צִפֹּרֶן
𐤑𐤐𐤓𐤍
tsippôren
H6856 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Nail (keratinous covering at the tip of the finger or toe of humans, or claw in birds and animals); also used for the hard tip or point of styluses and some tools. In extended contexts, 'tsippôren' can refer figuratively to sharp points or hard projections, but its primary lexical sense is the hard nail or claw.
Semantic Range
human fingernail or toenail, animal claw, bird talon, point or tip of a stylus or tool, hard sharp projection
Root / Etymology
From the root צפר (ts-p-r), which is associated with the idea of scratching or clawing; the denominative noun צִפֹּרֶן (tsippôren) refers to the part of the body that scratches or claws (i.e., the nail or claw). May be related to or constructed from צִפּוֹר (bird), emphasizing the notion of a claw, but definitive connection with 'bird' is debated.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Used in reference to both humans (fingernail, toenail) and animals (claw) throughout biblical literature. In Exilic and later texts, the word is also employed metaphorically for a point or hard tip, such as the adamant-tipped 'stylus' in Jeremiah 17:1. The differentiation between צִפֹּרֶן (human nail/claw) and other words for 'nail' (such as מִסְמָר, 'fastening nail, peg') is notable: צִפֹּרֶן always refers to the natural/horny part of the body or to similar-shaped points, not to manufactured fasteners. English translations using 'nail' accurately represent its meaning in references to the human body, but may obscure the broader or metaphorical applications (e.g., 'point of a stylus'). In later Hebrew and rabbinic literature, 'tsippôren' retains both its anatomical and expanded tool-related senses.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from צָפַר (in the denominative sense (from צִפּוֹר) of scratching); properly, a claw, i.e. (human) nail; also the point of astyle (or pen, tipped with adamant); nail, point.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
צפר (ts-p-r) — scratch, scrape, claw
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6691 | צוֹפַר | Tsophar |
| H6833 | צִפּוֹר | the chirping bird |
| H6834 | צִפּוֹר | Tsippôr |
| H6841 | צְפִיר | and he-goats of |
| H6842 | צָפִיר | prancing male goat |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6856-02 |
צִפָּרְנֶֽי/הָ | tsipareneyha | HNcmpc/Sp3fs |
her nails | her nails | 1 |
H6856-01 |
בְּ/צִפֹּ֣רֶן | betsiporen | HR/Ncmsc |
with the point | with a claw | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6856-02 |
Deuteronomy 21:12 | צִפָּרְנֶֽי/הָ | tsipareneyha | HNcmpc/Sp3fs |
her nails | her nails |
H6856-01 |
Jeremiah 17:1 | בְּ/צִפֹּ֣רֶן | betsiporen | HR/Ncmsc |
with the point | with a claw |