תְּמוּנָה
te.mu.nah
likeness
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "te.mu.nah" (H8544) is defined as "likeness." This term appears 10 times in the Bible, indicating its importance in conveying a concept that is relatable and easily understood. The word "te.mu.nah" suggests a representation or an image that bears a resemblance to something else. In its various occurrences, "te.mu.nah" is often used to describe a visual representation or a model that mirrors a reality. This can include physical likenesses, such as images or statues, as well as abstract representations, like a shadow or a reflection. The word's range of usage spans different contexts, from artistic expressions to spiritual concepts, demonstrating its versatility in conveying the idea of similarity or representation. The significance of "te.mu.nah" lies in its ability to convey a sense of connection or correspondence between two things. By using this term, the biblical authors highlight the idea that certain representations or images can serve as a means of understanding or relating to a reality that may be beyond human comprehension.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
10 total occurrences across the text
It stood still, but I couldn’t discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. Silence, then I heard a voice, saying,
Psalms 17:15As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing your form.
Exodus 20:4“You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Numbers 12:8With him, I will speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in riddles; and he shall see Yahweh’s form. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”
Deuteronomy 4:12Yahweh spoke to you out of the middle of the fire: you heard the voice of words, but you saw no form; you only heard a voice.
Deuteronomy 4:15Be very careful, for you saw no kind of form on the day that Yahweh spoke to you in Horeb out of the middle of the fire,
Deuteronomy 4:16lest you corrupt yourselves, and make yourself a carved image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
Deuteronomy 4:23Be careful, lest you forget the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he made with you, and make yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which Yahweh your God has forbidden you.
Deuteronomy 4:25When you shall father children and children’s children, and you shall have been long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a carved image in the form of anything, and shall do that which is evil in Yahweh your God’s sight to provoke him to anger,
Deuteronomy 5:8“You shall not make a carved image for yourself—any likeness of what is in heaven above, or what is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.