H6106 H6106
Bone, skeletal part; in construct with 'day,' selfsame or that very; figuratively, substance, body, or essential nature.
Etsem is the ordinary Hebrew word for bone — the hard skeletal structure of humans and animals — but it develops two fascinating extensions that make it lexicographically rich. The first is the emphatic construct be'etsem hayyom hazzeh ('on the bone of this day,' i.e., 'on that very day'), where bone-as-substance becomes a marker of precise identity and emphasis, appearing at pivotal narrative moments: the day the Flood begins (Gen 7:13), the day of circumcision (Gen 17:23), the day of the Exodus (Exod 12:17). The second extension reaches toward 'substance' or 'essence' — the sky's etsem in Exod 24:10 is its very body or substance, clear as sapphire. Spanish hueso, German Knochen, and French os handle the literal bone sense, but the emphatic and figurative uses require creative solutions across languages.
1. bone(s), skeletal part — Physical bone or bones of a person or animal — the dominant literal sense at 105 occurrences. This covers Joseph's bones carried out of Egypt (Exod 13:19; Josh 24:32), the bones of the dead (2 Sam 21:12), bones as synecdoche for the whole body in distress (Ps 22:14; 31:10), and the kinship formula 'bone of my bones' expressing shared flesh (Gen 2:23; Judg 9:2). Spanish huesos, German Knochen/Gebein, French os, and Korean ppyeo (뼈) all converge unambiguously. The plural atsemot is especially frequent in poetic and prophetic contexts where bodily suffering or death is in view, notably Ezekiel's valley of dry bones (Ezek 37:1-14). 105×
AR["بِعِظَامِ","عَصْمُوتَ","عِظامَ","عِظَامَ","عِظَامَ-","عِظَامِ","عِظَامِي"]·ben["আমার-হাড়","আমার-হাড়গুলি","য়োসেফ","হাড়","হাড়-","হাড়গুলি","হাড়গুলিতে"]·DE["Knochen","Knochen-von","mein-Gebein","mein-Knochen"]·EN["bones-of","my-bones","the-bones-of"]·FR["mes-os","mon-os","os","os-de"]·heb["עצמוֹת","עצמות","עצמותי","עצמותיי"]·HI["मेरी-हड्डियाँ","हड्डियाँ","हड्डियाँ-मेरी","हड्डियां","हड्डियों","हड्डियों-को"]·ID["dengan-tulang-tulang","tulang-belulang","tulang-belulangku","tulang-tulang","tulang-tulang-","tulang-tulangku"]·IT["le-mie-ossa","mio-ossa","ossa","ossa-di"]·jav["balung","balung-","balung-balung","balung-balung-kawula","balung-kula"]·KO["나의-뼈들을","뼈들","뼈들-의","뼈들로","뼈들을","뼈들이"]·PT["estão-os-meus-ossos","meus-ossos","ossos-de"]·RU["костей","кости","кости-","кости-мои","костями"]·ES["huesos-de","huesos-de-","los-huesos-de","mis-huesos"]·SW["mifupa","mifupa-ya","mifupa-ya-","mifupa-yangu","ya"]·TR["kemiklerim","kemiklerimi","kemiklerinden-","kemiklerini","kemiklerini-","kemikleriyle-"]·urd["میری-ہڈیاں","میری-ہڈیوں","ہڈیاں","ہڈیاں-","ہڈیوں","ہڈیوں-سے","ہڈیوں-میری"]
Exod 13:19, Exod 13:19, Josh 24:32, 2 Sam 21:12, 2 Sam 21:12, 2 Sam 21:13, 2 Sam 21:13, 2 Sam 21:13, 2 Sam 21:14, 1 Kgs 13:31, 1 Kgs 13:31, 2 Kgs 23:14 (+38 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. selfsame, that very — Emphatic identity marker: 'selfsame, that very' — 17 occurrences, exclusively in the construct phrase be'etsem hayyom (hazzeh), literally 'in the bone/substance of this day.' This idiomatic expression marks temporal precision and narrative weight at critical junctures: the onset of the Flood (Gen 7:13), Abraham's circumcision (Gen 17:23, 26), the Exodus (Exod 12:17, 41), and the entry into Canaan (Josh 5:11). German an-eben ('on precisely that') and Spanish en-aquel-mismo ('on that very same') both reach for emphatic demonstrative constructions, confirming that this is a lexicalized idiom, not merely a metaphorical use of 'bone.' The cross-linguistic evidence decisively separates this from the literal skeletal sense. 17×
AR["ذاتِ","عَيْنَ","عَيْنِ","في-ذاتِ","فِي-ذَاتِ","فِي-عَيْنِ","فِي-نَفْسِ"]·ben["-সেই-প্রকৃত","ঠিক-সেই","সার","সেই-","সেই-অবস্থায়","সেই-দিন","সেই-দিনে","সেই-প্রকৃত","হাড়","হাড়ে"]·DE["Knochen","[בעצם]","an-eben-","auf-Knochen-von","auf-der-derselbe","auf-sehr","auf-very-von","very-von"]·EN["bone-of","essence-of-","in-very","on-bone-of","on-essence-of-","on-the-same","on-very","on-very-of","very-of"]·FR["dans-très","os","sur-le-même","sur-os-de","sur-très","sur-très-de","très-de"]·heb["ב-עצם","עצם"]·HI["उसि","उसी","खुद","ठीक","बीच","बीच-में","में-ठीक","में-हड्डी"]·ID["Pada","inti","pada-hari","pada-tepat","tepat"]·IT["in-molto","in-osso","molto-di","osso","su-il-stesso","su-molto","su-molto-di","su-osso-di"]·jav["Ing-dinten","balung","ing-balung","ing-dinten","ing-dinten-ingkang-sami","ing-dinten-punika","ing-pas","ing-pas |","ing-tepat","pas","sayektos"]·KO["-바로-그","바로","바로-","바로-그","바로-그-","에-바로","에-바로-그","에-바로-그-미지(접)"]·PT["Nesse-mesmo","Neste-mesmo","essência-de","mesmo","na-essência-de","naquele-mesmo","nesse-mesmo","neste-mesmo","neste-próprio","no-mesmo"]·RU["В-самый","в-самый","в-тот-самый","напал","самого"]·ES["En-esencia-de","En-hueso-de","en-aquel-mismo","en-el-mismo","en-ese-mismo","en-esencia-de-","en-este-mismo","en-hueso-de","en-mismo","esencia-de","este-mismo","mismo"]·SW["Siku-hiyo","Siku-ile-ile-ya","hasa","katika-hasa","katika-siku-hii","katika-siku-hii-hii","siku-hii","siku-hii-hii","siku-hiyo","siku-hiyohiyo","siku-ile-ile"]·TR["-de-aynı","Tamında","aynı-","ta","ta-kendisinde","ta-kendisini","tam","tam-","tam-o","tam-olarak"]·urd["اسی","اسی-عین","اِسی","بالکل","بعینہ","بَ-عین","عین","میں-عین","ٹھیک","ٹھیک-میں"]
Gen 7:13, Gen 17:23, Gen 17:26, Exod 12:17, Exod 12:41, Exod 12:51, Lev 23:14, Lev 23:21, Lev 23:28, Lev 23:29, Lev 23:30, Deut 32:48 (+5 more)
3. substance, strength, essence — Substance, body, fullness, or essential nature — 4 occurrences where etsem extends figuratively to mean the core material or essence of something. In Exod 24:10 the elders see under God's feet 'like the etsem of heaven for clearness' — the very substance or body of the sky. In Job 21:23 one dies 'in the etsem of his completeness' — in the full substance of his prosperity. Spanish substancia, German Wesen ('essence'), and French substance all shift away from skeletal vocabulary. Lam 4:7 describes the Nazirites whose etsem was 'more ruddy than coral' — their bodily substance, not individual bones. A genuine figurative extension from physical bone to abstract essence. 4×
AR["عَظمِ","عَظْمًا","فِي-كَمَالِ","وَ-كَ-جَوهَرِ"]·ben["-সম্পূর্ণতায়","এবং-যেমন-সার","হাড়"]·DE["Knochen","der-Knochen-von","in-Knochen","und-wie-substance-von"]·EN["and-like-substance-of","in-body","in-strength-of","the-bone-of"]·FR["dans-os","et-comme-substance-de","le-os-de","os"]·heb["ב-עצם","ו-כ-עצם","עצם"]·HI["और-जैसा-सार","हड्डी","हड्डी-में"]·ID["dalam-kepenuhan","dan-seperti-esensi","tepat","tubuh"]·IT["[עצם]","e-come-substance-di","il-osso-di","in-osso"]·jav["badan","balung-","ing-kawaregan","lan-kados-inti"]·KO["그리고-같은-것","바로","뼈-가","한창-속에"]·PT["e-como-essência-de","na-essência-de","osso","osso-de"]·RU["в-полноте","и-как-сущность","самого","телом"]·ES["de-cuerpo","en-la-plenitud-de","substancia-de","y-como-esencia-de"]·SW["katika-ukamilifu-wa","mfupa-wa","miili-yao","na-kama-kiini"]·TR["güçlülüğünde","kemik","ve-gibi-özünün"]·urd["اور-جیسے","بعینہ","پورے-","ہڈی"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. עֶ֫צֶם125 n.f. ψ 35:10; Jb 19:20 (c. pron. masc. Ez 37:5, 6 etc., cf. Albr.ZAW xvi (1896), 73) bone, substance, self;—abs. ע׳ Gn 2:23 +; עָ֑צֶם Pr 15:30; 16:24; cstr. עֶצֶם Ex 24:10 +; sf. עַצְמִי Jb 19:20 +, etc.; pl. עֲצָמוֹת 2 K 23:16 +; cstr. עַצְמוֹת Jos 24:22 +; sf. עַצְמֹתַי Jb 4:14 +, etc.; also עֲצָמִים Ez 24:4 +, sf. עֲצָמַי Gn 2:23 +, etc.;— 1. bone: a. of living pers. Mi 3:2, 3…