named for the prevalence of palm trees (Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28; 1 Kings 9:18, where it is also possibly identified with 'Tadmor' in 2 Chronicles 8:4, though this identification is debated). The distinction between the personal name and the common noun is contextually clear, but both draw on the palm tree's esteemed qualities in the ancient Levant. Later translations sometimes render the name as 'Tamar' without translating its meaning, while the common noun is rendered as 'palm tree.' Unlike the later English association with the flower 'tamarisk,' the biblical תָּמָר unequivocally refers to the date palm. The name persists in later Jewish and Judean personal nomenclature. The semantic development of this word remains stable throughout the biblical period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as תָּמָר; Tamar, the name of three women and a place; Tamar.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

תמר (t-m-r) — to be upright, to stand tall, palm tree

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H559 אָמַר palm-tree of
H8412 תַּדְמֹר Palm-City Tadmor
H8490 תִּימָרָה like upright columns of
H8558 תָּמָר the date palms
H8560 תֹּמֶר palm-trunk

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8559-03 תָּמָֽר tamar HNp Tamar Palm-Tree 18
H8559-02 מִ/תָּמָ֗ר mitamar HR/Np from Tamar from Palm-Tree 2
H8559-05 וְ/תָמָר֙ vetamar HC/Np and Tamar palm tree 2
H8559-01 לְ/תָמָ֨ר letamar HR/Np to Tamar to Palm-tree 2
H8559-04 תמר tmr HNp Tamar Palm-Tree 1

Occurrences in Scripture

25 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8559-03 Genesis 38:6 תָּמָֽר tamar HNp Tamar Palm-Tree
H8559-01 Genesis 38:11 לְ/תָמָ֨ר letamar HR/Np to Tamar to Palm-tree
H8559-03 Genesis 38:11 תָּמָ֔ר tamar HNp Tamar Palm-Tree
H8559-01 Genesis 38:13 לְ/תָמָ֖ר letamar HR/Np to Tamar to Palm-tree
H8559-03 Genesis 38:24 תָּמָ֣ר tamar HNp Tamar Palm-Tree
H8559-03 2 Samuel 13:1 תָּמָ֑ר tamar HNp Tamar Palm-Tree
H8559-03 2 Samuel 13:2 תָּמָ֣ר tamar HNp Tamar Palm-Tree
H8559-03 2 Samuel 13:4 תָּמָ֗ר tamar HNp Tamar Palm-Tree
H8559-03 2 Samuel 13:5 תָמָ֨ר tamar HNp Tamar Palm-Tree
H8559-03 2 Samuel 13:6 תָּמָ֣ר tamar HNp Tamar Palm-Tree
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