תָּמָר
palm tree
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Grammatical forms
- Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute 8 times (67%)
- Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 4 times (33%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 12 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H8558 appears — 12 distinct verses across 10 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Exodus 1 verse
Leviticus 1 verse
Numbers 1 verse
Deuteronomy 1 verse
Judges 2 verses
- Judges 1:16 הַ/תְּמָרִים֙ ptcl def.art + n c mp The children of the Kenite, Moses' brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.
- Judges 3:13 הַ/תְּמָרִֽים ptcl def.art + n c mp He gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees.
2 Chronicles 1 verse
Nehemiah 1 verse
Psalms 1 verse
Song of Solomon 2 verses
- Song of Solomon 7:7 לְ/תָמָ֔ר prep + n c ms This, your stature, is like a palm tree, Your breasts like its fruit.
- Song of Solomon 7:8 בְ/תָמָ֔ר prep + n c ms I said, "I will climb up into the palm tree. I will take hold of its fruit." Let your breasts be like clusters of the vine, The smell of your breath like apples, Beloved
Joel 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
תמר — transliterated tâmâr — is a Hebrew noun carrying the sense “palm tree.” Older and newer Bibles part ways — “palm trees” in the King James Version, “palms” (unfoldingWord Literal Text) in modern versions. See the renderings breakdown. It appears 12 verses across 10 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its uncommon vocabulary. Its earliest occurrence is Exodus 15:27. It shares a root with תימרה, תמר and תמר. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H8558 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 12
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 12 distinct verses.
- 10 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 10 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #2,101
- by frequency
- Top 2500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 2,101 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 12 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Judges 2 verses 17%
- Song of Solomon 2 verses 17%
- Exodus 1 verse 8%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 12 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 5 verses · 42%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 4 verses · 33%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 3 verses · 25%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 3 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Palm trees 6×, Palm 2×, Palm tree 2×
- American Standard Version†: Palm-trees 7×, Palm-tree 2×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Palms 4×, Palm trees 3×, Palm 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Palms 5×, Palm tree 3×, Palm trees 3×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H8558 across 12† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 2 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H8558 across 13† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H8558 across 12† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 1 rendering that appears only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H8558 across 13† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 2 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 5 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
תמר I (√ of foll.
תמר II palm-tree, date-palm, Phoenix dactylifera
תמר III
- 1. f.
- a. daughter-in-law of Judah Gn 38:6, 11(×2), 13, 24; 1 Ch 2:4; Ru 4:12. e.g. Genesis 38:6
- b. daughter of David, sister of Absalom 2 S 13:1, 2 + 11 times 13, 2 Ch 3:9. e.g. 2 Samuel 13:1
- c. daughter of Absalom 2 S 14:27. e.g. 2 Samuel 14:27
- 2. loc. Ez 47:19; 48:28; 1 K 9:18 Kt (> Qr תַּדְמֹר q.v.), so read also ‖ 2 Ch 8:4 (for MT תַּדְמֹר); site not certain, cf. BuhlG. 184.—בַּעַל תָּמָר v. בַּעַל (s. p. 346). e.g. Ezekiel 47:19
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. (√ of foll.; cf. perhaps Arabic اِتّمَأَرَّ be erect, stiff (e.g. of lance), so Buhl13, who derives thence תמר palm-tree, and also תִּימָרָה, NH תִּמָּרָה column of smoke, NH תִּמּוּר rising motion, etc., but these denom. from תָּמָר LevyNHWB Buhl14; cf. Arabic تَمْرٌ date, Ethiopic ተምር: date-palm id., ተመርት 5, Aramaic תַּמְרָא, ܬܡܰܪܬܳܐ 5, NH תָּמָר date(-palm)).
I. n.m. palm-tree, date-palm, Phoenix dactylifera;—ת׳ Jo 1:12; in sim. of prosperity ψ 92:13, of (graceful) stature Ct 7:8, cf. (fig.) v 9; pl. תְּמָרִים in oasis Ex 15:27 (J), ‖ Nu 33:9 (P); כַּפֹּת ת׳ Lv 23:40 (H) palm-branches, cf. עֲלֵי ת׳ Ne 8:15; עִיר הַתְּמָרִים = Jericho Dt 34:3 (JE), 2 Ch 28:15 Ju 1:16; 3:13.—Vid. PostHast.DB; palm-tree M’LeanEncy. Bib. Id. TrNHB 378 ff. Theob. FischerDattelpalme, 1881.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: from an unused root meaning to be erect
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
תָּמַר
- , Pi. תִּמֵּר (denom. of תָּמָר) to rise straight up. Yoma 28ᵇ תימור של לבנה מְתַמֵּר ועולה כמקל the light-column of the moon rises straight up like a stick; opp. מפציע (v. פָּצַע); Y. ib. III, beg. 40ᵇ. Bab. ib. 38ᵃ של הללו מתמר וכ׳ the smoke of the frankincense prepared by those (of the house of Abṭinas) went straight up &c.; Cant. R. to I, 14 מְתַמֶּרֶת; Y. Shek. V, 49ᵃ top; Tosef. Yoma II, 6. Tanḥ. T’tsav. 15 כשהיה ענן הקטרת מתמר וכ׳ when (on the Day of Atonement) the cloud of the incense rose straight up …, he knew that Israel’s sins were forgiven. Gen. R. s. 45 קוצין … אליהם יוצאים ומְתַמְּרִים וכ׳ thorns are not sown …, but grow forth of themselves and rise high up, but wheat &c.; Yalk. ib. 79 (corr. acc.). Keth. 111ᵇ עתידה חטה שתְּתַמֵּר כדקל וכ׳ in the latter days wheat shall sprout forth and rise like palms on mountain tops; a. e.
תָּמָר I
- (b. h.) pr. n. f. Tamar,
- 1. Judah’s daughter-in-law. Meg. IV, 10 (25ᵃ) מעשה ת׳ נקרא ומיתרגם the story of Tamar (Gen. XXXVIII) is read (in the synagogue) and translated. Gen. R. s. 92 (ref. to Gen. XLIV, 16) מה נאמר לאדני במעשה ת׳ וכ׳ what have we to say to my lord (for our justification) about the story of Tamar, what to speak about the story of Bilhah (Gen. XXXV, 22) ? Gen. R. s. 85; a. fr.— Absalom’s sister. Meg. 25ᵇ מעשה אמנון ות׳ וכ׳ the story of Amnon and Tamar (II Sam. XIII) may be read and translated. Ab. V, 16 אהבת אמנון ות׳ Amnon’s love of T. Snh. 21ᵃ; a. e. e.g. Genesis 38:24
- 3. a woman that informed against the Rabbis before Roman authorities. Y. Meg. III, 74ᵃ bot., v. תַּמְרוּרִים
תָּמָר II
- palm; date-palm; fruit of the date-palm, date. Succ. 45ᵇ; Meg. 14ᵃ, v. לֵב. Ib. (ref. to Jud. IV, 5) מאי שנא תחת תּוֹמֶר why did she hold her sessions under a palm-tree? Midr. Till. to Ps. XCII, 16 (ref. to ib. 13) מה הת׳ והארז וכ׳ as the palm and the cedar are higher than all other trees, so Israel is &c.; אי מה הת׳ וכ׳ you may think, as the palm and the cedar when uprooted from their places (transplanted) do not grow new shoots, so Israel does &c.; a. fr.—Pl. תְּמָרִים dates. Ter. XI, 2 דבש ת׳ date honey. Ib. 3; a. fr. e.g. Judges 4:5
תָּמָר
- Targ. Cant. II, 12.—Lev. R. s. 12; a. e.—Pl. תְּמָרַיָּא, תַּמְרִין, תַּמְרֵי, תּוּמְ׳. Targ. II Chr. XXXI, 5. Targ. Y. Deut. VIII, 8.—Ber. 38ᵃ דובשא דת׳ date-honey. [Ib. האי תמרי של תרומה, read with Ms. M. תמרים של תרומה.] Y. Ab. Zar. II, 40ᵈ גרעינין דתו׳ date-stones. Sabb. 110ᵇ ת׳ פרסייתא (fem.) Persian dates; a. fr.—בר תמרי pr. n. m. Bar-Tamré. Ḥull. 110ᵃ רמי בר ת׳ וכ׳ Rami bar Tamré, also called Bar-Diḳḳulé (cmp. דִּיקּוּלָא).—Cant. R. to VII, 9 אבון בר ת׳ quot. in Levy Talm. Dict. (ed. חסדי).
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 11 distinct written forms H8558 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| הַ/תְּמָרִ֖ים | Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Deuteronomy 34:3 | 2 |
| בְ/תָמָ֔ר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Song of Solomon 7:8 | 1 |
| הַ/תְּמָרִֽים | Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Judges 3:13 | 1 |
| הַ/תְּמָרִים֙ | Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Judges 1:16 | 1 |
| כַּ/תָּמָ֣ר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Psalms 92:12 | 1 |
| לְ/תָמָ֔ר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Song of Solomon 7:7 | 1 |
| תְמָרִ֔ים | Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Nehemiah 8:15 | 1 |
| תְּמָרִ֑ים | Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Exodus 15:27 | 1 |
| תְּמָרִ֔ים | Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Leviticus 23:40 | 1 |
| תְּמָרִ֖ים | Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Numbers 33:9 | 1 |
| תָּמָ֣ר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Joel 1:12 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H8558, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- תימרה tîymârâh H8490 pillar
- תמר tômer H8560 palm column
- תמר timmôr H8561 palm ornament
- תמרור tamrûwr H8564 guideposts
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 10 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 12 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Exodus 15:27
- Leviticus 23:40
- Numbers 33:9
- Deuteronomy 34:3
- Judges 1:16
- 2 Chronicles 28:15
- Song of Solomon 7:7
- Joel 1:12
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
