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פִּימָה

𐤐𐤉𐤌𐤄

pîymâh

H6371 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פימ to swell, to be plump (presumed)

Definition

A portion of fat, particularly a layer or piece of fat tissue from an animal, usually as found in the context of sacrificial or culinary preparation. Refers especially to a fatty mass or slab, such as the fatty parts cut out from an animal for food or ritual use.

Semantic Range

collop or slab of fat, fatty band, layer of fat; by extension, conspicuous fatness, corpulence, or abundance (often metaphorical)

Root / Etymology

Root uncertain; suggested connection to an unused root פום or פָּיֵם conveying plumpness or swelling, but this is not directly attested in Hebrew or closely related Semitic languages. The form פִּימָה appears only in late poetic usage, and its derivation is therefore obscure.

Historical & Contextual Notes

פִּימָה occurs only in late poetic texts (notably in Job 15:27 and possibly Psalm 17:10), often in the context of describing corpulence, fatness, or as a metaphor for prosperity, complacency, or stubbornness. Its rare and poetic character distinguishes it from the more common חֵלֶב (ḥēlev), the standard word for fat or fatty portions in legal and cultic contexts. English versions have variably rendered פִּימָה as 'fat,' 'collops,' 'fat folds,' or even 'obesity,' sometimes influenced by interpretive tradition rather than precise lexical meaning. Its usage suggests emphasis on visible, substantial layers or bands of fat, as opposed to general fatness. The word is unattested outside the Hebrew Bible, making broader semantic comparisons difficult. Over time, its sense remained tied to the imagery of plumpness or conspicuous abundance, whether literal or metaphorical.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably from an unused root meaning to be plump; obesity; collops.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פימ (p-y-m) — swelling, plumpness, fatty mass

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6371-01 פִּימָ֣ה pimah HNcfsa collops of fat fatty slab 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6371-01 Job 15:27 פִּימָ֣ה pimah HNcfsa collops of fat fatty slab
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