Clean versus Unclean -- טמא - טהור

These two words are both adjectives, and they are characteristically translated into English as clean (טהור) and unclean (טמא).  The term טהור occurs a total of 96 times in the Hebrew bible, and טמא occurs 88 times.  Both terms have related nominal and verbal forms having corresponding meanings.  The problem is that the usage for neither term exactly corresponds to the current English concept of clean and unclean.  The corresponding Greek terms (καθαρος and ακαθαρος) used in the LXX to translate טהור and טמא have a range of usages in classical (nonbiblical) Greek more similar to those of the common usages of clean and unclean in English.  As a result, translators and interpreters have often added the clarification of ceremonially clean/unclean, but to my mind this does little to clarify what these terms meant to the ancient Israelites.   In discussions centered on the concept of clean and unclean as found in the Hebrew scriptures, people generally seem to have some idea of what is being expressed until they try to express it succinctly.  That is the problem.  If something specific was being expressed by these Hebrew terms, then a "general idea" rather misses, or avoids, the point.

Lexical Categories

I use A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament edited by Brown, Driver, and Briggs (BDB for short).  This publication was based on the earlier German lexicon assembled by William Gesenius some 50 years earlier.  BDB was first published over 100 years ago and subsequently reprinted numerous times with corrections and additions.  There has been at least one English language lexicon published more recently; however, despite the biases of the editors, BDB remains a credible starting point for a detailed examination of word meanings in the Hebrew text.

טהור -- Clean

According to BDB the verbal root טהר is attested in Arabic, various Aramaic dialects (but not Syriac), and Ethiopic, and the general range of meanings is in Arabic and Ethiopic is similar to that of English, but that of the Aramaic dialects is distinctly different – emptiness, brightness.  The adjectival term טהור has three different usage categories listed in its BDB article:

·         Ceremonially clean.  BDB lists 42 occurrences for this usage. 

o   This category has the largest number of citations and it is divided between clean animals, clean places and things, and clean persons.  The first occurrences are in Gen 7:2, 8 and 8:20, but there is nothing in these passages to indicate what renders an animal clean versus not clean.  

o   The term does not appear again until Leviticus.  Most occurrences of the term occur in this book, and most occurrences refer to the status of animals.  Leviticus 11 identifies in detail what animals are acceptable for food and as such טהור.  The meat of all other animals is designated as טמא, and contact with a dead body (other than the meat acceptable for food) or bones renders any person or place טמא. 

o   There are at least four references to a clean place (Lev 4:12, 6:4, 10:14, 11:36), but there is little indication how a place is designated as such. 

o   There are six references to a clean person (Lev 7:19, 13:13, 17, 37, 39, 40).  There are specific instructions with regard to this matter.  A person becomes טמא through any combination of the following: any bodily emission, any contact with any person or thing that is טמא, or any contact with a dead body or a bone.  A place or implement can become טמא through contact with something that is unclean or the death of a person.  A person can recover טהור status by bathing and washing his clothes, and then he is designated as טהור in the evening.  In the case of things, טמא wood or clay implements must be destroyed, metal implements are restored by washing, and a house can sometimes be restored.  There are 16 additional references in the remaining books, but usage there follows the same patterns already noted.

o   A dwelling may be infected with "leprosy" and so become טמא.  What this type of "leprosy" might have been remains a subject of debate; but if ritual attempts at cleansing fail the entire structure must be destroyed, and all parts of it must be removed to an unclean place.

o   It is worth noting that all animals that were suitable for sacrifice (זבח) were also permitted for food.  However, several kinds of animal permitted for food were never acceptable for sacrifice.  These include all wild deer, mountain goats, various types of bird, and all fish.  The common denominator in this difference is that all sacrificial animals were taken from domesticated livestock.  The explanation for this distinction is likely enunciated in 1 Chron 21:24, "I will not ... present a burnt offering that costs me nothing."  At that time, a person's herd of livestock constituted his primary source of wealth, so presenting an animal for sacrifice was always costly.

·         Physically pure.  BDB lists 37 occurrences for this usage. 

o   All but two of these 37 references refer to materials used for the tabernacle and later the temple.  Clearly, this does not refer to molecular purity as we use the term today.  At that time gold particularly, but sometimes silver and copper, were found as free metal nuggets.  When silver or copper was processed, the only method of smelting available in the time of Moses was roasting.  This method can eliminate many nonmetallic impurities (slag), but it cannot separate an alloy of gold/silver/copper/tin into its constituent metals.  Thus, the reference to gold/silver/copper as טהור cannot mean quite the same thing as the same reference in today's terminology.  There are two passages that might serve to clarify the intent of this usage.  Ex 30:35 and 37:29 refer to pure incense.  This clearly refers to the recipe in verse 30:34.  Since the incense is clearly a mixture, the use of טהור must mean that no deviation in proportion or change of ingredients can be accepted. 

o   Ez 36:25 contains a reference to מים טהורים – clean water.  In context this is a metaphorical reference to part of the ritual for a person to become טהור, but in this case it applies to the entire nation.  In the context YHWH states that he is going to purify the entire nation in exile in order to bring them back to their promised land.

o   Finally, Zech 3:5 contains a reference to צניף טהור – a clean turbine.  This too is a metaphorical passage in which the high priest of the returnees from Babylon is being purified in a vision to serve before YHWH.  In the vision the reference refers to elimination of filth from the high priest's ceremonial garments.  The significance of the image is not interpreted explicitly in the text, but from the context it probably refers to removal of the guilt and disgrace that caused the Babylonian exile in the first place. 

·         Ethically pure.  BDB lists 10 occurrences for this usage.

Ps 12:7      אימרות יהוה אמרות טהרות כסף צרוף בעליל לארץ מזקק שבעתים

Words of YHWH are pure words; silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified 7 times

Ps 19:10    יראת יהוה טהורה עומדת לעד  משפטי יהוה אמת צדקו יחדו

The fear of YHWH is pure standing forever; the judgments of YHWH are true altogether righteous

Ps 51:12    לב טהור ברא לי אלהים ורוח נכון חדש בקרבי

Create a clean heart for me oh God; and renew a true spirit within me

Pr 15:26     תועבת יהוה מחשבות רע וטהרים אמרי נעם

Evil plans are an abomination to YHWH, but pure words are pleasant

Pr 22:11     אהב טהור לב חן שפתיו רעהו מלך

He who loves a pure heart, gracious are his lips; his friend is king

Pr 30:12     דור טהור בעיניו ומצאתו לא רחץ

(There is) a generation pure in his own eyes, yet he has not washed off his own filth

Job 14:4     מי יתן טהור מטמא לא אחד

Who can give pure from impure?  Nobody!

Job 17:9     ויאחז צדיק דרכו וטהר ידים יוסף אמץ

But a righteous man will take hold of his way, and one with clean hands will increase strength

Ec 9:2        הכל כאשר לכל מקרה אחד לצדיק ולרשע לטוב לטהור ולטמא ולזבח ולאשר איננו זבח כטוב כחטא הנשבע כאשר שבועה ירא

Everyone is the same.  There is a single destiny for the righteous and the wicked; for the good, the pure, and the impure; for he who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice; the good like the impure; the one who swears like the one who is afraid to make an oath.

Hab 1:13   טהור עינים מראות רע והביט אל עמל לא תוכל למה תביט בוגדים תחריש בבלע רשע  צדיק ממנו

(Your) eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and you are not able to regard trouble.  Why do you regard those who deal treacherously?  (Why) do you remain silent when a wicked one swallows up one more righteous than him?

טמא -- Unclean

As previously mentioned, the term טמא occurs almost as frequently as טהור, and the two clearly refer to opposite conditions or states of being, though the exact nature of that opposition is not immediately obvious.  As before, BDB lists three different categories of usage within the Hebrew bible.

·         Ethically or religiously unclean.  This category includes just three passages:

o   Is 6:5 – When Isaiah saw the vision of YHWH, he stated, "Woe is me, for I am a man of טמא שפתים (unclean lips), and I dwell among a people of טמא שפתים.

o   Ez 22:5      הקרובות והרחקות ממך יתקלסו בך טמאת השם רבת המהומה
    Those near you and those far off will deride you, oh unclean of name, full of turmoil.

This passage addresses the corrupt people of Jerusalem just prior to their defeat and exile under Nebuchadnezzar.

o   Job 14:4 – See above.  This passage asserts that nobody can convert something טמא into something that is טהור.

·      Ritually unclean.  This category includes the vast majority of occurrences, and BDB distinguishes four subcategories – persons, animals, things, everything else.

o   Persons.  BDB lists 31 verses under this category, some of which contain the term more than once.  These passages generally indicate how and when a person becomes טמא.  Such a person is forbidden to participate in any aspect of worship for YHWH until he is again designated as טהור.  However, he is not enjoined from the normal activities of life, just ritual activities connected with the worship of YHWH.

o   Animals.  BDB lists 20 verses under this category, some of which contain the term more than once.  Generally, all creatures classified as forbidden for food (except for living beasts of burden) are classified as טמא, and any person who touches such a creature, its meat, or its carcass becomes טמא.

o   Things.  BDB lists 13 verses under this category, some of which contain the term more than once.  This category refers to anything identified as טמא (meat, seamen, menstrual fluid, an unclean person, a dead body, etc.) renders anything else immediately טמא on contact.

o   Other.  BDB lists 8 verses under this category, some of which contain the term more than once.

§  Lev 10:10, 11:47, Ez 22:26, 44:23 – These passages teach the same thing, positively or negatively.  Specifically, the priests were responsible to teach the people to distinguish between טהור וטמא and between קדוש וחול.  Their failure to do so became one reason for their exile.

§  Lev 7:19, 21 – Should anything that is טמא touch anything that was טהור, that טהור person or thing immediately became טמא.

§  Is 35:8, 52:1 – These verses evidently refer to messianic times when no unclean person will be present among the people of Israel.

·         Unclean places.   This category has five instances cited:

o   Lev 14:41, 41, 43 – All of these verses refer to a place separated from the tabernacle and human habitation where refuse can be dumped.  However, there is no indication in the text to specify what makes these locations  טמא.

o   Josh 22:19 – In the context of this verse, the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh who dwelt on the east side of the Jorden River built an altar on that side of the river.  The tribes on the west side of the river accused them of unfaithfulness to YHWH, thereby rendering their land טמא.  This implies that faithlessness of the inhabitants renders the land of their habitation טמא.

o   Amos 7:17 – This passage is part of an oracle addressed at the sanctuary at Bethel.  The statement asserts that the high priest of Bethel would go into exile and die in a land טמא, i.e., a land outside of Israel.  Thus, any land outside of the borders promised to Abraham is טמא for the descendants of Jacob.

Conclusions

After having gone through all this, there clearly is some connection between טהור וטמא and the idea of clean and unclean; but טהור is not the same as washed, טמא is not the same as soiled.  Everything connected with the tabernacle and later the temple had to be  טהורversus טמא, קדוש versus חול.  That transition was first accomplished by Moses during the consecration of the tabernacle and then 400 years later during the dedication of the first temple (1 Kings 6).  Perhaps the best clue to the intended force of טהור versus טמא is provided by the contrast of קדוש versus חול.  קדוש refers to something that is reserved, set apart for special use.  חול refers to something that is common, not necessarily bad (evil), but not acceptable for special use, particularly not acceptable for anything connected with divine worship.

With respect to the tabernacle, Moses was instructed to make everything according to the patterns he was shown in the mountain (Ex 26:30).  This he did using the materials contributed by the Israelites.  After all of the furnishings were completed, Moses erected the tabernacle.  First he consecrated the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and then he consecrated Aaron and his sons as priests.  After that nothing טמא and nothing חול could be brought into the tabernacle.  Let me suggest that the ritual of the tabernacle (and later the temple) enabled the worshippers to enter metaphysically into the heavenly tabernacle, which is the reality of which the earthly tabernacle was just a visible copy.  Thus anything טמא and anything חול is connected with the earth and its limitations, and as such are unfit to enter the heavenly sanctuary.  Whereas everything טהור, though present on earth, can enter into the heavenly tabernacle.