טָהֵר
To be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy)
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does טָהֵר (taher) mean in the Bible?
טָהֵר (taher) is a Hebrew word meaning "to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy)". to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy) BDB: be clean Usage: be (make, make self, pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify(-ier, self). The final purification emphasizes restored covenant holiness. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant, Holiness.
Meaning
Ranges from physical cleansing through ritual purity to moral innocence; fundamentally means freedom from contamination.
to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy) BDB: be clean Usage: be (make, make self, pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify(-ier, self).
Why This Word Matters
The final purification emphasizes restored covenant holiness. Nehemiah 13:23-31
Purification restores holiness and rightful worship after corruption. Nehemiah 13:4-9
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 12×
Hithpael reflexive or reciprocal — the subject acts on itself or mutually with others 4×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 3×
Pual intensive passive — intensive action received by the subject 1×
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Showing 8 of 95 occurrences in the biblical text.
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.