H2917 H2917
clay, mud (Aramaic)
This Aramaic noun appears in Daniel 2's vision of Nebuchadnezzar's statue, where iron mixes with clay in the feet and toes (Daniel 2:41, 43). The clay represents weakness and instability in the final kingdom, unable to properly cohere with iron despite mixture. Aramaic, Syriac, and Arabic cognates all confirm the basic meaning of clay or mud, material suitable for pottery but fundamentally incompatible with metal. The symbolic contrast between iron's strength and clay's fragility drives Daniel's interpretation of the kingdom's ultimate instability.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Both occurrences appear in Daniel 2's explanation of the statue's feet and toes. Verse 41 describes iron mixed with clay (chaspah mina, potter's clay), while verse 43 explains the mixture's instability—iron and clay won't adhere to each other. The clay symbolizes fragility and incompatibility, standing in stark contrast to iron's strength. Targum, Syriac, and Arabic all confirm the clay/mud meaning. Spanish de lodo (of mud/clay), French argile (clay), and German parallels preserve this material contrast essential to Daniel's vision of unstable kingdoms. 2×
AR["طِينٍ"]·ben["কাদার"]·DE["[טינא]"]·EN["mud"]·FR["argile"]·heb["טיט"]·HI["गीली"]·ID["lumpur"]·IT["[טינא]"]·jav["lethek"]·KO["진박의"]·PT["lama"]·RU["грязной"]·ES["de-lodo"]·SW["wa-tope"]·TR["çamurlu"]·urd["چکنی-کی"]
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×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)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×)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×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [טִין] n.[m.] clay (𝔗 id.; NH טִינָֹה, Syriac ܛܺܝܢܳܐ, Arabic طِينٌ (yet v. Frä8));—emph. חֲסַף מִינָא Dn 2:41, 43.