One Hebrew word rendered “blameless” is tam. It is used regarding the exemplary moral standing of Job and concerning the flawless beauty of the Shulammite. (Job 1:1, 8; Ca 5:2; 6:9) By reason of his peaceful, quiet life in tents as contrasted with his brother’s wild, adventurous life as a hunter, Jacob was said to be blameless. (Ge 25:27) Another Hebrew word at times rendered “blameless” is ta·mimʹ, having the sense of being “faultless; sound; perfect.” (Pr 2:21; 11:5, 20) The Hebrew words tam and ta·mimʹ come from the root verb ta·mamʹ, which has the meaning “be complete, completed; come to perfection; come to a finish.” (Ps 19:13; 1Ki 6:22; Isa 18:5; Jer 24:10; compare 1Sa 16:11, where the phrase translated “Are these all the boys?” literally means “Are the boys completed?”) In the Greek Septuagint, the Hebrew word tam is sometimes translated aʹmem·ptos. (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3; 9:20) Forms of this word also appear in the Christian Greek Scriptures and may be defined as “blameless; faultless.”​—Lu 1:6; Php 3:6; Heb 8:7; see PERFECTION.

When used in describing humans, the term “blameless” must always be viewed as relative, not absolute. Suffering Job drew wrong conclusions about Jehovah, including how the Almighty regarded blameless ones. (Job 9:20-22) Zechariah, the father of John the Baptizer, manifested lack of faith in Jehovah’s declaration through the angel Gabriel. (Lu 1:18-20) Still, Job and Zechariah were said to be blameless, for they measured up to what Jehovah expected of humans who, though faithful, were marred by imperfection.​—Job 1:1; Lu 1:6.

From the standpoint of his Jewish contemporaries, Paul was blameless before he became a disciple of Jesus Christ. He did what the Law commanded, fulfilling the obligations placed upon him and refraining from what was forbidden. (Php 3:6) But Paul did not then enjoy a blameless standing before Jehovah. He was guilty of grave sin as a persecutor of Christ’s brothers and was a blasphemer and an insolent man.​—1Ti 1:13, 15.

The Most High takes pleasure in those whose conduct is a reflection of their spiritual soundness, their purity, their blamelessness. (Pr 11:20) So it is vital that Christians live in a manner that is blameless, free from justifiable censure.​—Php 2:15; 1Th 5:23.