### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Aramaic word **tâm**, represented by `{{H8536}}`, is a locational term meaning **there**. Appearing 4 times across 4 unique verses, it functions as an adverb to specify a place, corresponding to its Hebrew counterpart. It can also be used idiomatically to mean **thence** or **where**.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the book of Ezra, `{{H8536}}` is used to pinpoint specific locations central to royal decrees and the rebuilding of the temple. It identifies the "king's treasure **house** `{{H1005}}`, which is **there** at Babylon" `{{H895}}`, as the site for an official search [[Ezra 5:17]]. Similarly, it designates the "house of the rolls, **where** the treasures were laid up in Babylon" as another administrative location [[Ezra 6:1]]. The word is also used to command officials to keep their distance from the construction site, ordering them to be "far from **thence**" [[Ezra 6:6]]. Most significantly, it refers to the temple in Jerusalem as the place **there** where God has caused His name to dwell [[Ezra 6:12]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words help establish the context for the locations identified by **tâm**:
* `{{H1005}}` **bayith** (house): This Aramaic word for **house** is frequently the specific place referred to by `{{H8536}}`, such as the "king's treasure **house**" [[Ezra 5:17]] or the "**house** of God" [[Ezra 6:12]].
* `{{H3390}}` **Yᵉrûwshâlêm** (Jerusalem): The city that contains the most significant location pointed to by **tâm**. In a royal decree, "**there**" refers directly to the "house of God which is at **Jerusalem**" [[Ezra 6:12]].
* `{{H895}}` **Babel** (Babylon): The imperial center where royal archives were kept. The searches ordered by King Darius were to take place in a treasure house "**there** at **Babylon**" [[Ezra 5:17]].
### Theological Significance
While a simple adverb, the use of `{{H8536}}` carries contextual weight in the narrative of Ezra.
* **Designation of Sacred Space:** The word is used to affirm Jerusalem as the specific, divinely chosen site for God's house. The decree from Darius acknowledges this holy ground as the place "**there**" where God has caused His **name** `{{H8036}}` to **dwell** `{{H7932}}` [[Ezra 6:12]].
* **Intersection of Divine and Earthly Authority:** **Tâm** is used in decrees referring to both the king's treasure house in Babylon [[Ezra 5:17]] and God's house in Jerusalem [[Ezra 6:12]]. This links the earthly center of political power with the sacred center of divine presence, showing how a royal command issued "**there**" in one location directly impacts the holy site "**there**" in another.
* **Enforcement of Decrees:** The command for officials to be "far from **thence**" [[Ezra 6:6]] uses the word to establish a clear boundary, reinforcing the authority of the king's decree to protect the work being done at the temple.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H8536}}` **tâm** is a precise Aramaic adverb that, while infrequent, plays a crucial role in the legal and administrative language of Ezra. It moves beyond a simple locational marker to anchor royal decrees and theological affirmations to specific, significant places. Its use demonstrates how both earthly kings and the God of Israel designate and operate within defined physical spaces, whether it is an archive in **Babylon** `{{H895}}` or the holy temple in **Jerusalem** `{{H3390}}`.
TRV