What does תָּמַךְ (tāmakĕ) mean in the Bible?
תָּמַךְ (tāmakĕ): To grasp and hold firmly; sustaining through active support rather than passive maintenance alone.
Hebrew · H8551
תָּמַךְ
To sustain ; by implication, to obtain , keep fast ; figuratively, to help , follow close
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תָּמַךְ H8551
Pronunciation tāmakĕ
What does תָּמַךְ (tāmakĕ) mean in the Bible?
תָּמַךְ (tāmakĕ): To grasp and hold firmly; sustaining through active support rather than passive maintenance alone.
Full entry for תָּמַךְ (H8551) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H8551?
The BSB source-word alignment has 21 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and the one who wields (2), and grasps (1), and those who lay hold of her (1), and took (1), attains (1).
Where does תָּמַךְ (tāmakĕ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 48:17. Its strongest book concentrations include Proverbs (9), Psalms (4), Isaiah (3), Amos (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It and the one who wields 2× Amos 1:5, Amos 1:8
and grasps 1× Proverbs 31:19
and those who lay hold of her 1× Proverbs 3:18
and took 1× Genesis 48:17
attains 1× Proverbs 11:16
gain 1× Proverbs 11:16
have held 1× Psalms 17:5
have made 1× Psalms 16:5
have seized you 1× Job 36:17
held 1× Exodus 17:12
I will uphold you 1× Isaiah 41:10
lay hold 1× Proverbs 4:4
lead straight to 1× Proverbs 5:5
support 1× Proverbs 28:17
takes 1× Isaiah 33:15
the cords 1× Proverbs 5:22
upholds me 1× Psalms 63:8
whom I uphold 1× Isaiah 42:1
will obtain 1× Proverbs 29:23
You uphold 1× Psalms 41:12
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 48:17 וַיִּתְמֹ֣ךְ to and took Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 17:12 תָּֽמְכ֣וּ to held Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Job 36:17 יִתְמֹֽכוּ׃ to have seized you Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Psalms 16:5 תּוֹמִ֥יךְ to have made Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Psalms 17:5 תָּמֹ֣ךְ to have held Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute Psalms 41:12 תָּמַ֣כְתָּ to You uphold Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular Psalms 63:8 תָּמְכָ֥ה to upholds me Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Proverbs 3:18 וְֽתֹמְכֶ֥יהָ to and those who lay hold of her Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular Proverbs 4:4 יִֽתְמָךְ־ to lay hold Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Proverbs 5:5 יִתְמֹֽכוּ׃ to lead straight to Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 48:17
Aligned rows 21
Books represented 7
Genesis 1 Exodus 1 Job 1 Psalms 4 Proverbs 9 Isaiah 3 Amos 2
Source forms
וְתוֹמֵ֥ךְ 2x wə·ṯō·w·mêḵ Amos 1:5, Amos 1:8
יִתְמְכוּ־ 2x yiṯ·mə·ḵū- Proverbs 11:16, Proverbs 28:17
יִתְמֹֽכוּ׃ 2x yiṯ·mō·ḵū Job 36:17, Proverbs 5:5
אֶתְמָךְ־ 1x ’eṯ·māḵ- Isaiah 42:1
וַיִּתְמֹ֣ךְ 1x way·yiṯ·mōḵ Genesis 48:17
וְֽתֹמְכֶ֥יהָ 1x wə·ṯō·mə·ḵe·hā Proverbs 3:18
יִתְמֹ֥ךְ 1x yiṯ·mōḵ Proverbs 29:23
יִֽתְמָךְ־ 1x yiṯ·māḵ- Proverbs 4:4
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural 4x Job 36:17, Proverbs 5:5, Proverbs 11:16, Proverbs 28:17
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x Proverbs 4:4, Proverbs 29:23
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural 2x Exodus 17:12, Proverbs 31:19
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 1x Genesis 48:17
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular 1x Proverbs 3:18
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct 1x Amos 1:8
Noun - masculine singular 1x Amos 1:5
Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 1x Isaiah 33:15
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. To grasp and hold firmly; sustaining through active support rather than passive maintenance alone.
Strong's H8551
Lexical occurrences 21 verses Word forms 2 forms 15 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Proverbs 28:17 Source Gloss
to sustain ; by implication, to obtain , keep fast ; figuratively, to help , follow close
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
To grasp and hold firmly; sustaining through active support rather than passive maintenance alone.
to sustain; by implication, to obtain, keep fast; figuratively, to help, follow close BDB: grasp Usage: (take, up-) hold (up), maintain, retain, stay (up).
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 15
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 14×
Imperfect Job 36:17 · Prov 5:5 · Prov 11:16 · Isa 42:1 · Prov 29:23 6×
Perfect Exod 17:12 · Prov 31:19 · Ps 41:13 · Ps 63:9 4×
Jussive Prov 4:4 · Prov 28:17 2×
Participle active Ps 16:5 1×
Infinitive absolute Ps 17:5 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 1×
Imperfect Prov 5:22 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
to grasp or maintain control, as one burdened by guilt
Showing 1 selected witness from 21 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
תָּמַךְ is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain