### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **ṭâmêʼ**, represented by `{{H2931}}`, functions as a critical term for that which is **foul in a religious sense**. It appears 87 times across 78 unique verses, signifying its importance in biblical law and theology. Its meaning covers states of being defiled, polluted, infamous, and ceremonially unclean, setting a sharp contrast with what is considered holy and pure.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the biblical narrative, `{{H2931}}` is used to define ritual, moral, and physical states of impurity. In a ceremonial context, individuals with leprosy were declared **unclean** and required to cry out this status to others, living in isolation outside the camp [[Leviticus 13:45-46]]. Specific animals, such as the swine, were designated as **unclean** and forbidden for consumption [[Leviticus 11:7]]. The term also extends to a state of moral defilement, as when the prophet Isaiah, in the presence of God, cries out that he is "a man of **unclean** lips" [[Isaiah 6:5]]. Furthermore, it can describe a land that is polluted [[Amos 7:17]] or a person defiled by contact with a dead body [[Numbers 9:6]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words expand upon the concept of defilement and its opposite, purity:
* `{{H2930}}` **ṭâmêʼ** (to be foul, defile): This is the primitive root from which `{{H2931}}` is derived. It is the verb form describing the action or state of becoming unclean, such as when a person is pronounced "utterly **unclean**" by a priest [[Leviticus 13:44]] or when touching a carcass makes one **unclean** until evening [[Leviticus 11:28]].
* `{{H2932}}` **ṭumʼâh** (religious impurity): This noun refers to the state of uncleanness itself. It is used to describe the "uncleanness of man" [[Leviticus 7:21]] and is often paired with `{{H2931}}`, as in the case of one who remains **unclean** because "his **uncleanness** is yet upon him" [[Numbers 19:13]].
* `{{H2889}}` **ṭâhôwr** (clean, pure): This word is the direct antonym of `{{H2931}}`. The law repeatedly emphasizes the need to distinguish between the **unclean** and the **clean** [[Leviticus 10:10]], a duty specifically assigned to the priests [[Ezekiel 44:23]].
* `{{H2455}}` **chôl** (common, profane, unholy): Often used in parallel with `{{H2931}}`, this term distinguishes the profane from the holy, just as **unclean** is distinguished from clean [[Ezekiel 22:26]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H2931}}` is immense, establishing a framework for understanding holiness and sin.
* **A Barrier to God's Presence:** A state of being **unclean** served as a strict barrier to community worship and access to holy things. The **unclean** were forbidden from entering the house of the LORD [[2 Chronicles 23:19]], and a future "Way of Holiness" is described as a path the **unclean** cannot pass over [[Isaiah 35:8]].
* **Symbol of Human Fallenness:** The concept moves beyond ritual to describe humanity's inherent moral condition before a holy God. Job asks, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an **unclean**?" [[Job 14:4]], and Isaiah states, "we are all as an **unclean** thing" [[Isaiah 64:6]], illustrating a universal state of defilement.
* **The Necessity of Divine Distinction:** God's law commands his people to make a clear separation between the **unclean** and the clean [[Leviticus 20:25]]. The failure of Israel's priests to teach this difference was a reason for judgment, as they "put no difference between the holy and profane... between the **unclean** and the clean" [[Ezekiel 22:26]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H2931}}` is far more than a simple ceremonial label. It is a cornerstone of Old Testament thought, defining the separation between the sacred and the profane, the holy and the common. It illustrates how a single word can convey a complex set of ideas, from dietary restrictions and physical maladies to the profound spiritual state of humanity in relation to a perfectly pure God.
TRV