TR: ṭâmêʼ → μιαίνω (Defilement / Ritual Uncleanness)¶

The Chain¶

Hebrew OT              LXX (Greek OT)          Greek NT
────────────────   ──────────────────────   ──────────────────
טָמֵא (ṭâmêʼ)   →  μιαίνω (miaínō)     →  μιαίνω (miaínō)
H2930, 142x OT       LXX co-occ: 86x          4x in NT
"be/make unclean"     PMI score: 31.76         "defile/sully"

OT Usage (Hebrew)¶

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
H2930	טָמֵא (tame)	142	to be foul, be/make unclean — the verb (primitive root)
H2931	טָמֵא (tame)	78	unclean, defiled — the adjective
H2932	טֻמְאָה (tumah)	37	uncleanness — the abstract noun

Key OT passages: - Lev 5:3 — "if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal" — contact-transmitted impurity - Gen 34:5 — "Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter" — first occurrence of the verb; moral/sexual defilement - 2 Chr 36:14 — "all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD" — cultic defilement of sacred space

Library: H2931-tame.md (adjective); H2930-tame.md (verb)

LXX Bridge¶

H2930 tame → Greek (what Greek words translate this Hebrew word in LXX):

Greek Translation	Co-occurrence	PMI Score	Notes
μιαίνω (miaino) G3392	86x	31.76	Primary verb equivalent — chosen for the active contamination sense
ἀκάθαρτος (akathartos) G169	53x	24.39	Adjective "unclean" — used for the state, not the act
ἑσπέρα (hespera) G2073	32x	19.54	"Evening" — from "shall be unclean until evening" formula
πλύνω (plyno) G4150	18x	17.33	"Wash" — from purification instructions following defilement
ἅπτομαι (haptomai) G680	24x	16.83	"Touch" — from contact-defilement passages
λούω (louo) G3068	16x	16.72	"Bathe" — from purification ritual instructions

G3392 miaino ← Hebrew (what Hebrew words this Greek word translates):

Hebrew Source	Co-occurrence	PMI Score	Notes
טָמֵא (tame) H2930	86x	31.76	Primary — overwhelming dominant source
צָרַעַת (tsaraath) H6883	9x	13.70	Leprosy — contaminating skin disease
גִּלּוּל (gillul) H1544	10x	13.56	Idols — defilement by idol-worship
טֻמְאָה (tumah) H2932	7x	11.81	Uncleanness noun — cognate of tame
שִׁקּוּץ (shiqquts) H8251	6x	11.11	Abomination/detestable thing

Semantic profile in translation: The LXX translators reserved miaino specifically for the verbal action of defiling — the process of becoming or making unclean. They used akathartos (adjective) for the resulting state of being unclean. This verb/adjective distinction is consistent and deliberate.

NT Usage (Greek)¶

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
G3392	μιαίνω (miaino)	4	to sully, taint, contaminate
G3393	μίασμα (miasma)	1	(moral) foulness — the pollution itself
G3394	μιασμός (miasmos)	1	(moral) contamination — the act
G283	ἀμίαντος (amiantos)	4	undefiled — negated adjective

Key NT passages: - John 18:28 — "they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover" — direct Levitical purity concern; closest to OT usage - Titus 1:15 — "unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled" — internalized defilement of mind/conscience - Hebrews 12:15 — "lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" — communal contamination through one person's apostasy

Library: G3392-miaino.md

Direct OT→NT Quotations¶

NT Verse	Alludes to OT	Shared Concept	Significance
Heb 12:15	Deut 29:18	"root that beareth gall and wormwood" / "root of bitterness"	The Deuteronomy passage warns that one idolater can defile the whole community; Hebrews applies the same contamination logic using miaino

No direct word-for-word quotations use miaino, but Heb 12:15 clearly draws on the Deuteronomic concept of corporate defilement from Deut 29:18 LXX.

Continuity and Shifts¶

What stays the same across testaments: - Defilement as contact-transmitted contamination — in both OT and NT, miaino describes pollution that spreads from a source to others (Lev 5:3 touch → Heb 12:15 root of bitterness affecting many) - The unfitness for the holy — defilement renders one unable to approach God's presence (OT temple/Passover → John 18:28 judgment hall)

What shifts: - From ritual to moral/internal — OT tame is overwhelmingly about bodily and ceremonial impurity (skin disease, corpse contact, bodily emissions); NT miaino is used 3 of 4 times for moral/conscience defilement (Titus 1:15 mind and conscience, Heb 12:15 bitterness, Jude 1:8 flesh via immorality). Only John 18:28 preserves the OT ritual sense. - From temporary to settled — OT tame defilement is typically resolved by evening, washing, or sacrifice; the NT perfect tenses in Titus 1:15 (μεμιαμμένοις, μεμίανται) suggest a settled, ongoing state of defilement rather than a temporary ritual condition.