H8535 H8535
Complete, sound, morally blameless; of persons having integrity before God, or of a quiet, mild disposition
A rich adjective that spans physical wholeness, moral integrity, and gentle temperament. In Job 1:1 and 1:8, it is the headline word God uses to describe Job: 'tam veyashar,' blameless and upright. In Song of Songs 5:2 and 6:9, it becomes a term of intimate endearment, 'my perfect one,' where completeness takes on aesthetic and relational beauty. Its single use for Jacob in Genesis 25:27 reveals a quieter shade of meaning, a man of tents rather than fields, mild rather than restless, the mirror opposite of Esau the hunter.
Senses
1. blameless, upright, perfect — Moral wholeness, blamelessness, and integrity before God. This is the dominant sense, covering thirteen of fourteen occurrences. Job is called 'ish tam' (Job 1:1, 1:8, 2:3), and Psalm 37:37 urges the reader to 'mark the blameless man.' In Song of Songs 5:2 and 6:9, the beloved is 'my perfect one' (tammati), a use that extends completeness from ethics into beauty. French 'integre' and Spanish 'integro' both capture the moral weight, while the Song of Songs passages shift to 'ma parfaite' and 'mi perfecta,' revealing how the same root flexes from virtue to loveliness. 13×
AR["الكامِلَ", "تامَّينِ", "تَمَّتِي", "كامِلًا", "كامِلٌ"]·ben["আমার-নিষ্পাপ", "নির্দোষ", "নির্দোষকে", "সত", "সম্পূর্ণ", "সিদ্ধ", "সৎ", "সৎ-", "সৎকে", "হে-আমার-নিষ্পাপ"]·DE["[תמתי]", "der-blameless", "untadelig", "vollenden"]·EN["blameless", "blameless-", "blameless-one", "complete", "my-perfect-one", "the-blameless"]·FR["achever", "intègre", "ma-parfaite!", "ma-parfaite;"]·heb["תם", "תמימים", "תמתי"]·HI["खरा", "खरे-को", "निर्दोष-पर", "पूरे", "मेरी-निर्दोष", "सिद्ध"]·ID["Tidak-bercela", "orang-tidak-bercela", "orang-yang-tidak-bercela", "orang-yang-tidak-bersalah", "sempurna", "sempurnaku", "tidak-bercela", "yang-tidak-bercela"]·IT["completare", "integrita'", "integro", "integro-mio"]·jav["jangkep", "kang-sampurna-kula", "sampurna", "tiyang-ingkang-tanpa-ciri", "tiyang-sampurna"]·KO["내-완전한-자", "내-완전한-자여", "온전하고", "온전한-자-를", "온전한-자를", "완전한", "완전한-", "완전한-자-와", "흔-없는-자-를"]·PT["inteiras", "minha-perfeita", "o-íntegro", "Íntegro", "Íntegro-", "íntegro"]·RU["невинного", "непорочен", "непорочного", "непорочность", "непорочный", "совершенная-моя", "цельными"]·ES["Al-íntegro", "al-íntegro", "mi-perfecta", "perfecta-mía", "perfectos", "si-soy-íntegro,", "Íntegro", "íntegro", "íntegro,"]·SW["kamili", "mkamilifu", "mkamilifu-wangu"]·TR["dürüst", "dürüst-", "dürüstü", "kusursuzdan", "kusursuzu", "mükemmelim", "susuza", "tam"]·urd["بے-عیب", "بے-عیب-سے", "میری-کامل", "پورے", "کامل", "کامل-کو"]
2. quiet, mild, simple — Quiet, mild, domestically inclined, describing a temperament rather than a moral judgment. Used only of Jacob in Genesis 25:27, where 'ish tam' contrasts with Esau the hunter. English renders it 'quiet' or 'plain,' Spanish 'sencillo' (simple, unassuming), and French 'tranquille.' Some scholars treat this as the same root sense of 'complete' applied to character, but the narrative context clearly foregrounds disposition over virtue: Jacob stays among the tents while Esau roams the field. 1×
AR["كَامِلٌ"]·ben["সরল"]·DE["untadelig"]·EN["quiet"]·FR["tranquille"]·heb["תם"]·HI["सीधा"]·ID["tulus"]·IT["quiet"]·jav["tulus"]·KO["순전한"]·PT["íntegro"]·RU["простой"]·ES["sencillo"]·SW["mtulivu"]·TR["sade"]·urd["سیدھا"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† תָּם adj. complete;—ת׳ Gn 25:27 + 10 times; sf. תַּמָּתִי Ct 5:2; 6:9 (late, except Gn 25:27);— 1. complete, perfect: in beauty Ct 5:2; 6:9; of physical strength ψ 73:4 (read לָ֑מוֹ תָּם Ew De DrSam xxxi Che Bae al.). 2. sound, wholesome: אִישׁ תָּם, of Jacob as tent-dweller, opp. Esau, hunter, Gn 25:27 (J; De leutseliger Mann, Di ruhig, still, AV RV plain man; ת׳ here poss. redactional, = 3).…