---
title: טָהֵר — be clean · The Tanakh dictionary
description: טָהֵר (2891), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 94 times: be clean. BDB 1906: vb. Pi. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# טָהֵר

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«טָהֵר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be clean** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 94 times · **Key:** 2891 · **BDB:** טָהֵר

### Glosses

he.will.be.pure (11); cleanse (6); he (6)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be clean [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1496/2891/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. Pi. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1496/2891/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be clean, pure (Arabic طَهَرَ, طَهُرَ id.; NH id., Pi. make or declare ceremonially clean; Aramaic טְהַר emptiness, טִיהֲרָא brightness; Sab. טהר Hal 682; Ethiopic አጥሀረ, ተጣሀረ purify, wash oneself with water)— Pf. ט׳ Lv 11:32 + 12 times; 3 fs. טָֽהֲרָה Lv 12:7; 15:28; טָהֵ֑רָה Lv 12:8 etc., + 5 times Pf.; Impf. יִטְהַר Lv 15:13 Jb 4:17 etc., + 9 times Impf.; Imv. טְהָ֑ר 2 K 5:10, 13;— be clean, i.e. (miraculously) freed from leprosy by washing in the Jordan 2 K 5:10, 12, 13, 14. be clean ceremonially (only H P), Lv 15:13, 28(×2) (P), 22:4 (H); by washing with water, the flesh Lv 22:7 (H); garments Lv 13:6, 34, 58 Nu 31:24 (all P); both flesh and garments Lv 17:5 (H), 14:8, 9; 15:13 Nu 19:19 (all P); other articles Lv 11:32 (P); passing things through the fire Nu 31:23 (P); offering sin-offerings Lv 12:7, 8; 14:20 (P); by the ceremony of the two birds Lv 14:53 (P); by ashes of red heifer Nu 19:12(×2) (P). be clean morally, of people, made clean by י׳’s scattering clean water upon them Ez 36:25; of Jerus., specif. made clean from idolatry, under fig. of adultery Je 13:27; also sq. מִן Ez 24:13(×2) (purification by י׳); made clean מִכָּל־חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם Lv 16:30 (P; by the sin-offering of the atonement day); also of the individual, be clean מֵחַטָּאוֹת Pr 20:9 (‖ זכה); become clean by use of hyssop ψ 51:9 (‖ אַלְבִּין); more generally אִם־מֵעֹשֵׂהוּ יִטְהַר־גָּ֑בֶר Jb 4:17 shall a man be more pure than his maker? (‖ יִצְדָּ֑ק). Pf. טִהַר Lv 13:3 + 4 times; sf. טִהֲרוֹ Lv 13:6 + 5 times; 2 ms. טִהַרְתָּ Nu 8:6, 15 etc. + 7 times Pf.; Impf. יְטַהֵר 2 Ch 34:5 etc. + 4 times Impf.; Imv. sf. טַהֲרֵנִי ψ 51:4; Inf. cstr. טַהֵר Ez 39:12 + 5 times; sf. טַהֲרִי Ez 36:33 etc. + 4 times Inf.; Pt. מְטַחֵר Lv 14:11 Mal 3:3;—chiefly P; cleanse, purify: physically, metals from dross Mal 3:3; land from corpses Ez 39:12, 14, 16; heavens from clouds Jb 37:21; temple from unclean things 2 Ch 29:15, 16, 18; land and city from Asherim and images 2 Ch 34:3, 5, 8; store-chambers of temple from household stuff Ne 13:9; priesthood by exclusion of alien blood Ne 13:30. ceremonially, the altar of incense by the blood of the annual sin-offering Lv 16:19 (P); the people, gates, and wall (by some undefined ceremony) Ne 12:30; the altar of the court by the blood of sin-offerings Ez 43:26; of consecration of Levites by מֵי חטאת Nu 8:6, 7 (P), and חטאת Nu 8:15, 21 (P). morally Lv 16:30 (P), Ez 37:23 Mal 3:3; מֵחַטָּאֹת ψ 51:4; מֵעונ(ות) Je 33:8 Ez 36:33; מִטּמא(ו)ת Ez 24:13; 36:25. pronounce clean, ceremonially Lv 13:6, 13, 17, 23, 28, 34, 37, 59; 14:7, 48 (all P). perform the ceremony of cleansing Lv 14:11 (P). Pf. 3 ms. טֹהַר 1 S 20:26 (so read for MT טהור 𝔊 We Dr, he is not clean, because he hath not been cleansed); Pt. אֶרֶץ לֹא מְטֹהָרָה a land not cleansed Ez 22:24 (but 𝔊 Hi Ew Co SS read a land not rained upon, v. מטר). Pf. 3 pl. הִטָּֽהֲרוּ Ezr 6:20; הִטֶּהָ֑רוּ (Köi 271) 2 Ch 30:18; Nu 8:7; 1 pl. הִטַּהַרְנוּ Jos 22:17; Impf. יִטָּֽהֲרוּ Ne 12:30; Imv. הִטָּֽהֲרוּ Gn 35:2; Pt. מִטַּהֵר Lv 14:7 + 11 times; pl. מִטַּהֲרִים Ne 13:22 Is 66:17;—reflexive: purify oneself: ceremonially, especially in preparation for sacred duties Gn 35:2 (R), Nu 8:7 2 Ch 30:18 Ezr 6:20 Ne 13:22; also for heathen mysteries Is 66:17; of purifying priests, people, and wall Ne 12:30 (cf. Pi. 1 b). morally Jos 22:17 (P). present oneself for purification, only pt. הַמִּטַּהֵר the candidate for purificaion Lv 14:4, 7, 8, 11, 14, 17, 18, 19, 25, 28, 29, 31 (P).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 78 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (4 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (5 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «טָהֵר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1496/2891/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 20:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.20.9/)

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מִֽי־יֹ֭אמַר זִכִּ֣יתִי לִבִּ֑י טָ֝הַ֗רְתִּי מֵחַטָּאתִֽי׃

*Word for word:* who? will.he.say I.have.kept.pure heart my I.am.pure from sin my

*JPS 1917:* Who can say: 'I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin'?

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[Ezekiel 39:16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/EZK.39.16/)

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וְגַ֥ם שֶׁם־עִ֛יר הֲמוֹנָ֖ה וְטִהֲר֥וּ הָאָֽרֶץ׃ס

*Word for word:* and also \[the\].name of.a.city \[is\].Hamonah and they.will.cleanse the land

*JPS 1917:* And Hamonah shall also be the name of a city. Thus shall they cleanse the land.

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