TR: ṭâmêʼ → ἀκάθαρτος (Ritual Uncleanness)¶

The Chain¶

Hebrew OT              LXX (Greek OT)          Greek NT
────────────────   ──────────────────────   ──────────────────
טָמֵא (ṭâmêʼ)   →  ἀκάθαρτος (akáthartos) →  ἀκάθαρτος (akáthartos)
H2931, 78x OT        LXX co-occ: 69x            29x in NT
"unclean" (adj)       PMI score: 31.22            "unclean"

OT Usage (Hebrew)¶

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
H2931	טָמֵא (ṭâmêʼ)	78	unclean, defiled — adjectival state
H2930	טָמֵא (ṭâmêʼ)	~160	to be/make unclean — the verb form
H2932	טֻמְאָה (ṭumʼâh)	37	uncleanness — the abstract noun

Key OT passages: - Lev 11:7 — "the swine... he [is] unclean unto you" — paradigmatic dietary declaration - Lev 13:44–46 — "He is a leprous man, he [is] unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean... he shall dwell alone" - Isa 64:6 — "we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags" — moral/prophetic extension

[Canonical study: H2931-tame.md]

LXX Bridge¶

H2931 → Greek (what Greek words translate this Hebrew word in the LXX):

Hebrew	Greek Translation	Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
ṭâmêʼ (H2931)	ἀκάθαρτος G169	69	31.22	Primary equivalent — overwhelming dominance
ṭâmêʼ (H2931)	ἀκαθαρσία G167	8	12.65	Cognate noun; condition/quality of uncleanness
ṭâmêʼ (H2931)	λέπρα G3014	6	10.74	Contextual — leprous passages
ṭâmêʼ (H2931)	βέβηλος G952	3	9.96	Profane/infamous sense (Eze 22:5)

G169 ← Hebrew (what Hebrew words this Greek word translates in the LXX):

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
ṭâmêʼ adj	H2931	69	31.22	Primary source
ṭâmêʼ verb	H2930	53	24.39	Verbal form — makes/becomes unclean
kâbaç	H3526	21	19.58	Contextual — to wash (appears in purification passages)
nâgaʻ	H5060	30	18.18	Contextual — to touch (unclean things)
nᵉbêlâh	H5038	13	15.49	Contextual — carcase (the unclean object)

Semantic shift in translation: The LXX chose ἀκάθαρτος (a-kathartos = not-clean) as a direct semantic equivalent, calquing the Hebrew concept. The same binary structure (ṭâmêʼ/ṭâhôwr :: ἀκάθαρτος/καθαρός) carries intact across the translation. No meaning shift — the Greek word was coined to match the Hebrew concept precisely.

NT Usage (Greek)¶

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
G169	ἀκάθαρτος (akáthartos)	29	unclean, impure
G167	ἀκαθαρσία (akatharsía)	10	impurity, uncleanness (noun)
G168	ἀκαθάρτης (akathártēs)	1	filthiness (noun form)

Key NT passages: - Matt 10:1 — "he gave them power [against] unclean spirits" — OT purity category applied to demonic realm - 2 Cor 6:17 — "touch not the unclean [thing]" — direct echo of Isa 52:11 (which uses H2931) - Rev 16:13 — "three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon" — apocalyptic extension

[No canonical study yet for G169]

Direct OT→NT Quotations¶

NT Verse	OT Source	Shared Word	Significance
2 Cor 6:17	Isa 52:11	ṭâmêʼ → ἀκάθαρτος	"touch not the unclean thing" — Paul cites Isaiah's call to separation using the identical LXX term

Continuity and Shifts¶

What stays the same across testaments: - The exact word ἀκάθαρτος carries over from LXX into NT intact — no Greek coinage needed - The contact-transmission principle remains: "touch not the unclean thing" (2 Cor 6:17, echoing Isa 52:11) - The binary clean/unclean structure is maintained, with the NT opposing ἀκάθαρτος against καθαρός exactly as the OT opposes ṭâmêʼ against ṭâhôwr

What shifts: - The primary referent shifts: OT applies ṭâmêʼ overwhelmingly to animals, diseased persons, and dead bodies; NT applies ἀκάθαρτος primarily to spirits (25 of 29 NT occurrences involve "unclean spirits") - The Levitical dietary and physical categories fade in NT usage; the moral/spiritual categories (latent in Isa 6:5, Isa 64:6) become dominant - Acts 10–11 (Peter's vision) explicitly transitions the word's application: Gentiles once called "unclean" (κοινός/ἀκάθαρτος) are declared clean by God — a conscious reversal of the OT boundary