H2386 H2386
Swine or pig, the ritually unclean animal forbidden as food; also the wild boar that ravages the vineyard of Israel.
The standard Hebrew word for the domestic pig or swine, an animal that occupies a uniquely reviled place in Israelite law and prophetic rhetoric. Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8 declare it unclean because, though it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. Isaiah deploys swine imagery to condemn apostasy: eating swine's flesh in secret gardens (65:4), offering pig's blood as sacrifice (66:3), and consuming pork alongside other abominations (66:17). Proverbs 11:22 offers the memorable simile of a gold ring in a pig's snout. One occurrence in Psalm 80:14 specifies the wild boar that ravages God's vine—a metaphor for Israel's enemies.
Senses
1. the pig — The domestic pig or swine, ritually unclean under Mosaic law. Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8 both identify it as forbidden food because it parts the hoof but does not ruminate. Isaiah's oracles against apostasy repeatedly invoke swine as a symbol of ritual defilement: eating swine's flesh (65:4), offering pig's blood (66:3). Proverbs 11:22 compares a beautiful woman without discretion to a gold ring in a pig's snout—an image that resonates across cultures. Spanish 'cerdo,' French 'porc/cochon,' and German 'Schwein' all consistently render this as the domestic animal. 6×
AR["-الْخِنْزِيرِ", "الْ-خِنْزِيرَ", "الْخِنْزِيرَ", "الْخِنْزِيرِ", "خِنْزيرٍ", "خِنْزِيرٍ"]·ben["-শূকর", "কারণ", "শূকরের"]·DE["[החזיר]", "[חזיר]", "der-pig"]·EN["a-pig", "swine", "the-pig"]·FR["[החזיר]", "[חזיר]", "le-pig", "חזיר"]·heb["ה-חזיר", "חזיר"]·HI["सूअर", "सूअर-का", "सूअर-की"]·ID["babi"]·IT["[החזיר]", "[חזיר]", "il-pig", "un-pig"]·jav["babi"]·KO["그-돼지를", "그-돼지의", "돼지-의", "돼지의"]·PT["o-porco", "porco"]·RU["-свинью", "hа-свиньи", "свиньи"]·ES["cerdo", "el-cerdo"]·SW["nguruwe", "ya-nguruwe"]·TR["domuz", "domuzu", "domuzun"]·urd["-سور", "سور", "سُور-کا", "سُور-کی"]
2. the boar — The wild boar, specifically the destructive animal that ravages cultivated land. Psalm 80:14 (Eng. 80:13) uses the phrase 'the boar from the forest' (chazir miyya'ar) as a vivid metaphor for the foreign enemies devastating Israel, depicted as God's transplanted vine from Egypt. Spanish 'jabali,' French 'sanglier,' and the English distinction between 'boar' and 'pig' all confirm that this occurrence refers to the feral, forest-dwelling variant rather than the barnyard animal. 1×
AR["خِنْزِيرٌ"]·ben["বন্য-শূকর"]·DE["der-boar"]·EN["the-boar"]·FR["sanglier"]·heb["חזיר"]·HI["सूअर"]·ID["babi-hutan"]·IT["[חזיר]"]·jav["celeng"]·KO["멧돼지가"]·PT["o-javali"]·RU["вепрь"]·ES["jabalí"]·SW["nguruwe"]·TR["yaban-domuzu"]·urd["سُور"]
Related Senses
H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)H6499 1. young bull, bullock (130×)H3532 1. lamb, young male sheep (105×)H2543 1. donkey (male ass) (96×)H7794 1. ox, bull (79×)H7462b 1. shepherd (agent noun) (76×)H5795 1. she-goat(s), female goat(s) (68×)H7462b 2. to shepherd, tend, pasture (60×)H1581 1. camel (domestic animal) (54×)H0738b 1. lion (46×)G4263 1. sheep (39×)H5739 1. flock or herd of livestock (38×)H5695 1. calf, young bull (35×)H0738a 1. lion (large predatory feline) (34×)H0860 1. female donkey (34×)H3611 1. dog (animal) (32×)H3715a 1. young lion, lion cub (31×)G0721 1. Lamb (29×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חֲזִיר n.m. ψ 80:14 swine, boar (NH id.; Aramaic חֲזִירָא, ܚܙܺܝܪܳܐ; Arabic خِنْزِيرٌ (Aramaic loan-wd. according to Frä 110, yet v. LagBN 113); Ethiopic ኀንዚር (only once; = wild boar), v. HomNS 319 f. 358, 385)—always st. abs., 4 times c. art. הַח׳;— 1. swine, forbidden as food Lv 11:7 (P), Dt 14:8, cf. בְּשַׂר הַח׳ Is 65:4; 66:17, and דַּם־ח׳ 66:3 as heathen offering (RSSem i, 272.325.338.392);…