Təhôm
/təˈhoʊm/noun
A Hebrew term meaning the primordial deep or watery abyss, especially in biblical creation imagery.
Did you know?Biblical Təhôm is often compared with Babylonian Tiamat, but unlike Tiamat, it is presented as an impersonal cosmic ocean rather than a goddess.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*tihāmu-
“A hypothesized term for the sea or deep; the precise reconstructed form is debated.”
2nd Millennium BCE
Akkadian
tiāmtu / tâmtu
“Sea; ocean, especially the cosmic or saltwater sea.”
Late Bronze Age
Ugaritic
thm
“The deep or subterranean watery abyss.”
6th–5th Century BCE
Biblical Hebrew
תְּהוֹם (təhōm)
“The deep, abyss, or primeval waters in biblical Hebrew.”
17th Century
English
tehom
“A scholarly transliteration used in English biblical and theological writing for the Hebrew primordial deep.”
Modern English
English
tehom / təhôm
“A technical term in biblical studies for the cosmic deep or abyss.”