Hebrew word · H8545

תְּמוּרָה

utemurato

exchange

Exchange, substitute, what is given or received in trade, return. From the root mûr, 'to change, exchange'.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

that which is exchanged, exchange, substitute, recompense

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

Range of meaning: Exchange, substitute, what is given or received in trade, return. From the root mûr, 'to change, exchange'.
Against the English: KJV 'recompence', BSB/WEB 'reward' and ESV 'payment' all point toward the idea of a return. In modern ears 'reward' sounds like a bonus for doing well. The Hebrew is a commercial word, 'what you get in exchange', and the irony comes from the trade picture.
How it drifted: Only a slight drift. 'Reward' works as irony, but it hides the bartering image, which is the point.
Used elsewhere in the period: Lev 27:10, 33: an animal offered as a substitute for one already vowed; both 'it and its exchange' become holy. Ruth 4:7: the custom of sealing 'exchange' transactions with a sandal. Job 20:18: 'the wealth of his trading', meaning his profits. Job 28:17: wisdom cannot be acquired 'in exchange for' gold vessels. So Job's own book uses the word for commercial gain.

Range of meaning: "Exchange, substitute, what is received in exchange". It can mean the price or proceeds of a trade (Job 28:17, gold vessels are not its "exchange") or a payoff or recompense (Job 15:31).
Against the English: BSB/ESV/NIV "trading" points to commerce. KJV "restitution" takes it as what he must pay back. YLT "exchange" is literal. The Hebrew may mean any gain he got "in exchange". It is not necessarily commerce in a modern sense.
How it drifted: "Trading" can make the man sound like a merchant whose business failed. The context (v.19) points to gains got by oppression, which he swapped for or seized.
Used elsewhere in the period: Ruth 4:7 uses it for a legal transfer of property. Lev 27:10, 33 uses it for an animal "substituted" for one already vowed. Job 15:31 has "emptiness will be his recompense (təmûrâ)".

Range of meaning: Exchange, substitution, something given in place of something else. It can also mean the gain from a trade (Job 20:18) or 'recompense' (Job 15:31).
Against the English: KJV 'changing' and YLT 'changing' are too vague for a modern reader. BSB folds it into 'exchange of property'. NIV and NLT speak of 'transfer', which catches the commercial sense.
Used elsewhere in the period: Lev 27:10, 33 uses it for substituting one animal for another vowed animal. Job 28:17 says wisdom cannot be 'exchanged' for gold vessels.

Leviticus · 2

Leviticus 27:10 וּתְמוּרָת֖וֹ and substitute its

He must not replace it or exchange it, either good for bad or bad for good. But if he does substitute one animal for another, both that animal and its substitute will be holy.
Leviticus 27:33 וּתְמוּרָת֛וֹ and substitute its

He must not inspect whether it is good or bad, and he shall not make any substitution. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute shall become holy; they cannot be redeemed.’”

Ruth · 1

Ruth 4:7 הַתְּמוּרָה֙ the exchange

Now in former times in Israel, concerning the redemption or exchange of property, to make any matter legally binding a man would remove his sandal and give it to the other party, and this was a confirmation in Israel.

Here: A transfer or swap: one thing or right goes in place of another. Next to 'redemption' it widens the custom to cover property transfers in general, not only kin buy-backs.

Job · 3

Job 15:31 תְמוּרָתֽוֹ׃ recompense his

Let him not deceive himself with trust in emptiness, for emptiness will be his reward.

Here: A trade word: what is given in exchange for something else, a substitute or return. 'His exchange' is what he receives back for what he invested. It is not a prize, just a payment that matches the deal.
Job 20:18 תְּ֝מוּרָת֗וֹ trading his

He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it; he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading.

Here: "His exchange": what he got in return, his trade-profit. Some take it as "his restitution" (what he must give in exchange). In Job 15:31 the same word means the "return" or payoff a man gets for what he trusted in.
Job 28:17 וּתְמ֖וּרָתָ֣הּ and [is] exchange its

Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.

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