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Hebrew verb · H8551

תָּמַךְ

tamaktaw-mak'

to grasp

21 uses in the Hebrew text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key

Concordance spelling: tâmak

Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's H8551is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.

  • 7 of 39
    Old Testament books
  • 18
    spellings

The definition in full

Strong's key (1890) · H8551

to sustain; by implication, to obtain, keep fast; figuratively, to help, follow close

The King James renders it: (take, up-) hold (up), maintain, retain, stay (up).

James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.

Summary

tamak is rendered "to grasp". It stands 21 times in the Hebrew text, across seven books.

  • Nine of the uses stand in Proverbs, more than in any other book.
  • Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.Genesis 48:17When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.
  • The Greek text spells it eighteen different ways.

The first use

When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.

Genesis 48:17וַיִּתְמֹ֣ךְ

The first use, in the order of the Old Testament's books.

Where the word stands

Nine of the word's twenty-one uses are in Proverbs.

The other 32 Old Testament books never use the word.

What the word means

Each meaning, and the words it is translated by

How the Greek text is glossed, word by word

  • and a holder of2
  • they take hold of2
  • and he grasped1
  • and hold fast to her1
  • from taking hold1
  • he will attain1
  • he will be held1
  • holding1
  • I have supported you1
  • I support1
  • it supports1
  • let it hold fast to1

and 7 more, 21 uses in all

The words built on the same word-part

Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.

תָּמִידtamidcontinuallyUses104
תָּמִיםtamimunblemishedUses91
תָּמַםtamamto finishUses63
תָּמַהּtamahhto astoundedUses9
תָּמָרtamarpalmUses8

All 21, in canonical order

Every use, in order

Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.

18 spellings and their grammar

STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.

How it is spelled

  • וְתוֹמֵ֥ךְ2
  • יִתְמְכוּ־2
  • יִתְמֹֽכוּ׃2
  • אֶתְמָךְ־1
  • וַיִּתְמֹ֣ךְ1
  • וְֽתֹמְכֶ֥יהָ1
  • יִתְמֹ֥ךְ1
  • יִֽתְמָךְ־1
  • יִתָּמֵֽךְ׃1
  • מִתְּמֹ֣ךְ1
  • תּוֹמִ֥יךְ1
  • תָּמֹ֣ךְ1

and 6 more spellings in the ledger below.

The grammar of each form

  • verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine plural3HVqi3mp
  • conjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), participle · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)2HC/Vqrmsc
  • verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singular2HVqi3ms
  • verb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person common plural2HVqp3cp
  • conjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), participle · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singular1HC/Vqrmpc/Sp3fs
  • Hc/Vqw3ms1Hc/Vqw3ms
  • preposition + verb · simple (qal), infinitive (“to…”)1HR/Vqcc
  • verb · passive or reflexive (niphal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singular1HVNi3ms
  • verb · simple (qal), infinitive absolute1HVqaa
  • verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 1st person common singular1HVqi1cs
  • verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person feminine singular1HVqi3fs
  • verb · simple (qal), jussive (“let him”) · 3rd person masculine plural1HVqj3mp

Genesis

one use
  • When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.

    Genesis 48:17

    • וַיִּתְמֹ֣ךְvaiyitmokhHc/Vqw3mstagged: and he grasped

Exodus

one use
  • When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down.

    Exodus 17:12

    • תָּֽמְכ֣וּtamekhuverb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person common pluraltagged: they supported

Job

one use
  • But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you.

    Job 36:17

    • יִתְמֹֽכוּ׃yitmokhuverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: they take hold of

Psalms

four uses
  • The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.

    Psalms 16:5

    • תּוֹמִ֥יךְtomikhverb · simple (qal), participle · masculine singulartagged: holding
  • My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.

    Psalms 17:5

    • תָּמֹ֣ךְtamokhverb · simple (qal), infinitive absolutetagged: they have held firm
  • In my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever.

    Psalms 41:12

    • תָּמַ֣כְתָּtamakhtaverb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: you have supported
  • My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

    Psalms 63:8

    • תָּמְכָ֥הtamekhahverb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person feminine singulartagged: it supports

Proverbs

nine uses
  • She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

    Proverbs 3:18

    • וְֽתֹמְכֶ֥יהָvetomekheihaconjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), participle · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singulartagged: and hold fast to her
  • he taught me and said, “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.

    Proverbs 4:4

    • יִֽתְמָךְ־yitmokh-verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: let it hold fast to
  • Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.

    Proverbs 5:5

    • יִתְמֹֽכוּ׃yitmokhuverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: they will attain
  • The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.

    Proverbs 5:22

    • יִתָּמֵֽךְ׃yitamekhverb · passive or reflexive (niphal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: he will be held
  • A gracious woman attains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth.

    Proverbs 11:16

    • תִּתְמֹ֣ךְtitmokhverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person feminine singulartagged: she lays hold of
    • יִתְמְכוּ־yitmekhu-verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: they take hold of
  • A man burdened by bloodguilt will flee into the Pit; let no one support him.

    Proverbs 28:17

    • יִתְמְכוּ־yitmekhu-verb · simple (qal), jussive (“let him”) · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: people support
  • A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

    Proverbs 29:23

    • יִתְמֹ֥ךְyitmokhverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: he will attain
  • She stretches out her hands to the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

    Proverbs 31:19

    • תָּ֣מְכוּtamekhuverb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person common pluraltagged: they grasp

Isaiah

three uses
  • He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—

    Isaiah 33:15

    • מִתְּמֹ֣ךְmitemokhpreposition + verb · simple (qal), infinitive (“to…”)tagged: from taking hold
  • Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.

    Isaiah 41:10

    • תְּמַכְתִּ֖יךָtemakhtikhaverb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 1st person common singular + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: I have supported you
  • “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.

    Isaiah 42:1

    • אֶתְמָךְ־ʾetmokh-verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 1st person common singulartagged: I support

Amos

two uses
  • I will break down the gates of Damascus; I will cut off the ruler of the Valley of Aven and the one who wields the scepter in Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,” says the LORD.

    Amos 1:5

    • וְתוֹמֵ֥ךְvetomekhconjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), participle · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: and a holder of
  • I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord GOD.

    Amos 1:8

    • וְתוֹמֵ֥ךְvetomekhconjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), participle · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: and a holder of

The letters

Gematria 460· 940 mispar gadol

Where it leads

How the numbers are counted

Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.

Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.

The family is read from the lexicon by the stem the two words share, with the accents off, and a person or a place named on the stem is left out.

Hebrew and Greek text, word tagging and grammar: STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org), Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0. Their grammar codes are written out in English here and shown as tagged beside each one.

Meaning and senses: STEP Bible TBESH gloss (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary key: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890, public domain). English verse text: Berean Standard Bible (public domain, 2023).

Revised 2026-09-05. Every cited work, the sources registry →