טַעַם
ṭaʻam · H2940 · Hebrew · 13 occurrences
Meanings
-
taste
The flavor characteristics of certain types of food
ExamplesExodus 16:31 And the house of Israel named the bread manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey.
Numbers 11:8 The people would roam about and gather it and grind it between two millstones, or pound it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make loaves with it; and its taste was like the taste of cake baked with oil.
Job 6:6 “Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the juice of an alkanet plant?
-
good sense, discernment
Literally: (good) taste; hence: state in which humans act with good judgment
Examples1 Samuel 25:33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.
Job 12:20 “He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders.
Psalm 119:66 Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Your commandments.
-
to act insane
Literally: to change one's good sense; hence: action by which humans act as if they lack good judgement
Examples1 Samuel 21:13 So he disguised his sanity while in their sight and acted insanely in their custody, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard.
-
order, decree
An official statement that obliges people to behave according to its rules or directives
ExamplesJonah 3:7 And he issued a proclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: No person, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat, or drink water.
How it’s used In 7 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
9 occurrences in 6 groups
- הוּhis 5
- גָּדוֹלgreat, large 1
- זָקֵןelder, old 1
- לְשַׁדcake 1
- מֶלֶךְking 1
- ךְyour 1
Named alongside itApposition
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- וֹhim 1
What it doesIt is the subject
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- בָרַךְto bless 1
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
- עָמַדto stand 1
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- לָקַחto take, to receive 1
- שָׁנָהto be different 1
What it is said to bePredicate
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- יֵשׁthere is, there are 1
- צַפִּיחִתwafer 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- כlike/as 2
- מִןfrom 1
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- טוּבgoodness, good things 1
- סוּרto turn aside, to depart, to remove 1
- שׁוּבto return, to turn back 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 2 words
- שֶׂכֶל sekel · H7922 · good sense, understanding, insight
- Both words denote mental faculties in the sphere of wisdom and understanding, and both can express "discretion," "understanding" and related concepts of wisdom.
- חׇכְמָה chokmâh · H2451 · wisdom, intelligence, skill
- חׇכְמָה (chokmâh, H2451) is core wisdom vocabulary, while טַעַם (ṭaʻam, H2940)'s senses include understanding, discretion, and reason; these are plausible near-synonyms in contexts where judgment or practical wisdom is in view.
In the other Testament 2 words
- טַעַם ṭaʻam · H2941 · account, to be commanded, commandment
- טַעַם (ṭaʻam, H2941) is the Aramaic cognate of Hebrew טַעַם (ṭaʻam, H2940), both derived from the same root, with טַעַם (ṭaʻam, H2941) specializing in administrative/judicial decree contexts ('commandment, matter, account') while טַעַם (ṭaʻam, H2940) encompasses broader semantic range including sensory perception ('taste'), cognitive faculties ('judgment, discretion, understanding'), and authoritative pronouncement ('decree').
- טְעֵם ṭᵉʻêm · H2942 · chancellor, command, commandment
- Aramaic cognate of Hebrew טַעַם (ṭaʻam, H2940), sharing the same root and semantic range across both literal sense (taste) and metaphorical extensions (judgment, decree, discretion, wisdom); the Aramaic form appears in Daniel and Ezra where the corresponding Hebrew term would be used in Hebrew contexts.
Semantic domains 4 entries
- Taste002004001008
- טַעַם denotes taste or flavor in its literal sense, as the taste of manna likened to wafers made with honey (Exodus 16:31, Numbers 11:8).
- Wise002001002029
- The word extends to discretion or sound judgment, the discernment that marks wisdom in behavior and decision.
- Foolish002001002010
- The same word can describe an altered or disordered sense of judgment, as when David feigned madness by changing his behavior before Achish (1 Samuel 21:13).
- Laws002003003016
- טַעַם can also denote a decree or official judgment, an authoritative determination issued as a ruling.
Word family 6 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2940. taam טַ֫עַם noun masculineJer 48:11 taste, judegement — ׳ט absolute Job 6:6; Psa…
טַ֫עַם noun masculineJer 48:11 taste, judegement — ׳ט absolute Job 6:6; Psa 119:66; טָ֑עַם Pro 11:22; Pro 26:16; construct טַעַם Num 11:8 Num 11:2t.; suffix טַעְמוֺ Exo 16:31 Exo 16:4t.; טַעְמֵךְ 1Sa 25:33; —
1 taste of manna Exo 16:31 (P), Num 11:8 (JE), compare Num 11:8; in juice of purslain Job 6:6; of Moab under figure of wine Jer 48:11 (|| רֵיחַ).
2 figurative judgement, discretion, discernment, 1Sa 25:33; Pro 11:22 Job 12:20, so לַמְּדֵנִי וָדַעַת טַעַם טוּב Psa 119:66; ט ׳מְשִׁיבֵי Pro 26:16 those answering discretion, i.e. discreetly: טעם שׁנה change, disguise one's judgement, sense 1Sa 21:13; Psa 34:1, of David feigning madness.
3 (late Aramaism, compare Dan 3:10 etc.) decision, decree וּגְּדֹלָיו מֶלָךְ טַעַם Jon 3:7.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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