גְּבִנָה
𐤂𐤁𐤍𐤄
gᵉbinâh
H1385 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A dairy product made by the coagulation of milk, specifically curds or cheese as produced in ancient Israelite contexts. The term refers to solid or semi-solid masses formed by curdling milk, used as food and sometimes noted for its nourishing qualities.
Semantic Range
curdled milk, cheese, coagulated milk, thickened milk, curds, dairy product
Root / Etymology
From the root ג-ב-נ (g-b-n), likely related to the idea of being swelling, humped, or protuberant, as seen in the noun גִּבֵּן (giben, 'humpbacked'). גְּבִנָה (gᵉbinâh) derives from this root and refers to something lumpy or raised—here in the sense of congealed milk. The connection to cheese is secondary and derives from the appearance/form.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible (notably Job 10:10), where it constitutes a parallel to the process of coagulating milk to form cheese or curds. In the ancient Near Eastern context, cheese and curds were common foods, with production practices involving souring or curdling milk. Rabbinic literature later uses גְּבִנָה for cheese more specifically, indicating an evolution from a general sense of 'curdled mass' to the specialized product. English translations usually employ 'curds' or 'cheese', but the broader sense of 'congealed milk' or 'coagulated curds' might be more precise for earlier texts. No theological or cultic significance is attached to the word in the Hebrew Bible; it is a practical, culinary term. It is distinct from חֶמְאָה (ḥem'āh 'butter, clotted cream'), highlighting that the Israelite lexicon distinguished between different dairy products.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine from the same as גִּבֵּן; curdled milk; cheese.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
גבן (g-b-n) — to swell, be humped, form a protuberance
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1386 | גַּבְנֹן | hump-like hills |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1385-01 |
וְ֝/כַ/גְּבִנָּ֗ה | vekhagevinah | HC/Rd/Ncfsa |
and like cheese | and like curdled milk | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1385-01 |
Job 10:10 | וְ֝/כַ/גְּבִנָּ֗ה | vekhagevinah | HC/Rd/Ncfsa |
and like cheese | and like curdled milk |