תמך

Hebrew

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew, noun) IPA^(key): /ˈte.meχ/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew, verb) IPA^(key): /taˈmaχ/

Etymology 1

Root
ת־מ־ך (t-m-k)
2 terms

The noun sense is a Modern Hebrew innovation.

Even-Shoshan suggests a relation to סָמַךְ (samákh, “support”).

Noun

תֶּמֶךְ • (témekh) m (plural indefinite תְּמָכִים, plural construct תִּמְכֵי־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. structural support, prop

   Synonym: מִשְׁעֶנֶת (mish'énet)

2. supporting evidence

Verb

תָּמַךְ • (tamákh) (pa'al construction, passive counterpart נִתְמַךְ)

1. (intransitive) to support (physically hold up) [with ב־]
2. (intransitive) to support (be in favour of) [with ב־]
   • 2015 September 17, Avi Kohen, “פתק על הניידת: "שוטר טוב זה שוטר מת"”, in Israel Hayom:

     אם משטרה מתנכלת ותומכת ברצח אזרחים, קריאה לשחיטת שוטרים אינה נחשבת הסתה.

     im mishtará mitnakélet v'tomékhet b'rétsakh ezrakhím, k'ri'á lish'khitát shot'rím eináh nekhshévet hasatá.

     If the police harass and support the murder of civillians, a call for the slaughter of police officers is not considered incitement.

3. (intransitive) to support (ensure someone’s livelihood) [with ב־]

   Synonyms: כִּלְכֵּל (kilkél), פִּרְנֵס (pirnés)

4. (Biblical Hebrew, transitive) to hold, grasp, get a hold of
   • Tanach, Genesis 48:17, with translation of the New International Version:

     וַיַּרְא יוֹסֵף כִּי־יָשִׁית אָבִיו יַד־יְמִינוֹ עַל־רֹאשׁ אֶפְרַיִם וַיֵּרַע בְּעֵינָיו וַיִּתְמֹךְ יַד־אָבִיו לְהָסִיר אֹתָהּ מֵעַל רֹאשׁ־אֶפְרַיִם עַל־רֹאשׁ מְנַשֶּׁה׃

     wayyárʔ Yosep̄ ki-yɔšiṯ ʔɔḇiw yaḏ-yəmino ʕal-roʔš ʔɛp̄ráyim wayyéraʔ bəʕenɔw wayyiṯmoḵ yaḏ-ʔɔḇiw ləhɔsir ʔoṯɔh meʕal roʔš-ʔɛp̄ráyim ʕal-roʔš Mənaššɛ

     When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.

   • Tanach, Amos 1:5, with translation of the New International Version:

     וְשָׁבַרְתִּי בְּרִיחַ דַּמֶּשֶׂק וְהִכְרַתִּי יוֹשֵׁב מִבִּקְעַת־אָוֶן וְתוֹמֵךְ שֵׁבֶט מִבֵּית עֶדֶן […]

     wəšɔḇárti bəríaḥ Dammɛ́śɛq wəhiḵrátti yošeḇ mibbiqʕaṯ-ʔɔ́wɛn wəṯomeḵ šéḇɛṭ mibbeṯ ʕɛ́ḏɛn

     I will break down the gate of Damascus; I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.

5. (Medieval Hebrew, transitive) to place upon something, lay upon
   • c. 12th century, Numbers Rabbah, 13:3:

     […] סיני, שהשפיל את עצמו לומר שאני נמוך, ועל ידי כך תמך הקדוש ברוך הוא כבודו עליו […]

     […] Sináy shehishpíl et atsmó lomár she'aní namúkh, v'al y'dei khakh tamákh hakadósh barúkh hu k'vodó aláv […]

     […] Sinai, who humbled itself saying that it is low, and for this the Holy One blessed be He laid his glory upon it […]

Conjugation

Conjugation of תָּמַךְ (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לתמוך / לִתְמֹךְ
		action noun		תְּמִיכָה
		passive participle		תָּמוּךְ
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	תָּמַכְתִּי		תָּמַכְנוּ
	second	תָּמַכְתָּ	תָּמַכְתְּ	תְּמַכְתֶּם1	תְּמַכְתֶּן1
	third	תָּמַךְ	תָּמְכָה	תָּמְכוּ
present		תּוֹמֵךְ	תּוֹמֶכֶת	תּוֹמְכִים	תּוֹמְכוֹת
future	first	אתמוך / אֶתְמֹךְ		נתמוך / נִתְמֹךְ
	second	תתמוך / תִּתְמֹךְ	תִּתְמְכִי	תִּתְמְכוּ	תתמוכנה / תִּתְמֹכְנָה2
	third	יתמוך / יִתְמֹךְ	תתמוך / תִּתְמֹךְ	יִתְמְכוּ	תתמוכנה / תִּתְמֹכְנָה2
imperative	positive	תמוך / תְּמֹךְ	תִּמְכִי	תִּמְכוּ	תמוכנה / תְּמֹכְנָה2
	negative	אַל + Second person future tense

¹ Commonly pronounced תָּמַכְתֶּם and תָּמַכְתֶּן in Modern Hebrew (by analogy with other past forms).
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Derived terms

• תּוֹמֵךְ (tomékh)
• תָּמַךְ כָּבוֹד (tamákh kavód)

Etymology 2

Noun

תֻּמְּךָ • (tum'khá)

1. singular form of תום / תֹּם (tóm)‎ with second-person masculine singular personal pronoun as possessor, defective spelling

Noun

תֻּמֵּךְ • (tumékh)

1. singular form of תום / תֹּם (tóm)‎ with second-person feminine singular personal pronoun as possessor, defective spelling

Further reading

• H8551 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Jastrow, Marcus (1903), A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature‎^[1], volume 2, London, New York: Luzac & Co., G.P. Putnam's Sons, page 1677
• “תמך” in Abraham Even-Shoshan (אַבְרָהָם אֶבֶן־שׁוֹשָׁן) et al., הַמִּלּוֹן הֶחָדָשׁ (ha-milón he-khadásh, “The New Dictionary”), Kiryat-Sefer Ltd. (קִרְיַת־סֵפֶר בְּע״ם)‎ (1984), →ISBN, volume 3 of 3 (ק to ת).
• “תמך”, in Milog (in Hebrew)