to finish
ta.mam marks bringing an action, period, supply, or group to its endpoint, sometimes through depletion or destruction.
The verb most often marks a task, movement, writing, or appointed period reaching completion; it also describes supplies, persons, or hostile conditions coming to an end, often through consumption, death, or destruction. In two reciprocal descriptions, it is used of God showing himself in correspondence with a faithful, blameless, purified, or twisted person.
Senses in use
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Completing an action, task, or period · dominant
The Qal forms mark the endpoint of an activity or span: in Joshua 3:17 the APB renders the whole nation as having “finished crossing the Jordan,” and in Deuteronomy 31:24 Moses has “finished writing” the words in the book. The same completion frames the finishing of the house in 1 Kings 6:22 and the days of mourning in Deuteronomy 34:8.
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Coming to an end through loss or consumption · common
The verb can mark something being used up, consumed, or brought to an end. In Genesis 47:15 the APB says that silver “was finished,” while in Jeremiah 36:23 the whole scroll is “consumed in the fire”; Jeremiah 44:12 places the ending of Judah’s remnant alongside sword and famine.
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Showing oneself correspondingly · rare
In the Hithpael imperfects, the clause describes God’s self-presentation in relation to a person’s described character. In 2 Samuel 22:26 the APB renders, “With the faithful you show yourself faithful; with the blameless you show yourself blameless,” while Psalm 18:26 similarly has “With the purified you show yourself pure” and then “with the twisted you show yourself twisted.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB variously uses “finished,” “complete,” “ended,” “consumed,” “perished,” and reciprocal phrases such as “show yourself blameless.” These are verse-level renderings rather than definitions of the lemma.