אֶצְבַּע31 H0676
Finger or toe; a digit of the hand (especially in ritual and divine contexts) or, rarely, of the foot.
The Hebrew etsba covers what many languages distinguish as separate body parts. In its primary sense it refers to a finger, especially the forefinger used by priests to sprinkle blood in Levitical ritual (Lev 4:6, 17) or the finger of God that wrote the tablets of the law (Exod 31:18) and performed mighty works in Egypt (Exod 8:19). Spanish dedo and French doigt both encompass fingers and toes, mirroring the Hebrew ambiguity. In two passages describing Goliath's relative with extra digits (2 Sam 21:20), the same word denotes toes, a usage the multilingual evidence marks distinctly with English toes and specialized translations.
Senses
1. finger (of hand) — A finger of the human hand, used literally for the physical digit and frequently in cultic, symbolic, and theological contexts. Dominant across 29 occurrences, it describes the priest's forefinger applying sacrificial blood (Exod 29:12; Lev 4:6), God's finger writing the Decalogue (Exod 31:18; Deut 9:10), and the contemptuous pointing gesture of Isaiah 58:9. Spanish dedo de el and French avec finger de reflect the straightforward anatomical sense, while German preserves the Hebrew forms in brackets, indicating lexical transparency. 29×
AR["أَصَابِعُهُ", "أَصَابِعُهُم", "أَصَابِعِكَ", "إِصْبَعَهُ", "إِصْبَعِهِ", "بِ-إِصبَعِ", "بِ-إِصْبَعِهِ", "بِأُصْبُعِ", "بِإِصْبَعِهِ", "وَ-أَصَابِعُهُ"]·ben["আঙুল-দিয়ে", "আঙুলে", "ও-আঙ্গুলগুলি-তাঁর", "তাদের-আঙুল", "তার-আঙুল", "তার-আঙুল-দ্বারা", "তার-আঙুলে", "তোমার-আঙুলে"]·DE["[אצבעתיו]", "[אצבעתיך]", "[ואצבעתיו]", "durch-Finger-von", "mit-finger-sein", "mit-finger-von", "mit-sein-finger", "sein-finger"]·EN["and-his-fingers", "by-finger-of", "his-finger", "his-fingers", "with-finger-his", "with-finger-of", "with-his-finger", "your-fingers"]·FR["[ואצבעתיו]", "avec-finger-de", "avec-finger-son", "avec-son-finger", "par-doigt-de", "ses-doigts", "son-finger", "ton-אצבעתיך-toi"]·heb["אצבע", "אצבעו", "אצבעותיו", "אצבעותיך", "ב-אצבע", "ב-אצבעו", "ו-אצבעתיו-ו"]·HI["अपनी उंगली", "अपनी उंगली से", "अपनी-उंगली-को", "अपनी-उंगली-से", "उँगली-से", "उंगलियों-अपनी", "उंगली-अपनी", "उंगली-अपनी-से", "उंगली-से", "उनकी-उंगलियों-ने", "उसकी-उंगलियों-ने", "और-उसकी-उंगलियाँ", "बार", "से-तेल"]·ID["dan-jari-jarinya", "dengan-jari", "dengan-jarinya", "dengan-jarinya.", "jari-jarimu", "jari-jarinya", "jarinya"]·IT["[ואצבעתיו]", "con-finger-di", "con-finger-suo", "con-suo-finger", "da-dito-di", "dito", "suo-finger", "tuo-fingers-tuo"]·jav["driji", "driji-drijinipun", "driji-panjenengan", "driji-panjenenganipun", "kaliyan-driji", "kanthi-driji", "lan-driji-drijinipun", "mawi-driji", "mawi-driji-panjenenganipun", "mawi-driji-piyambakipun"]·KO["그-손가락", "그-손가락-으로", "그-의-손가락-으로", "그-의-손가락으로", "그-의-손가락을", "그들의-손가락이", "그리고-손가락들-그의", "그의-손가락들이", "네-손가락-들-에", "손가락으로", "손가락을-그의", "안에서-손가락으로-그의"]·PT["com-dedo-de-", "com-dedo-seu", "com-seu-dedo", "dedo-seu", "dedos-seus", "e-seus-dedos", "por-dedo-de-", "seu-dedo", "seus-dedos", "teus-dedos"]·RU["и-пальцы-его", "палец-его", "палец-свой", "пальцем-его", "пальцем-своим", "пальцы-его", "пальцы-твои,", "перст-его", "перстом", "перстом-его", "перстом-своим", "персты-его"]·ES["con-dedo-de-él", "con-dedo-suyo", "con-el-dedo-de", "con-su-dedo", "dedo-suyo", "dedos-tuyos", "su-dedo", "sus-dedos", "y-sus-dedos"]·SW["kidole-chake", "kwa-kidole", "kwa-kidole-cha", "kwa-kidole-chake", "na-vidole-vyake", "vidole-vyake", "vidole-vyako", "vidole-vyao"]·TR["parmaklari", "parmaklarının", "parmağını", "parmağıyla", "ve-parmakları"]·urd["-انگلی-سے", "ان-کی-انگلیوں-نے", "انگلی-اپنی", "انگلی-سے-اپنی", "انگلیوں-اپنی", "اور-اُس-کی-انگلیاں", "اُس-کی-اُنگلیوں-نے", "اُنگلی-سے", "اپنی-انگلی", "اپنی-انگلی-سے", "اپنی-اُنگلی-سے", "سے-انگلی-اپنی"]
2. toe (digit of foot) — A toe, that is, a digit of the foot rather than the hand. This rare sense (2x) appears exclusively in 2 Samuel 21:20, describing a Philistine giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. English translations shift to toes, and French and German also mark the distinction with et-toes-de and und-toes-von, confirming that translators recognize a genuine sense distinction even though Hebrew uses the same lexeme for both. 2×
AR["وَأَصَابِعُ"]·ben["এবং-আঙুল"]·DE["und-fingers-von", "und-toes-von"]·EN["and-fingers-of", "and-toes-of"]·FR["et-fingers-de", "et-toes-de"]·heb["ו-אצבעות"]·HI["और-उंगलियां"]·ID["dan-jari-jari"]·IT["e-fingers-di", "e-toes-di"]·jav["lan-driji"]·KO["그리고-발가락들-의", "그리고-손가락들-의"]·PT["e-dedos-de"]·RU["и-пальцы"]·ES["y-dedos-de"]·SW["na-vidole-vya"]·TR["ve-parmakları"]·urd["اور-انگلیاں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אֶצְבַּע31 n.f.Lv 14:6 finger;—א׳ abs. Is 58:9, cstr. Ex 8:15 +; sf. אֶצְבָּעוֹ Lv 4:6 +; pl. אֶצְבָּעוֹת Je 52:21, cstr. אֶצְבְּעֹת 2 S 21:20 +, etc.;— 1. finger, especially a. forefinger, of priest, applying blood (P), Ex 29:12; Lv 4:6, 17, 25 + 8 times; applying oil 14:16(×2), 27. b. שְׁלַח א׳ of any one Is 58:9, sign of contempt. c. of God, as writing Ex 31:18 (E) Dt 9:10; = act of God Ex…