Hebrew word · H8539

תָּמַהּ

vaiyitmehu

to astounded

To be astounded, dumbfounded, stunned, aghast. Joseph's brothers 'looked at one another in astonishment' (Gen 43:33). Kings saw Zion 'and were astounded, terrified, they fled' (Ps 48:5). At disaster 'the priests will be appalled and the prophets astounded' (Jer 4:9).

Appears 9 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to be astounded, be stunned, be amazed, be dumbfounded

1a) (Qal) to be astounded

1b)(Hithpael) to astonish yourself, be astounded, be astonished at one another

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 Isaiah 29:9

Range of meaning

To be astounded, dumbfounded, stunned, aghast. Joseph's brothers 'looked at one another in astonishment' (Gen 43:33). Kings saw Zion 'and were astounded, terrified, they fled' (Ps 48:5). At disaster 'the priests will be appalled and the prophets astounded' (Jer 4:9). 'Look… and be astounded' at a work God does (Hab 1:5). It is the shock of the unexpected, often mixed with dread.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT 'wonder' can suggest pleasant curiosity or admiring awe ('I wonder…', 'a sense of wonder'). BSB 'be astonished' and NIV 'amazed' are closer, though 'amazed' can also sound positive in modern English.

How it drifted

In 1611 'wonder' still carried strong overtones of being stunned at something uncanny. Modern use has drifted toward curiosity and delight.

Used elsewhere in the period

Jeremiah 4:9 is the nearest parallel: when judgment falls, the religious leaders themselves are 'astounded'. Isaiah 29:10 likewise targets the prophets and seers.

From the study of Habakkuk 1:5

Range of meaning

To be astounded, stunned, dumbfounded, staring in shock. Most of its uses involve alarm, dismay or horror rather than pleasant wonder: Joseph's brothers stare at one another in alarm (Gen 43:33); hostile kings 'saw, were astounded, terrified, and fled' at Zion (Ps 48:5); people stare aghast at one another as judgment falls (Isa 13:8); 'the priests will be appalled and the prophets astounded' (Jer 4:9).

Against the English

KJV 'wonder marvellously' and NIV/NLT 'amazed' can sound like delighted wonder. BSB 'utterly astounded' and ESV 'astounded' are closer. The Hebrew picture is of people stopped dead, jaws open, with dread rising.

How it drifted

Modern English 'amazed' and 'wonder' have softened toward pleasant surprise ('amazing!'), and this verse is read through that lens.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hebrew Bible usage as above (BDB, HALOT s.v. תמה). The Septuagint renders it 'marvel marvels' and then adds 'and perish/vanish' (aphanisthēte), which suggests its translators heard ruin in the passage, not delight.

From the study of Isaiah 13:8

Range of meaning

To be astounded, stunned, dumbfounded, horrified. It describes a reaction to something beyond comprehension. Usually negative or fearful, sometimes neutral surprise.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'amazed' now sounds like impressed delight. The Hebrew is shock and incomprehension. ESV/NIV 'look aghast' is more accurate. BSB 'look at one another' drops the emotion.

How it drifted

In older English 'amazed' meant stunned or stupefied (from 'maze': bewildered). Today it mostly means pleasantly impressed.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 43:33 (Joseph's brothers, seated in birth order, 'were astounded, each to his fellow,' the same idiom); Psalm 48:5 [Heb. 6]; Jeremiah 4:9 (priests and prophets 'astounded'); Habakkuk 1:5 ('look and be astounded, astounded'); Job 26:11 (the pillars of heaven 'are astounded').

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 43:33 וַיִּתְמְה֥וּ and they looked in astonishment

    They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

Job · 1

  1. Job 26:11 וְ֝יִתְמְה֗וּ and they may be astonished

    The foundations of heaven quake, astounded at His rebuke.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 48:5 תָּמָ֑הוּ they were astonished

    They saw and were astounded; they fled in terror.

Ecclesiastes · 1

  1. Ecclesiastes 5:8 תִּתְמַ֖הּ be astonished

    If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.

    Here: To be stunned or shocked. Qohelet is not saying 'do not care'; he is saying 'do not be surprised, as if this were a strange exception'.

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 13:8 יִתְמָ֔הוּ they will look in astonishment

    Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.

    Here: 'They will stare aghast.' This is stunned shock, not wonder. The same phrase, 'they were astounded each to his fellow,' describes Joseph's brothers in Genesis 43:33.

  2. Isaiah 29:9 וּתְמָ֔הוּ and be astounded

    Stop and be astonished; blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not from strong drink.

    Here: 'And be stunned!' This is the shock of people who cannot take in what is happening, not pleasant wonder. Together with the first verb it means: stand there gaping.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 4:9 יִתְמָֽהוּ׃ they will be astounded

    “In that day,” declares the LORD, “the king and officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be astounded.”

Habakkuk · 2

  1. Habakkuk 1:5 וְהִֽתַּמְּה֖וּ תְּמָ֑הוּ and be astounded, be astonished

    “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.

    Here: 'And be stunned': the verb pictures someone frozen and dumbfounded, often with dread. This form has a reflexive, 'let yourselves be stunned' feel.

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