H4973 H4973
Teeth, specifically incisors or fangs, often used of fierce animals
This late Hebrew term refers to teeth, particularly the prominent front teeth or fangs. It always appears in parallel with the more common word for 'teeth' (shinayim). Job uses it when describing how he 'broke the fangs of the unrighteous' and snatched prey from their teeth. Proverbs warns of a generation 'whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives'—depicting violence and oppression. Joel describes the locust army with 'the fangs of a lion'—emphasizing destructive power. The term highlights the aggressive, dangerous aspect of teeth.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Fangs, teeth, or jaw-teeth, emphasizing their dangerous or devouring quality. Job 29:17 declares: 'I broke the fangs of the unrighteous and made him drop his prey from his teeth'—rescuing victims from oppressors. Proverbs 30:14 warns of those 'whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor.' Joel 1:6 describes the locust invasion: 'a nation has come up against my land with the teeth of a lion and the fangs of a lioness.' The parallel with 'teeth' throughout suggests incisors or prominent front teeth used for tearing. 3×
AR["أَضراسَ", "أَضْراسُهُ", "وَ-أَضْراسُ"]·ben["এবং-দাঁত", "চোয়াল", "তাদের-দাঁত"]·DE["[ומתלעות]", "[מתלעות]", "[מתלעתיו]"]·EN["and-fangs-of", "fangs-of", "its-jaws"]·FR["et-mâchoire", "son-מתלעתיו-lui", "מתלעות"]·heb["ו-מתלעות", "מתלעות", "מתלעותיו"]·HI["और-दाढ़ें", "दाढ़ें-उसके", "दाढ़ों-की"]·ID["dan-taring", "gigi-gigi-gerahamnya", "taring-taring"]·IT["[ומתלעות]", "fangs-of", "its-jaws-suo"]·jav["lan-siung", "siungipun", "untu-ipun"]·KO["그리고-어금니들", "그의-어금니들이", "어금니를"]·PT["e-presas-de", "queixadas-de", "seus-molares"]·RU["и-клыки", "челюсти", "челюсти-его"]·ES["las-muelas-de", "sus-muelas", "y-colmillos-de"]·SW["meno", "meno-yake-ya-mbele", "na-meno-makubwa-ya"]·TR["azı-dişleri", "azı-dişlerini", "ve-azı-dişleri"]·urd["آڑھ-اُس-کے", "اور-ڈاڑھیں", "جبڑے"]
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
† מְתַלְּעוֹת n.f.pl. teeth (AV RV jaw-teeth) (perhaps gnawers, v. √);—teeth, incisors, late (always ‖ שִׁנַּיִם): cstr. מ׳ Jb 29:17 and (of lion) Jo 1:6; sf. מְתַלְּעֹתָיו Pr 30:14. Also cstr. מַלְתְּעוֹת ψ 58:7.