Ṭâmê' (טָמֵא, Strong's #2930), “to be unclean.” This root is limited to Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic. The verb occurs 160 times in biblical Hebrew and mainly in Leviticus, as in Leviticus 11:26: “The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.” Ṭâmê' is the opposite of taher, “to be pure.”VED-OT Unclean, to Be.3

B. Noun. VED-OT Unclean, to Be.4

Ṭûm'âh (טֻמְאָה, Strong's #2932), “uncleanness.” This noun is derived from ṭâmê'. Ṭûm'âh occurs 37 times in biblical Hebrew. The word occurs in Numbers 5:19: “And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanliness with another instead of thine husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse.” Here the word refers to sexual “uncleanness.” Ṭûm'âh occurs twice in Leviticus 16:16 and refers to ethical and religious “uncleanness.”VED-OT Unclean, to Be.5

C. Adjective. VED-OT Unclean, to Be.6

Ṭâmê' (טָמֵא, Strong's #2931), “unclean.” This adjective occurs 89 times in the Old Testament. The frequency of the word is high in Leviticus. Its first occurrence is also in Leviticus: “Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty” (5:2).VED-OT Unclean, to Be.7

The usage of ṭâmê' in the Old Testament resembles that of tahor, “pure.” First, uncleanness is a state of being. The leper was compelled to announce his uncleanness wherever he went (Leviticus 13:45); however, even here there is a religious overtone, in that his uncleanness was ritual. Hence, it is more appropriate to recognize that the second usage is most basic. Ṭâmê' in the religio-cultic sense is a technical term denoting a state of being ceremonially unfit. Animals, carcases, unclean people, and objects conveyed the impurity to those who touched them: “And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall lie unclean until even” (Numbers 19:22). The impurity could also be brought about by a seminal issue (Leviticus 15:2) or a menstrual period (Leviticus 15:25), and whatever the unclean touched was also rendered “unclean.”VED-OT Unclean, to Be.8

The Septuagint translations are: akathartos (“impure; unclean”) and miaino (“stain; defile”). The KJV gives these translations: “unclean; defiled; polluted.”VED-OT Unclean, to Be.9

Understand

A. Verbs. VED-OT Understand.2

Śâkal (שָׂכַל, Strong's #7919), “to be prudent, act wisely, give attention to, ponder, prosper.” This word, which is common to both ancient and modern Hebrew, is found approximately 75 times in the text of the Hebrew Bible. Its first use in the text, in Genesis 3:6, contributes to an interesting paradox, for while the forbidden fruit was “to be desired to make one wise,” it was a very unwise thing to take it!VED-OT Understand.3

The basic meaning of śâkal seems to be “to look at, to give attention to,” as illustrated in this parallelism: “That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand …” (Isaiah 41:20). From this develops the connotation of insight, intellectual comprehension: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom … But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me …” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). As here, it is frequently used along with and in parallelism to the Hebrew śâkal, “to know” (primarily experientially). As is true of chakam, “to be wise,” śâkal never concerns abstract prudence, but acting prudently: “Therefore the prudent shall keep silence …” (Amos 5:13); “… He hath left off to be wise …” (Psalms 36:3).VED-OT Understand.4

Bı̂yn (בִּין, Strong's #995), “to understand, be able, deal wisely, consider, pay attention to, regard, notice, discern, perceive, inquire.” This verb, which occurs 126 times in biblical Hebrew, has cognates in Ugaritic, Arabic, Ethiopic, late Aramaic, and Syriac.VED-OT Understand.5

Bı̂yn appears in all periods of biblical Hebrew. Bı̂yn appears in Jeremiah 9:12 with the meaning “to understand”: “Who is the wise man, that may understand this?” In Job 6:30 the word means “to discern,” and in Deuteronomy 32:7 it means “to consider.”VED-OT Understand.6

B. Nouns. VED-OT Understand.7

Bı̂ynâh (בִּינָה, Strong's #998), “understanding.” Bı̂ynâh appears 37 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew even though it belongs primarily to the sphere of wisdom and wisdom literature.VED-OT Understand.8

This noun represents the “act of understanding”: “And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians …” (Daniel 1:20).VED-OT Understand.9

Elsewhere bı̂ynâh signifies the faculty “understanding”: “… The spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer” (Job 20:3).VED-OT Understand.10

In other passages the object of knowledge, in the sense of what one desires to know, is indicated by bı̂ynâh: “Keep therefore and do them [God’s laws]: for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes …” (Deuteronomy 4:6; cf. 1 Chronicles 22:12). God’s law, therefore, is wisdom and “understanding”— what one should know.VED-OT Understand.11

This word is sometimes personified: “Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures …” (Proverbs 2:3-4).VED-OT Understand.12

Tebûnâh (תּוֹבֻנָה, Strong's #8394), “understanding.” This word, which occurs 42 times, is also a wisdom term. Like bı̂ynâh, it represents the act (Job 26:12), faculty (Exodus 31:3), object (Proverbs 2:3), and personification of wisdom (Proverbs 8:1).VED-OT Understand.13

Maśkı̂yl (מַשְׂכִּיל, Strong's #4905), “didactic psalm(?).” This noun form, derived from śâkal, is found in the title of 13 psalms and also in Psalms 47:7. Scholars are not agreed on the significance of this term, but on the basis of the general meaning of śâkal, such psalms must have been considered didactic or teaching psalms.VED-OT Understand.14

Upright

A. Adjective.VED-OT Upright.2

Yâshâr (יָשָׁר, Strong's #3477), “upright; right; righteous; just.” This adjective occurs first in Exodus in the idiom “right in his eyes”: "[He] said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). Its usage is infrequent in the Pentateuch and in the prophetical writings. Predominantly a poetic term, yâshâr also occurs idiomatically (“to do what is right”) in the historical books; cf. 1 Kings 15:5: “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”VED-OT Upright.3

The basic meaning is the root meaning “to be straight” in the sense of “to be level.” The legs of the creatures in Ezekiel’s vision were straight (Ezekiel 1:7). The Israelites designated an easy road for traveling as a “level road.” It had few inclines and declines compared to the mountain roads (cf. Jeremiah 31:9: “They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of water in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn”).VED-OT Upright.4

Yâshâr with the meaning “right” pertains to things and to abstracts. Samuel promised himself to instruct God’s people in “the good and the right way” (1 Samuel 12:23). Nehemiah thanked God for having given just ordinances: “Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments” (Nehemiah 9:13). Based on His revelation God expected His people to please Him in being obedient to Him: “And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers” (Deuteronomy 6:18).VED-OT Upright.5

When yâshâr pertains to people, it is best translated “just” or “upright.” God is the standard of uprightness for His people: “Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way” (Psalms 25:8). His word (Psalms 33:4), judgments (Psalms 19:9), and ways (Hosea 14:9) reveal His uprightness and are a blessing to His people. The believer follows Him in being “upright” in heart: “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (Psalms 32:11; cf. 7:10; 11:2). In their daily walk they manifest that they are walking on the narrow road: “The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation” (Psalms 37:14). The “just” are promised God’s blessing upon their lives (Proverbs 11:10-11).VED-OT Upright.6

Finally, yâshâr is also the abstract “rightness,” especially when the Hebrew word has the definite article (hayyâshâr, “the right”): “Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity [all that is right]” (Micah 3:9).VED-OT Upright.7

The Septuagint translations are: arestos (“pleasing”); dikaios (“upright; just; righteous”); euthes (“upright”); and euthus (“straight”).VED-OT Upright.8

B. Verb.VED-OT Upright.9

Yâshar (יָשַׁר, Strong's #3474), “to be straight, be smooth, be right.” This verb, which occurs rarely has many derivatives in the Bible.VED-OT Upright.10

In Akkadian the verb isharu signifies “to be straight, bring in order,” and the noun misharum denotes justice and an upright way of life. The Hebrew word has many related words in other Semitic languages (Phoenician, Ugaritic) and even in Egyptian.VED-OT Upright.11

One occurrence of the verb is in 1 Chronicles 13:4: “And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.” In this usage yâshar has the sense of being pleasing or agreeable. In Habakkuk 2:4 the word implies an ethical uprightness.VED-OT Upright.12

C. Nouns.VED-OT Upright.13

Yôsher (יֹשֶׁר, Strong's #3476), “straightness.” This noun occurs about 15 times. One occurrence is in Proverbs 2:13: “Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness.” Other nouns occur less frequently. Yishrah means “uprightness” and occurs once (1 Kings 3:6). The noun yeshurun is an honorific title for Israel (Deuteronomy 32:15; 33:5). Mishor means “level place, uprightness.” In 1 Kings 20:23 mishor refers to “level country”; in Isaiah 11:4 the word refers to “uprightness”: “… And reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.…”VED-OT Upright.14

Tabernacle — Turn Towards, Turn Back

Vessel — Vow