H4975 H4975
Loins, waist — the lower back and hip region; by extension, the seat of procreative power and lineage
Always appearing in the dual form (mothnayim), this word designates the paired sides of the lower back and hip area — the part of the body where a belt is cinched, a sword is strapped, and pain grips in moments of terror. It is the region girded for action on the night of Exodus (Exod 12:11), the zone of Isaiah's messianic 'belt of righteousness' (Isa 11:5), and the place that trembles at the approach of divine judgment (Isa 21:3; Nah 2:11). In a handful of passages, the loins take on generative meaning — descendants 'come forth from the loins' — linking bodily anatomy to the deep biblical concern with lineage and inheritance.
Senses
1. loins, waist (body part) — The anatomical lower back, waist, or hip region, referenced as the place where garments are girded, weapons strapped, and pain or trembling is felt. With 43 of 47 occurrences, this is the primary sense, spanning the Exodus command to eat with 'loins girded' (Exod 12:11), priestly linen breeches covering from waist to thigh (Exod 28:42), Joab's sword falling from his mothnayim (2 Sam 20:8), and Isaiah's vision of trembling loins (Isa 21:3). Translations consistently map to anatomical terms: 'lomos/cintura' (spa), 'reins' (fra), 'Hüften' (deu). 43×
AR["أَصْلَابٍ", "الْ-حَقْوَيْنِ", "الْأَحْقَاءِ", "الْمَتْنَيْنِ", "حَقَوَيْكَ", "حَقْوَيْكَ", "حَقْوَيْنِ", "حَقْوَيْهِ", "عَلى-حَقْوَيْهِ", "مَتْناً", "مَتْنٍ"]·ben["কোমর", "কোমর।", "কোমরকে", "কোমরে", "কোমরে-তোমার", "কোমরের", "কোমরের-ভাঙা", "তাঁর-কোমরের", "তার-কোমরে", "তার-কোমরের", "তোমার-কোমর", "তোমার-কোমরের"]·DE["Hueften", "dein-loins"]·EN["at-loins-of-him", "his-loins", "loins", "loins-of-him", "of-loins", "waist", "your-loins"]·FR["reins", "ton-loins"]·heb["ב-מותניו", "מוֹתנים", "מותניו", "מותניים", "מותניך", "מותנים"]·HI["अपनी-कमर", "अपनी-कमर-पर", "उसकी-कमर", "उसकी-कमर-की", "कमर", "कमर-अपनी", "कमर-का", "कमरें", "कमरों-में", "तेरी-कमर"]·ID["di-pinggangnya", "pinggang", "pinggang,", "pinggang-mu", "pinggang.", "pinggangmu", "pinggangnya"]·IT["fianchi", "tuo-lombi"]·jav["bagor", "bangkekan", "bangkekan-Panjenenganipun", "bangkekan-ipun", "bangkekan-panjenengan", "bangkekan.", "bangkekang", "bangkèkan-panjenengan", "bangkékan-panjenengan", "boyok-ipun", "ing-bangkekan-piyambakipun"]·KO["그-허리의", "그의-허리", "그의-허리에서", "그의-허리의", "너의-허리의", "네-허리-를", "네-허리를", "당신의-허리-를", "허리들", "허리들-을", "허리를", "허리에", "허리에는", "허리의"]·PT["de-lombos", "em-lombos-dele", "lombos", "lombos-Seus", "lombos-dele", "os-lombos", "teus-lombos", "teus-lombos,"]·RU["на-чреслах-его", "по-пояс", "подтянутый-в-бёдрах", "чресл", "чресл-его", "чресл-твоих", "чресла", "чресла-твои", "чреслах", "чреслах-твоих"]·ES["de-lomos", "en-cintura-de-él", "lomos", "lomos!", "lomos-de-él", "lomos-tuyos", "los-lomos", "sus-lomos", "tus-lomos"]·SW["kiuno", "kiuno-chake", "kiuno-chako", "kiunoni-mwake", "kwa-kiuno", "viuno", "viuno-vyako", "wa-kiuno-chake", "ya-viuno"]·TR["bele-kadar", "belin", "belinde", "belini", "belini-senin", "belinin", "bellerde", "belleri", "bellerin", "bellerinde", "görünüşünden", "ve-yukarıya", "çevresinde"]·urd["اس-کی-کمر-کی", "اُس-کی-کمر", "اُس-کی-کمر-کا", "اپنی-کمر", "اپنی-کمر-پر", "تیری-کمر", "کمر", "کمر-اپنی", "کمر-کسا-ہوا", "کمر-کے", "کمروں", "کمروں-میں"]
Gen 37:34, Exod 12:11, Exod 28:42, Deut 33:11, 2 Sam 20:8, 1 Kgs 2:5, 1 Kgs 18:46, 1 Kgs 20:31, 1 Kgs 20:32, 2 Kgs 1:8, 2 Kgs 4:29, 2 Kgs 9:1 (+31 more)
2. loins (procreative origin) — The loins understood metaphorically as the source of offspring and biological descent, expressing lineage through the idiom 'from the loins of.' Appearing four times, this procreative sense is found in Rehoboam's boast that his little finger is thicker than his father's loins (1 Kgs 12:10; 2 Chr 10:10) — where 'loins' stands for the father's generative power — and in Ezekiel's vision (Ezek 8:2) and Job's description of Behemoth's strength concentrated in its loins (Job 40:16). The shift from anatomical to generative is reflected in translations that sometimes add possessive or relational markers: 'en sus lomos' (spa), 'dans son reins' (fra). 4×
AR["فِي-مَتْنَيْهِ", "مِن-مَتنِ", "مِنْ-مَتْنَيْ", "وَ-مِنْ-حَقْوَيْهِ"]·ben["-তার-কোমরে", "আর-তাঁর-কোমর-থেকে", "কোমর-থেকে"]·DE["Hueften", "als-loins-von", "und-Hueften"]·EN["and-from-loins-of-him", "in-its-loins", "than-loins-of", "than-the-loins-of"]·FR["[ממתני]", "dans-son-reins-lui", "et-reins", "que-loins-de"]·heb["ב-מותניו", "ו-מ-מותניו", "מ-מתני", "מִ-מָּתְנֵי"]·HI["उसकी-कमर-में", "और-उसकी-कमर-से", "कमर-से-भी", "से-कमर"]·ID["dan-dari-pinggangnya", "dari-pinggang", "di-pinggangnya"]·IT["[ממתני]", "di-lombi-di", "e-fianchi", "in-fianchi-suo"]·jav["lan-saking-bangkekan-Panjenenganipun", "langkung-saking-bangkèkan", "tinimbang-bangkekanipun", "wonten-ing-bangkekanipun"]·KO["그것-의-허리-에", "그리고-그의-허리에서", "에서-허리", "에서-허리-"]·PT["do-que-os-lombos-de", "e-de-lombos-dele", "em-seus-lombos", "que-os-lombos-de"]·RU["в-чреслах-его", "и-от-чресл-его", "чем-чресла"]·ES["en-sus-lomos", "más-que-lomos-de", "que-lomos-de", "y-desde-lomos-de-él"]·SW["katika-viuno-vyake", "kuliko-kiuno", "kuliko-kiuno-cha", "na-kutoka-kiuno-chake"]·TR["-den-belinden", "ateş", "belinde", "belinden"]·urd["اور-اُس-کی-کمر-سے", "اُس-کی-کمر-میں", "کمر-سے"]
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
† מָתְנַ֫יִם n.m.du. loins (Arabic مَتْنٌ back, مَتْنَتَانِ the two sides of the back, etc.; Syriac ܡܰܬ̈ܢܳܬܳܐ );—abs. מ׳ Dt 33:11 + 7 times, מָתְנָ֑יִם Ez 29:7; 47:4; cstr. מָתְנֵי Je 13:11 + 3 times; sf. מָתְנַי Is 21:3, מָתְנָ֑י Je 13:2; מָתְנֵיהֶם 1 K 20:32 + 4 times, etc.;—loins: 1. a. place of wearing girdle 1 K 2:5 2 K 1:8 Je 13:1, 2, 4, 11 Ez 23:15; fig. Is 11:5 righteousness shall be the…