טָמֵא (ta.me)
ta.me
unclean
H:AQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 72 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:A
Word Overview
The Hebrew word ṭāmēʾ describes a state of being unclean, impure, or defiled. It functions as an adjective applied to people, animals, objects, and even places. The sources indicate it covers both ritual uncleanness, such as that caused by contact with certain animals or bodily discharges, and ethical pollution, like the defilement of a land through wickedness.
This term stands in direct opposition to ṭāhōr, meaning clean or pure. Its usage is central to the legal codes in Leviticus and Numbers, where it determines who may participate in worship and what items are fit for use. For instance, Leviticus 11 lists specific animals as ṭāmēʾ, marking them as unfit for food, while Leviticus 13 addresses skin diseases that render a person ritually unclean.
The word carries significant theological weight by establishing boundaries between the holy and the common. It is not merely about physical hygiene but about maintaining a state of readiness to approach God. Translators often render it as "unclean" or "defiled," capturing the idea that certain conditions temporarily separate individuals from full participation in the community’s religious life.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word for unclean marks a boundary between what is holy and what is common. In ancient Israel, this was not about hygiene but about spiritual readiness to approach God. It reminded the people that sin and death create separation from the divine presence.
For your faith today, this concept highlights the seriousness of holiness. It shows that God desires a community set apart for His purposes. When you read these laws, see them as a picture of how deeply God values purity in heart and action.
This word invites you to consider what separates you from God. It points to the need for cleansing and restoration. Through Christ, believers are made clean and brought near to God again.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 72 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [is] unclean23×
- unclean16×
- [are] unclean7×
- unclean [thing]3×
- the/ unclean [thing]3×
- the/ unclean3×
- <the>/ unclean3×
- unclean of2×
- the/ unclean [person]2×
- unclean!1×
- unclean [food]1×
- the/ unclean [things]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- טָמֵ֥א16×
- טָמֵ֖א7×
- טָמֵ֣א5×
- טְמֵאִ֥ים5×
- הַ/טָּמֵ֖א5×
- טָמֵֽא\׃4×
- טְמֵאָ֥ה2×
- טְמֵאָ֗ה2×
- טְמֵאָ֔ה2×
- טְמֵא\־2×
- הַ/טָּמֵ֤א2×
- הַ/טָּמֵ֔א2×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 10:10
You are to make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.
This verse establishes the priestly duty to distinguish between holy and common, showing that understanding this word is essential for proper worship.
-
Leviticus 13:45
“The leper in whom the plague is shall wear torn clothes, and the hair of his head shall hang loose. He shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’
Here the term describes a visible state of separation, requiring the individual to cry out their condition as a public witness to spiritual reality.
-
Leviticus 11:8
You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.
This occurrence links physical contact with defilement, illustrating how sin contaminates even what we touch and use in daily life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Hebrew word for unclean mean?
How is this different from sin?
Where does this word appear most?
Every Occurrence (72 verses across 14 books)
Leviticus 38 verses
“‘Or if anyone touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean…
Leviticus 7:19“‘The meat that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. As for the meat, everyone…
Leviticus 7:21When anyone touches any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean animal, or any unclean abomination, and…
Leviticus 10:10You are to make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.
Leviticus 11:4“‘Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because it…
Leviticus 11:5The hyrax, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:6The hare, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:7The pig, because it has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:8You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:26“‘Every animal which has a split hoof that isn’t completely divided, or doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you.…
Leviticus 11:27Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches their…
Leviticus 11:28He who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:29“‘These are they which are unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the weasel, the rat, any…
Leviticus 11:31These are they which are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean…
Leviticus 11:35Everything whereupon part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken…
Leviticus 11:38But if water is put on the seed, and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:47to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living…
Leviticus 13:11it is a chronic leprosy in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He shall not isolate him,…
Leviticus 13:15The priest shall examine the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean: the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy.
Leviticus 13:36then the priest shall examine him; and behold, if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest shall not look for the…
Leviticus 13:44he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean. His plague is on his head.
Leviticus 13:45“The leper in whom the plague is shall wear torn clothes, and the hair of his head shall hang loose. He shall cover his…
Leviticus 13:46All the days in which the plague is in him he shall be unclean. He is unclean. He shall dwell alone. His dwelling shall…
Leviticus 13:51He shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the…
Leviticus 13:55Then the priest shall examine it, after the plague is washed; and behold, if the plague hasn’t changed its color, and…
Leviticus 14:40then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the plague, and cast them into an unclean place…
Leviticus 14:41He shall cause the inside of the house to be scraped all over. They shall pour out the mortar that they scraped off…
Leviticus 14:44then the priest shall come in and look; and behold, if the plague has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew…
Leviticus 14:45He shall break down the house, its stones, and its timber, and all the house’s mortar. He shall carry them out of the…
Leviticus 14:57to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean. This is the law of leprosy.
Leviticus 15:2“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, because of his discharge…
Leviticus 15:25“‘If a woman has a discharge of her blood many days not in the time of her period, or if she has a discharge beyond the…
Leviticus 15:26Every bed she lies on all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her period. Everything she sits on…
Leviticus 15:33and of her who has her period, and of a man or woman who has a discharge, and of him who lies with her who is unclean.
Leviticus 20:25“‘You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the…
Leviticus 22:4“‘Whoever of the offspring of Aaron is a leper or has a discharge shall not eat of the holy things until he is clean.…
Leviticus 27:11If it is any unclean animal, of which they do not offer as an offering to Yahweh, then he shall set the animal before…
Leviticus 27:27If it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back according to your valuation, and shall add to it the fifth part…