H2930. tame

I. טָמֵא‎ verb be or become unclean (Late Hebrew Pi`el pollute (ceremonially); Aramaic טְמָא‎ and especially derivatives, Pa`el pollute; see RS^{K 307 ff.}) —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳ט‎ Leviticus 11:25 22t.; 3 feminine singular טָֽמְאָה‎ 12:2 2t.; 2 feminine singular טָמֵאת‎ Ezekiel 22:4; plural טָֽמְאוּ‎ Leviticus 15:18; Imperfect יִטְמָא‎ 5:3 34t.; 3 feminine singular תִּטְמָא‎ 12:2 4t.; plural יִטְמְאוּ‎ Psalm 106:39; Infinitive טָמְאָה‎ Leviticus 15:32 6t.; — be or become unclean:

1 sexually, with בְּ‎ Leviticus 18:20, 23 (H), Ezekiel 23:17; the land Leviticus 18:25, 27 (H).

2 religiously, with idols Ezekiel 22:3; with בְ‎ 22:4; with necromancers Leviticus 19:31 (H); by sacrificing children to idols Psalm 106:39.

3 ceremonially, by contact with carcasses of unclean animals Leviticus 11:24, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34 (twice in verse); 11:35-36, 40 (P); any carcass 17:15 (H); eating of a carcass 22:8 (H); by issues 15:4, 9, 20 (twice in verse); 15:24, 27, 32 (P); by contact with an unclean man 5:3; 15:4 (P), 22:5 (H), or thing 22:6 (H); by leprosy 13:14, 46; 14:36, 46 (P); by contact with the dead Numbers 6:12; 19:20 (P), Ezekiel 44:25, or with one unclean by such contact Numbers 19:22 (P), Haggai 2:13 (twice in verse); by contact with creeping things Leviticus 22:5 (H); certain animals were always unclean 11:26-27, (P). In ordinary cases of uncleanness הערב עד טמא‎ unclean till even 11:24-25, 27, 28, 31, 32, 39, 40 (twice in verse); 14:46; 15:5; 15:6; 15:7; 15:8; 15:10 (twice in verse); 15:11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 27; Numbers 19:7; 19:8; 19:10; 19:21; 19:22 (all P), Leviticus 17:15; 22:6 (H); but uncleanness lasted 7 days for woman bearings a son 12:2 (twice in verse) (P), for lying with woman having an issue 15:24 (P), or one coming in contact with the dead Numbers 19:11, 14, 16 (P); it lasted 14 days for a woman bearing a daughter Leviticus 12:5 (P).

Niph`al Perfect3masculine singular נִטְמָא‎ Hosea 5:3; 6:10; 3feminine singular נִטְמְאָה‎ Numbers 5:27-28, נִטְמָ֑אָה‎ 5:13 5t.; 1 singular נִטְמֵאתִי‎ Jeremiah 2:23; 2masculine plural נִטְמֵתֶם‎ Leviticus 11:43 (א‎ omitted by scribal error; but Ges and others derive from טמה‎), etc. + 4 t. perfect; Participle plural נִטְמְאִים‎ Ezekiel 20:30-31, — defile oneself, be defiled:

1 sexually, Leviticus 18:24 (H), Numbers 5:13-14, (twice in verse); 5:20, 27, 28, 29 (P).

2 by idolatry conceived as whoredom Hosea 5:3; 6:10; Jeremiah 2:23; Ezekiel 20:30-31, 43; 23:7, 13, 30.

3 ceremonially, by eating creeping things Leviticus 11:43.

4 be regarded as unclean (compare Pi`el 4), probably נִטְמִינִוּ‎ Job 18:3 we are accounted as unclean; metal. from; on another view see טמה‎.

Pi`el Perfect טִמֵּא‎ Genesis 34:5 15t.; suffix טִמְּאוֺ‎ Leviticus 13:8 3t.; 2 feminine singular טִמֵּאת‎ Ezekiel 5:11, etc. + 7 t. Perfect; Imperfect יְטַמֵּא‎ 2 Kings 23:8, etc. + 12 t. Imperfect; Imperative plural טַמְּאוּ‎ Ezekiel 9:7; Infinitive טַמֵּא‎ Leviticus 13:44 2t.; suffix טַמְּאָם‎ 15:31, etc. + 4 t. Infinitive; — defile:

1 sexually Genesis 34:5, 13, 27 (R), Ezekiel 18:6, 11, 15; 22:11; 33:26; the land by sexual impurities of the people Leviticus 18:28 (H); Israel by spiritual whoredom Ezekiel 23:17.

2 religiously: the land by bloodshed Numbers 35:34 (P); by allowing the dead body of the murderer to hang on the tree over night Deuteronomy 21:23; by idolatry Jeremiah 2:7; Ezekiel 36:17-18, Israel defiled the sacred places by the sacrifice of children Leviticus 20:3 (H), Ezekiel 23:38, and God defiled him thereby 20:26; he defileth the sacred places by idolatry 2 Chronicles 36:14; Jeremiah 7:30 = 32:34, Ezekiel 5:11; the holy name of ׳י‎ 43:7-8, Josiah defiled the idolatrous places of worship by destroying them and making them unfit for use 2 Kings 23:8, 10, 13, 16; of Israel defiling idolatrous images Isaiah 30:22, and the nations the temple of God Psalm 79:1.

3 ceremonially: by ceremonial uncleanness, the sacred places Leviticus 15:31; Numbers 19:13, 20 (P); the camp 5:3 (P); the temple by dead bodies Ezekiel 9:7; the Nazirite's head of separation by a death occurring in his presence Numbers 6:9 (P); the people defile themselves (נפשׁתיכם‎) by creeping things Leviticus 11:44 (P).

4 pronounce or declare ceremonially unclean: the leper Leviticus 13:3, 8, 11, 15, 20, 22, 25, 27, 30, 44 (twice in verse); 13:59 (P); unclean animals 20:25 (H).

Pu`al Participle מְטֻמָּאָה לֹא נַפְשִׁי‎ Ezekiel 4:14 myself is not polluted.

Hithpa`el Imperfect יִטַּמָּא‎ Leviticus 21:1 4t.; plural יִטַּמְּאוּ‎ Ezekiel 14:11; 37:23; יִטַּמָּ֑אוּ‎ Hosea 9:4; Ezekiel 44:25, etc. + 6 t. Imperfect — reflexive, defile oneself: by eating of an unaccepted peace-offering Hosea 9:4; with בְּ‎ Leviticus 18:24, 30 (H), 11:43 (P), Ezekiel 14:11; 20:7, 18; 37:23; with לְ‎ for a dead person Leviticus 21:1, 3, 11 (H), Numbers 6:7 (P); by Leviticus 11:24 (P); without preposition 21:4 (H), Ezekiel 44:25.

Hothpa`al Perfect חֻטַּמָּ֑אָה אֲשֶׁר אַחֲרֵי‎ Deuteronomy 24:4 after that she has been defiled (sexually); on form see Ges^{§ 54}. 3.

טָמְאָה‎ noun feminine uncleanness (טָֽמְאָה‎, Bear, seems to rest upon a misinterpretation of the form) Micah 2:10 (so Thes MV SS); of ethical uncleanness, from wrong-doing.