Hebrew word · H2940

טַ֫עַם

ta'am

taste

Literal taste or flavour of food (Exod 16:31; Num 11:8; Job 6:6). 2) By extension: judgment, discernment, good sense, the ability to 'taste' a situation and tell what fits (1 Sam 25:33; Ps 119:66; Job 12:20; Prov 26:16).

Appears 13 times in 12 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) taste, judgment

1a) taste

1b) judgment (fig.)

1c) decision, decree

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Proverbs 11:22

Range of meaning
  1. Literal taste or flavour of food (Exod 16:31; Num 11:8; Job 6:6). 2) By extension: judgment, discernment, good sense, the ability to 'taste' a situation and tell what fits (1 Sam 25:33; Ps 119:66; Job 12:20; Prov 26:16). 3) Behaviour or bearing as the outward sign of that judgment: David 'changed his ta'am', meaning he acted mad, before Achish (1 Sam 21:13; Ps 34 title). 4) In Aramaic, the related word means a decree or official command (Ezra, Daniel; Jonah 3:7).
Against the English

Most English versions say 'discretion' (KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV, NASB). In 1611 'discretion' meant the power to discern, to tell things apart (Latin discretio), and that fits ta'am well. YLT's 'stubborn of behaviour' is an outlier: it takes the word as 'behaviour' and the participle as perverse wilfulness.

How it drifted

Today 'discretion' usually suggests being discreet: keeping quiet, not drawing attention, not revealing secrets, sometimes modesty in dress. Those are narrower and differently shaped than ta'am, which is good judgment and a sense of what is fitting across the whole of life.

Used elsewhere in the period

The closest parallel is 1 Samuel 25. Abigail is introduced as 'good of understanding and beautiful of form' (25:3), and David blesses her: 'blessed be your ta'am' (25:33), meaning the judgment that kept him from bloodshed. Psalm 119:66 asks, 'teach me good ta'am and knowledge.' Job 12:20 says God 'takes away the ta'am of elders', their judgment. The Septuagint here renders the idea with kakophrōn, 'ill-minded, foolish-minded'.

From the study of Proverbs 26:16

Range of meaning

(1) Taste, flavor (Exod 16:31, the manna's taste; Job 6:6); (2) discernment, judgment, good sense (1 Sam 25:33, David to Abigail: 'blessed be your discernment'; Ps 119:66, 'teach me good judgment'; Prov 11:22, a beautiful woman 'who turns aside from discretion'; Job 12:20, God 'takes away the discernment of elders'); (3) a decision or decree (Jonah 3:7, the king's decree). The Aramaic cognate ṭəʿēm is common in Ezra and Daniel for 'decree, report, account'.

Against the English

BSB/WEB/NIV 'discreetly / with discretion'; ESV 'sensibly'; KJV 'render a reason'; YLT 'returning a reason'. 'Sensibly' best matches the Hebrew. 'Discreetly' can mislead a modern reader (see drift).

How it drifted

In older English 'discretion' meant the power to judge well, which is a good match. Today 'discreet' usually means tactful, quiet, or able to keep a secret, which is a different idea.

Used elsewhere in the period

The pairing of taste and judgment is the same picture as Job 12:11 / 34:3: 'Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food?' In this world, judging well was pictured as tasting.

From the study of Exodus 16:31

Range of meaning

(1) Taste or flavour (Job 6:6; Num 11:8; Jer 48:11). (2) By extension, good sense, discernment or judgment: Abigail's 'good judgment' in 1 Sam 25:33, 'teach me good judgment' in Ps 119:66, and Prov 11:22. (3) In Aramaic-influenced usage, a decree (Jonah 3:7).

Against the English

'Taste' is accurate here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Num 11:8 uses the same noun for the manna: 'its taste was like the taste of cakes of oil'. The Septuagint renders it geuma, 'taste'.

Where it appears

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 16:31 וְטַעְמ֖וֹ and taste its

    Now the house of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

    Here: 'And its taste'. Here it means literal flavour, though the same word can mean good sense or judgment elsewhere.

Numbers · 2

  1. Numbers 11:8 טַעְמ֔וֹ כְּטַ֖עַם taste its, like [the] taste of

    The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil.

1 Samuel · 2

  1. 1 Samuel 21:13 טַעְמוֹ֙ sense his

    So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.

  2. 1 Samuel 25:33 טַעְמֵ֖ךְ discernment your

    Blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, because today you kept me from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.

Job · 2

  1. Job 6:6 טַ֝֗עַם taste

    Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg?

  2. Job 12:20 וְטַ֖עַם and [the] discernment of

    He deprives the trusted of speech and takes away the discernment of elders.

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 119:66 טַ֣עַם discernment

    Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments.

    Here: Literally 'taste', the palate's ability to tell one flavour from another. Used for the mind, it means discernment or good sense, the ability to tell what is fitting and wise. The psalmist asks for a trained moral palate.

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 11:22 טָֽעַם׃ <of> discernment

    Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

    Here: Literally 'taste' (the taste of manna, Exod 16:31). By extension it means the ability to judge what is fitting: practical and moral good sense, tact, discernment. The proverb ends on this word, the one quality whose absence turns the gold into a joke.

  2. Proverbs 26:16 טָֽעַם׃ <of> discernment

    The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.

    Here: Literally 'taste', the ability to tell good from bad by tasting. Extended to sound judgment and discernment. 'Returners of taste' are people who can give a well-judged, sensible answer.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 48:11 טַעְמוֹ֙ taste its

    Moab has been at ease from youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel or gone into exile. So his flavor has remained the same, and his aroma is unchanged.

    Here: 'His taste', meaning the wine's flavor. Elsewhere the same word can mean judgment or good sense (1 Sam 25:33; Ps 119:66), so it may also hint at Moab's character and outlook.

Jonah · 1

  1. Jonah 3:7 מִטַּ֧עַם from [the] decree of

    Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.