Original Word: טָהוֹר
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: tahowr
Pronunciation: tah-HOHR
Phonetic Spelling: (taw-hore')
KJV: clean, fair, pure(-ness)
NASB: clean, pure, purity, who is clean
Word Origin: [from H2891 (טָּהֵר - clean)]

1. pure (in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense)

clean, fair, pureness

Or tahor {taw-hore'}; from taher; pure (in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense) -- clean, fair, pure(-ness).

see HEBREW taher

Word Origin
from taher
Definition
clean, pure
NASB Translation
clean (51), pure (40), purity (1), unclean* (2), who is clean (1).

טָהוֺר adjective clean, pure; — masculine absolute ׳ט Exodus 25:11 68t.; טָהֹר Leviticus 11:47 4t.; construct טְהוֺר Habakkuk 1:13; טְהָו֯ר Proverbs 22:11; טֳהָרֿ Job 17:9; feminine טְהוֺרָה Malachi 1:11 3t.; טְהֹרָה Genesis 7:2 8t.; masculine plural טְהוֺרִים Ezekiel 36:25; Ezra 6:20; טְהֹרִים Proverbs 15:26; feminine plural טְהֹרוֺת Leviticus 14:4; Psalm 12:7; —

1 ceremonially clean, of animals Genesis 7:2 (twice in verse); Genesis 7:8 (twice in verse); Genesis 8:20 (twice in verse) (all J), Leviticus 14:4 (P), Leviticus 20:25 (twice in verse) (H), Deuteronomy 14:11,20; places Leviticus 4:12; Leviticus 6:4; Leviticus 10:14; Leviticus 11:36; Numbers 19:9 (all P); things Leviticus 10:10; Leviticus 11:37,47; Leviticus 14:57 (P), Ezekiel 22:26; Ezekiel 44:23; Isaiah 66:20; Malachi 1:11; persons Leviticus 7:19; Leviticus 13:13,17,37,39,40,41; Leviticus 15:8; Numbers 5:28; Numbers 9:13; Numbers 18:11,13; Numbers 19:9,18,19 (all P), Deuteronomy 12:15,22; Deuteronomy 15:22; Deuteronomy 23:11; 1 Samuel 20:26 a + see :26 b ᵑ0 but read טֹהַר Pu`al, see טָהֵר, 2 Chronicles 30:17; Ezra 6:20.

2 physically pure: of gold זָהָב Exodus 25:11,17,24,29,31,36,38,39; Exodus 28:14,22,36; Exodus 30:3; Exodus 37:2,6,11,16,17,22,23,24,26; Exodus 39:15,25,30 (all P), 1 Chronicles 28:17; 2Chronicles 3:4; 9:17; כֶּתֶם Job 28:19; of water מַיִם Ezekiel 36:25; of incense קְטֹרֶת Exodus 30:35; Exodus 37:29 (P); of lamp stand מְנֹרָה Exodus 31:8; Exodus 39:37 (P), Leviticus 24:4 (H); of the table שֻׁלְחָן Leviticus 24:6 (H), 2 Chronicles 13:11; clean, of turban Zechariah 3:5 (twice in verse).

3 ethically pure, clean Proverbs 30:12; Ecclesiastes 9:2; Job 14:4; of heart Psalm 51:12; Proverbs 22:11; hands Job 17:9; eyes Habakkuk 1:13 (of God); words of men Proverbs 15:26; words of God Psalm 12:7; law of ׳י as object of reverential fear Psalm 19:10.

Overview

The adjective טָהוֹר (tahor) describes that which is entirely free from defilement, whether ceremonial, physical, moral, or spiritual. It occurs about ninety-three times across the Hebrew Scriptures, forming one of the major vocabulary pillars for the themes of holiness, separation, and wholehearted devotion to the LORD.

Ceremonial Purity under the Law

From the outset of Israel’s covenant life, “clean” defined the line of approach to the Holy One. “You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean” (Leviticus 10:10). The priestly legislation teaches that purity is not negotiable but essential for covenant fellowship. Failure to preserve cleanness—whether through contact with corpse, disease, or moral offense—resulted in exclusion from worship until cleansing rites were completed (e.g., Numbers 19:13).

Clean Animals and Dietary Distinctions

Genesis introduces the distinction when Noah is told, “You are to take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal” (Genesis 7:2). Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 detail the animals fit for sacrifice and consumption. These distinctions taught Israel that everyday choices about food were under divine authority, embedding holiness into ordinary life and foreshadowing the need for inward purity.

Purity in Sacrifice and Worship

Only a spotless offering could symbolize the blameless Substitute. The worshiper, the priest, the altar, the vessels, and the place itself had to be tahor. Any contact with the holy demanded prior purification, often by blood, water, or fire. The Red Heifer ritual is emblematic: “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer… for the water of purification” (Numbers 19:9). Purity law thus highlighted humanity’s distance from God while pointing to the ultimate cleansing that would come through Messiah.

Objects and Spaces Designated as Pure

The Tabernacle furniture is repeatedly overlaid “with pure gold” (Exodus 25:11), and the menorah burns “pure oil of pressed olives” (Leviticus 24:2). Purity here conveys not only the absence of foreign material but an excellence befitting divine presence. The visual and tactile perfection of these objects proclaimed God’s absolute beauty and integrity.

Moral and Spiritual Purity

The prophets and poets lift tahor from ritual into the heart. “Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? … He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4). David pleads, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). The moral dimension is inseparable from the ceremonial; outer rites without inner truth offend God (Isaiah 1:11-16). Purity is therefore relational—loyal love expressed through obedience.

Purity in Wisdom and Poetical Books

Proverbs links purity to words and motives: “Evil plans are detestable to the LORD, but pleasant words are pure” (Proverbs 15:26). The Psalms speak of pure commandments, pure fear, and pure judgments, portraying Scripture itself as the standard and agent of purification: “The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined… purified sevenfold” (Psalm 12:6).

Prophetic Calls to Purity and Eschatological Hope

The prophets promise a coming era when God Himself will effect the cleansing rituals foreshadowed in the Law. “I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean” (Ezekiel 36:25). Zechariah foretells a fountain “to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (Zechariah 13:1). Malachi pictures the Refiner purging the sons of Levi “so that they may present offerings in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3). These promises converge on the new covenant’s heart transformation.

Typological Foreshadowing of Christ

The persistent demand for tahor prepares the way for the unblemished Lamb whose blood alone can purify the conscience (compare Hebrews 9:13-14). The ashes of the Red Heifer, the blood on the Day of Atonement, and the pure gold of the sanctuary all anticipate Jesus Christ, “holy, innocent, undefiled” (Hebrews 7:26). His cleansing work meets both the legal and moral dimensions of tahor, fulfilling what the Law could only symbolize.

Practical Ministry Implications

1. Worship: God still seeks worshipers who approach with “clean hands and a pure heart,” calling leaders to guard the church’s doctrinal and moral purity.
2. Preaching: The Word remains the instrument of purification; expository ministry must expose defilement and apply the cleansing promise of the gospel.
3. Personal Holiness: Believers pursue purity of body and spirit, resisting cultural defilements in light of their identity as a royal priesthood.
4. Sacramental Life: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper visibly declare the accomplished and ongoing cleansing secured in Christ.

Selected References

Genesis 7:2; Exodus 25:11, 37:29; Leviticus 10:10; 11:47; 16:19; 24:2; Numbers 19:9-20; Deuteronomy 14:11-20; 2 Samuel 22:27; 2 Kings 10:15; Psalm 12:6; 24:3-4; 51:10; 73:1; Proverbs 15:26; 20:11; Isaiah 1:25; Ezekiel 36:25-29; Zechariah 13:1; Malachi 3:3.

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