Lexical Summary
tahor: clean, pure, purity
Original Word:טָהוֹר
Part of Speech:Adjective
Transliteration:tahowr
Pronunciation:tah-HOHR
Phonetic Spelling:(taw-hore')
KJV: clean, fair, pure(-ness)
NASB:clean, pure, purity, who is clean
Word Origin:[fromH2891 (טָּהֵר - clean)]
1. pure (in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
clean, fair, pureness
Or tahor {taw-hore'}; fromtaher; pure (in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense) -- clean, fair, pure(-ness).
see HEBREWtaher
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
taherDefinitionclean, pure
NASB Translationclean (51), pure (40), purity (1), unclean* (2), who is clean (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — masculine absolute
Exodus 25:11 68t.;
Leviticus 11:47 4t.; construct
Habakkuk 1:13;
Proverbs 22:11;
Job 17:9; feminine
Malachi 1:11 3t.;
Genesis 7:2 8t.; masculine plural
Ezekiel 36:25;
Ezra 6:20;
Proverbs 15:26; feminine plural
Leviticus 14:4;
Psalm 12:7; —
clean, of animalsGenesis 7:2 (twice in verse);Genesis 7:8 (twice in verse);Genesis 8:20 (twice in verse) (all J),Leviticus 14:4 (P),Leviticus 20:25 (twice in verse) (H),Deuteronomy 14:11,20; placesLeviticus 4:12;Leviticus 6:4;Leviticus 10:14;Leviticus 11:36;Numbers 19:9 (all P); thingsLeviticus 10:10;Leviticus 11:37,47;Leviticus 14:57 (P),Ezekiel 22:26;Ezekiel 44:23;Isaiah 66:20;Malachi 1:11; personsLeviticus 7:19;Leviticus 13:13,17,37,39,40,41;Leviticus 15:8;Numbers 5:28;Numbers 9:13;Numbers 18:11,13;Numbers 19:9,18,19 (all P),Deuteronomy 12:15,22;Deuteronomy 15:22;Deuteronomy 23:11;1 Samuel 20:26 a + see :26 b but read Pu`al, see , 2 Chronicles 30:17;Ezra 6:20.
pure: of goldExodus 25:11,17,24,29,31,36,38,39;Exodus 28:14,22,36;Exodus 30:3;Exodus 37:2,6,11,16,17,22,23,24,26;Exodus 39:15,25,30 (all P),1 Chronicles 28:17; 2Chronicles 3:4; 9:17;Job 28:19; of waterEzekiel 36:25; of incenseExodus 30:35;Exodus 37:29 (P); of lamp standExodus 31:8;Exodus 39:37 (P),Leviticus 24:4 (H); of the tableLeviticus 24:6 (H), 2 Chronicles 13:11;clean, of turbanZechariah 3:5 (twice in verse).
pure, cleanProverbs 30:12;Ecclesiastes 9:2;Job 14:4; of heartPsalm 51:12;Proverbs 22:11; handsJob 17:9; eyesHabakkuk 1:13 (of God); words of menProverbs 15:26; words of GodPsalm 12:7; law of as object of reverential fearPsalm 19:10.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe adjective טָהוֹר (tahor) describes that which is entirely free from defilement, whether ceremonial, physical, moral, or spiritual. It occurs about ninety-three times across the Hebrew Scriptures, forming one of the major vocabulary pillars for the themes of holiness, separation, and wholehearted devotion to the LORD.
Ceremonial Purity under the Law
From the outset of Israel’s covenant life, “clean” defined the line of approach to the Holy One. “You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean” (Leviticus 10:10). The priestly legislation teaches that purity is not negotiable but essential for covenant fellowship. Failure to preserve cleanness—whether through contact with corpse, disease, or moral offense—resulted in exclusion from worship until cleansing rites were completed (e.g.,Numbers 19:13).
Clean Animals and Dietary Distinctions
Genesis introduces the distinction when Noah is told, “You are to take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal” (Genesis 7:2).Leviticus 11 andDeuteronomy 14 detail the animals fit for sacrifice and consumption. These distinctions taught Israel that everyday choices about food were under divine authority, embedding holiness into ordinary life and foreshadowing the need for inward purity.
Purity in Sacrifice and Worship
Only a spotless offering could symbolize the blameless Substitute. The worshiper, the priest, the altar, the vessels, and the place itself had to be tahor. Any contact with the holy demanded prior purification, often by blood, water, or fire. The Red Heifer ritual is emblematic: “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer… for the water of purification” (Numbers 19:9). Purity law thus highlighted humanity’s distance from God while pointing to the ultimate cleansing that would come through Messiah.
Objects and Spaces Designated as Pure
The Tabernacle furniture is repeatedly overlaid “with pure gold” (Exodus 25:11), and the menorah burns “pure oil of pressed olives” (Leviticus 24:2). Purity here conveys not only the absence of foreign material but an excellence befitting divine presence. The visual and tactile perfection of these objects proclaimed God’s absolute beauty and integrity.
Moral and Spiritual Purity
The prophets and poets lift tahor from ritual into the heart. “Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? … He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4). David pleads, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). The moral dimension is inseparable from the ceremonial; outer rites without inner truth offend God (Isaiah 1:11-16). Purity is therefore relational—loyal love expressed through obedience.
Purity in Wisdom and Poetical Books
Proverbs links purity to words and motives: “Evil plans are detestable to the LORD, but pleasant words are pure” (Proverbs 15:26). The Psalms speak of pure commandments, pure fear, and pure judgments, portraying Scripture itself as the standard and agent of purification: “The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined… purified sevenfold” (Psalm 12:6).
Prophetic Calls to Purity and Eschatological Hope
The prophets promise a coming era when God Himself will effect the cleansing rituals foreshadowed in the Law. “I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean” (Ezekiel 36:25). Zechariah foretells a fountain “to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (Zechariah 13:1). Malachi pictures the Refiner purging the sons of Levi “so that they may present offerings in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3). These promises converge on the new covenant’s heart transformation.
Typological Foreshadowing of Christ
The persistent demand for tahor prepares the way for the unblemished Lamb whose blood alone can purify the conscience (compareHebrews 9:13-14). The ashes of the Red Heifer, the blood on the Day of Atonement, and the pure gold of the sanctuary all anticipate Jesus Christ, “holy, innocent, undefiled” (Hebrews 7:26). His cleansing work meets both the legal and moral dimensions of tahor, fulfilling what the Law could only symbolize.
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Worship: God still seeks worshipers who approach with “clean hands and a pure heart,” calling leaders to guard the church’s doctrinal and moral purity.
2. Preaching: The Word remains the instrument of purification; expository ministry must expose defilement and apply the cleansing promise of the gospel.
3. Personal Holiness: Believers pursue purity of body and spirit, resisting cultural defilements in light of their identity as a royal priesthood.
4. Sacramental Life: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper visibly declare the accomplished and ongoing cleansing secured in Christ.
Selected References
Genesis 7:2;Exodus 25:11, 37:29;Leviticus 10:10; 11:47; 16:19; 24:2;Numbers 19:9-20;Deuteronomy 14:11-20;2 Samuel 22:27;2 Kings 10:15;Psalm 12:6; 24:3-4; 51:10; 73:1;Proverbs 15:26; 20:11;Isaiah 1:25;Ezekiel 36:25-29;Zechariah 13:1;Malachi 3:3.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּטָּה֑וֹר בטהור הַטְּהֹרָ֔ה הַטְּהֹרָ֖ה הַטְּהֹרָ֜ה הַטְּהֹרָה֙ הַטְּהוֹרָ֔ה הַטְּהוֹרָ֗ה הַטָּה֗וֹר הַטָּה֜וֹר הַטָּהֹ֑ר הַטָּהֹ֔ר הַטָּהֹ֖ר הַטָּהֹר֙ הַטָּהֽוֹר׃ הטהור הטהור׃ הטהורה הטהר הטהרה וְהַטָּה֔וֹר וְהַטָּהוֹר֙ וְלַטָּה֣וֹר וּ֝טְהֹרִ֗ים וּטְהֹרָ֖ה והטהור וטהרה וטהרים ולטהור טְהָר־ טְהֹ֫ר֥וֹת טְהֹר֑וֹת טְהֹרָ֑ה טְהֹרָ֖ה טְהֹרָ֥ה טְהוֹרִ֑ים טְהוֹרִ֖ים טְהוֹרָ֑ה טְהוֹרָה֮ טָ֝ה֗וֹר טָ֭הוֹר טָה֑וֹר טָה֔וֹר טָה֖וֹר טָה֗וֹר טָה֛וֹר טָה֜וֹר טָה֣וֹר טָה֥וֹר טָהֽוֹר׃ טָהוֹר֒ טָהוֹר֙ טהור טהור׃ טהורה טהורים טהר־ טהרה טהרות לְטָה֖וֹר לַטָּהֹ֑ר לטהור לטהר baṭ·ṭā·hō·wr battaHor baṭṭāhōwr haṭ·ṭā·hō·wr haṭ·ṭā·hōr haṭ·ṭə·hō·rāh haṭ·ṭə·hō·w·rāh hattaHor haṭṭāhōr haṭṭāhōwr hattehoRah haṭṭəhōrāh haṭṭəhōwrāh laṭ·ṭā·hōr lattaHor laṭṭāhōr lə·ṭā·hō·wr letaHor ləṭāhōwr ṭā·hō·wr taHor ṭāhōwr ṭə·hār- ṭə·hō·rāh ṭə·hō·rō·wṯ ṭə·hō·w·rāh ṭə·hō·w·rîm ṭəhār- tehor tehoRah ṭəhōrāh tehoRim tehoRot ṭəhōrōwṯ ṭəhōwrāh ṭəhōwrîm ū·ṭə·hō·rāh ū·ṭə·hō·rîm utehoRah ūṭəhōrāh utehoRim ūṭəhōrîm vehattahOr velattaHor wə·haṭ·ṭā·hō·wr wə·laṭ·ṭā·hō·wr wəhaṭṭāhōwr wəlaṭṭāhōwr
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