תָּמַם

From the study of Isaiah 33:1

Range of meaning

Tamam: to be complete, finished, whole; in the causative form, to bring to an end or complete. Nalah occurs only here. It is usually explained as a variant or copying error for kalah, 'to finish, come to an end.'

Against the English

English versions agree on 'when you have finished / ceased.' KJV's 'cease' and 'make an end' capture it well.

Used elsewhere in the period

Kalah is the normal verb for completing a task (Genesis 2:2). The Qumran Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaᵃ) appears to read a form of kalah here. HALOT treats nalah as doubtful.

From the study of Joshua 3:16

Range of meaning

tamam: to be complete, finished, used up, come to an end, be whole. karat: to cut, cut off, sever, exterminate; in the passive form, to be cut off.

Against the English

KJV 'failed, and were cut off' gives two separate verbs, and 'failed' now sounds like 'was unsuccessful'. Most modern versions combine them correctly as 'completely/wholly cut off'.

How it drifted

In 1611 English 'fail' commonly meant 'run out, come to an end' (as in 'the water failed'). Modern readers hear 'be unsuccessful'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Two verbs placed side by side, the first acting as an adverb for the second, is a normal Hebrew construction. tamam comes back in 3:17, 4:1, 4:10 and 4:11 for the nation 'finishing' its crossing. karat comes back in 4:7, the explanation the memorial stones are meant to prompt: 'the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark'.

From the study of Ezekiel 22:15

Range of meaning

To be complete, whole, finished. It can also mean to be used up or exhausted (Gen 47:18; Jer 24:10, 'until they are consumed'). In the causative form it means to complete, bring to an end, or finish off.

Against the English

KJV and YLT say 'consume,' which keeps the 'used up' sense. BSB and WEB say 'purge,' which brings out the removal. 'Put an end to' is the plainest equivalent. 'Purge' can make modern readers think of a quick cleansing. The Hebrew is about bringing something to a finish.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Ezek 24:10–11 the same root is used for cooking a pot's contents completely. The empty pot is then set on the coals 'so that its impurity may melt in it and its corrosion be consumed (תִּתֹּם).' The next oracle in this chapter, 22:17–22, pictures Israel as metal ore melted in a furnace.