תַּמּוּז
Tammuz, a Phoenician deity
Definition
Tammuz is the name of a Mesopotamian and Phoenician deity associated with fertility, vegetation, and the seasonal cycle of death and rebirth. In the Hebrew Bible, the word appears only in Ezekiel 8:14, where it refers not to the god himself but to a ritual of mourning for him. The prophet Ezekiel, in a vision, sees women in the Jerusalem temple weeping for Tammuz, a practice adopted from surrounding pagan cultures. This single biblical usage exclusively denotes the foreign god or the mourning rites connected to his myth, where he was believed to descend into the underworld, causing vegetation to die.
Biblical Usage
The word Tammuz is used only once in the Old Testament, in Ezekiel 8:14. It is used in the specific context of a prophetic vision condemning idolatry within the temple precincts in Jerusalem. The usage describes a syncretistic practice—women weeping for the dead god Tammuz—that had infiltrated Judahite worship, representing a direct violation of the covenant and the first commandment.
Etymology
The etymology of תַּמּוּז (Tammûwz) is uncertain but is a direct borrowing from Akkadian (Tammuz) and Sumerian (Dumuzid), the name of the Mesopotamian shepherd-god. It entered Biblical Hebrew through cultural contact with Mesopotamian and Canaanite religions, retaining its meaning as a proper name for a foreign deity. There is no known Hebrew root; it is a loanword.
Semantic Range
The mention of Tammuz in Ezekiel 8:14 is theologically significant as a stark example of the idolatry and syncretism that led to God's judgment and the Babylonian exile. It illustrates the profound corruption of worship in Judah, as pagan mourning rituals were performed even within the temple. Understanding this term enriches reading by highlighting the severity of Israel's spiritual adultery and the clarity of God's demand for exclusive devotion, contrasting the lifeless cycle of a nature god with the sovereign, living God of Israel.
In its original cultural setting, Tammuz (Dumuzid) was a central figure in Mesopotamian myth, a shepherd-god whose annual death was mourned, and whose return was celebrated, symbolizing the withering and regrowth of vegetation. The "weeping for Tammuz" observed by Ezekiel was likely a well-known ritual lamentation practiced in the ancient Near East during the summer month named after him (the month of Tammuz). This context shows how Judah had adopted the religious practices of its pagan neighbors, directly contravening Mosaic law.
gillûl (H1544) — A general Hebrew term for idols, often translated 'idols' or 'images,' referring to the physical objects of worship, whereas Tammuz is the specific name of a deity. 'elîl (H457) — Another word for 'idol,' meaning a worthless or powerless thing, contrasting the specific proper name Tammuz. ba'al (H1168) — The name of the prominent Canaanite storm and fertility god, similar to Tammuz as a rival deity to Yahweh, but from a different cultural origin.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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