H6856 H6856
fingernail, stylus point; the hardened tip of a finger or a writing implement's sharp end
This term denotes the hardened nail at the end of a finger, with one extended usage for a diamond stylus point. In Deuteronomy it refers to the fingernails a female captive must pare as part of her mourning transformation, while Jeremiah uses it metaphorically for an engraving tool—'with a point of diamond'—that inscribes Judah's sin indelibly. The semantic range extends from the literal body part to the sharp point of a writing instrument, both sharing the quality of hardness and capability to scratch or mark surfaces.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The two contexts diverge functionally: Deuteronomy 21:12 uses plural 'her nails' (fingernails) in a ritual grooming context, while Jeremiah 17:1 employs 'with point of' in a metaphor for indelible inscription. Spanish shows this range: 'sus uñas' (her nails) versus 'con punta de' (with point of). French and German preserve both senses. The Deuteronomy passage lists nails alongside hair in a transformation ritual for war captives becoming wives. The Jeremiah usage leverages the nail's hardness (diamond-tipped stylus) to depict sin's permanent record. Both share the semantic core of a hard, pointed extension capable of leaving marks. 2×
AR["أَظْفَارَهَا", "بِ-ظُفْرِ"]·ben["তার-নখ", "নখে-"]·DE["[בצפרן]", "ihr-nails"]·EN["her-nails", "with-point-of"]·FR["[בצפרן]", "sa-nails"]·heb["ב-ציפורן", "ציפורניה"]·HI["नाखून-उसके", "में-नोक"]·ID["dengan-mata-pena", "kukunya"]·IT["[בצפרן]", "lei-nails"]·jav["kaliyan-kuku", "kukunipun"]·KO["그녀의-손톱을", "끝-으로"]·PT["com-ponta-de", "suas-unhas"]·RU["ногти-свои", "остриём"]·ES["con-punta-de", "sus-uñas"]·SW["kucha-zake", "kwa-ncha-ya"]·TR["ile-uç", "tırnaklarını"]·urd["اپنے-ناخنوں", "نوک-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×)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
† צִפֹּ֫רֶן n.[m.] nail (of finger), styluspoint;—cstr. צ׳ Je 17:1; pl. sf. צִפָּרְנֶיהָ Dt 21:12;— 1. finger-nail Dt 21:12 (cf. RSK 178; Sem. i. 407, 2nd ed. 428 WeHeid. 2. 171). 2. transf., בְּצ׳ שָׁמִיר Je 17:1 with a point of diamond (cf. PlinNH 37, 4).