Original Word: תָּמַהּ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tamahh
Pronunciation: tah-mah'
Phonetic Spelling: (taw-mah')
KJV: be amazed, be astonished, marvel(-lously), wonder
NASB: amazed, astonishment, astonished, astounded, look, looked, shocked
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to be in consternation

be amazed, be astonished, marvelously, wonder

A primitive root; to be in consternation -- be amazed, be astonished, marvel(-lously), wonder.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to be astounded or dumbfounded
NASB Translation
amazed (2), astonished (1), astonishment (2), astounded (1), look (1), looked (1), shocked (1), wait (1), wonder (1).

[תָּמַהּ] verb be astounded, dumbfounded (Late Hebrew id.; so Aramaic תְּמַהּ, ); —

Qal Perfect3plural תָּמָ֑הוּ Psalm 48:6; Imperfect2masculine singular תִּתְמֶהּ Ecclesiastes 5:7; 3masculine plural יִתְמְהוּ Job 26:11, etc.; Imperative masculine plural תְּמָ֑הוּ Isaiah 29:9; Habakkuk 1:5; — be astounded Isaiah 29:9; Habakkuk 1:5 (see Hithpa`el), Jeremiah 4:9 ("" שׁמם, Niph`al), Psalm 48:6; + מִן causative Job 26:11; + על of thing at which Exodus 5:7; look in astonishment at אִישׁ אֶלרֵֿעֵהוּ ׳ת Genesis 43:33 (J), Isaiah 13:8.

Hithpa`el Imperative masculine plural +

Qal Imperative וְהִתַּמְּהוּ תְּמָהוּ Habakkuk 1:5 (see above), literally astonish yourselves, be astounded but We

Hithpalpel הִתְמַהְמְהוּ; Gr reads infinitive absolute תָּמַהַּ (Marti and others וּתְמָהוּ) for תמהו.

Overview

The verb “tamah” portrays a sudden, overwhelming sense of astonishment that arrests thought and movement. Scripture employs it to depict reactions to both divine benevolence and divine judgment, underscoring that the living God repeatedly shatters human expectations.

Occurrences and Narrative Settings

1. Genesis 43:33 – Joseph’s brothers, unaware of his identity, “looked at one another in astonishment” when they were seated according to birth order. The word highlights providential orchestration that outwits human schemes.

2. Job 26:11 – “The foundations of the heavens quake; they are astounded at His rebuke.” Cosmic structures themselves display the shock of creation before its Creator’s reprimand.

3. Psalm 48:5 – Enemy kings, surveying Zion, “were astounded; they were alarmed, they fled in terror.” The term magnifies the protective presence of God around His people.

4. Ecclesiastes 5:8 – The Preacher counsels, “do not be astonished at the matter” when injustice prevails; God’s ultimate oversight makes social upheaval no cause for faithless surprise.

5. Isaiah 13:8 – Nations facing Babylon’s fall “look aghast at one another.” Global politics reel under the momentum of divine decree.

6. Isaiah 29:9 – “Stop and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind!” A self-inflicted stupor afflicts those who ignore revealed truth.

7. Jeremiah 4:9 – In a day of judgment “the priests will tremble in horror, and the prophets will be astonished,” exposing religious leadership stripped of insight when covenant warnings are fulfilled.

8–9. Habakkuk 1:5 – “Look at the nations and observe—be utterly astounded! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.” Repetition of “tamah” doubles the emphasis: God’s incoming act transcends human probability calculus.

Thematic Trajectories

• Divine Sovereignty: “Tamah” regularly accompanies moments where Yahweh overturns expectations—whether elevating a forgotten son of Jacob, dismantling empires, or engineering a redemptive plan beyond prophetic anticipation (Habakkuk).

• Judgment and Salvation Intertwined: In Psalms and Isaiah the same astonishment rattles God’s foes and secures His people, revealing a deliberate tension that threads through redemptive history.

• Moral Instruction: Ecclesiastes redirects astonishment away from earthly injustice toward reverent trust. Jeremiah and Isaiah warn that persistent unbelief leads to stupefaction, a sober caution for every generation.

Historical Significance

In the exilic and pre-exilic prophets, “tamah” became a rhetorical signal that seismic historical shifts (Assyria, Babylon, Chaldea) were not geopolitical accidents but orchestrated dealings of the covenant LORD. The term thus framed history as theater for divine self-disclosure.

Ministry Applications

1. Preaching: “Tamah” calls congregations to recover holy awe. God’s acts in salvation history—and supremely in the cross and resurrection—still outstrip finite expectation.

2. Pastoral Care: Believers facing injustice (Ecclesiastes 5:8) are steered from paralyzing surprise to steadfast hope, remembering that God’s governance is never eclipsed.

3. Discipleship: Habakkuk 1:5 fuels missionary vision. The same God who once raised the Chaldeans now advances the gospel in ways “you would never believe.”

4. Worship: Psalm 48 invites corporate liturgy that recounts moments when enemies fled in astonishment, nourishing confidence for present challenges.

Christological Echoes

The New Testament records crowds “amazed” (Greek cognate thaumazō) at Jesus’ authority—an ongoing fulfillment of the Old Testament’s theology of surprise. The incarnation itself is the climactic “work in your days” that no human mind conceived, yet now stands revealed.

Conclusion

“Tamah” punctuates Scripture as a verbal exclamation point, reminding every reader that the Holy One persistently acts beyond measure and prediction. To encounter Him rightly is to share in the reverent astonishment that marks saints, shakes nations, and steadies the faithful.

וְ֝יִתְמְה֗וּ וְהִֽתַּמְּה֖וּ וַיִּתְמְה֥וּ וּתְמָ֔הוּ והתמהו ויתמהו ותמהו יִתְמָ֔הוּ יִתְמָֽהוּ׃ יתמהו יתמהו׃ תְּמָ֑הוּ תִּתְמַ֖הּ תָּמָ֑הוּ תמהו תתמה tā·mā·hū taMahu tāmāhū tə·mā·hū teMahu təmāhū tiṯ·mah titMah tiṯmah ū·ṯə·mā·hū uteMahu ūṯəmāhū vaiyitmeHu vehittammeHu veyitmeHu way·yiṯ·mə·hū wayyiṯməhū wə·hit·tam·mə·hū wə·yiṯ·mə·hū wəhittamməhū wəyiṯməhū yiṯ·mā·hū yitMahu yiṯmāhūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts