טְחוֹן
𐤈𐤇𐤅𐤍
ṭᵉchôwn
H2911 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A hand-operated mill, primarily used for grinding grain; more specifically, the upper stone or the apparatus as a whole used in domestic settings. The term denotes the physical object—typically a pair of stones—turned by hand to crush or grind cereals into meal or flour. Occasionally, by extension, it can refer to the activity or process of grinding when the context focuses on the work being done.
Semantic Range
hand-operated millstone, hand mill, upper millstone, grinding apparatus, the act of grinding (by metonymy)
Root / Etymology
From the root טָחַן (ṭ-ḥ-n), meaning 'to grind.' טְחוֹן (ṭᵉchôwn) is a noun form indicating the instrument associated with grinding, i.e., the hand mill or millstone.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, טְחוֹן refers specifically to the hand mill common in ancient Israelite households, in contrast to larger industrial mills found in later periods. The term is mostly attested in domestic and social contexts, representing women's labor in grinding grain. Its use reflects daily subsistence activities in Israelite society rather than large-scale production. There is a distinction from רֵחַיִם (rēḥayim), another term for millstone; רֵחַיִם typically denotes the two stones together and sometimes emphasizes the paired nature, while טְחוֹן more often focuses on the upper stone or the tool itself. In most narrative and legal contexts, the taking of the טְחוֹן as a pledge is understood as depriving a household of a basic necessity, underscoring its importance. English translations sometimes blur the distinction by simply rendering it 'millstone,' but ancient readers would have recognized its association with household provision and daily labor. The term appears less frequently after the exilic period as grinding technologies and social structures changed.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from טָחַן; a hand mill; hence, a millstone; to grind.
Bantu Hebrew
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+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
טחן (ṭ-ḥ-n) — to grind, to crush
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2911-01 |
טְח֣וֹן | techon | HNcmsa |
grinding | hand grinding-mill | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2911-01 |
Lamentations 5:13 | טְח֣וֹן | techon | HNcmsa |
grinding | hand grinding-mill |