H7217 H7217
Head (physical or figurative); chief, leader; the sum or main point of a matter.
The Aramaic cognate of Hebrew rosh, this word appears almost exclusively in Daniel and Ezra. Most often it simply means the physical head -- of Nebuchadnezzar's statue (Dan 2:32), of the Ancient of Days (Dan 7:9), or of a four-headed beast (Dan 7:6). Yet it also serves as the seat of night visions ('the visions of your head upon your bed,' Dan 2:28). In Ezra 5:10 it shifts to 'chief, leader,' confirmed by Hindi 'mukhiya' and Swahili 'viongozi.' In Daniel 7:1 it reaches its most abstract register: the 'sum' or main point of a matter, glossed in Spanish as 'resumen.'
Senses
1. head (body part) — The physical head of a person, animal, or visionary figure. Dominant across Daniel's court narratives and apocalyptic visions (Dan 2:32, 38; 3:27; 7:6, 9, 20), with the phrase 'visions of your head' (Dan 2:28; 4:5, 10; 7:1, 15) using 'head' as the bodily seat of dreams. German 'Haupt' and Spanish 'cabeza' confirm the literal reading throughout. 12×
AR["رَأْسُ","رَأْسُهُ","رَأْسِ-كَ","رَأْسِهِ","رَأْسِي","رُؤُوسٍ","رُؤُوسِهِمْ","فِي-رَأْسِهِ"]·ben["আপনার-মাথার","আমার-মাথার","এর-মাথায়","তাঁর-মাথার","তাদের-মাথার","তার-মাথা","মাথা"]·DE["Haupt"]·EN["His-head","heads","his-head","its-head","my-head","on-its-head","the-head","their-heads","your-head"]·FR["[בראשה]","[ראשהון]","[ראשין]","[ראשך]","sa-tête","têtes-de"]·heb["ב-ראשה","ראש","ראשו","ראשי","ראשים","ראשך","ראשם"]·HI["उनके-सिर","उसका-सिर","उसके-सिर-के","उसके-सिर-पर","तेरे-सिर","मेरे-सिर-के","सिर"]·ID["-kepala-Nya","-kepalaku","-kepalanya","di-kepalanya","kepala","kepala-mereka","kepalaku","kepalamu","kepalanya"]·IT["capi-di","capo"]·jav["mustaka","mustaka-panjenengan","mustakanipun","sirah","sirah-kula","sirahipun","wonten-ing-sirahipun"]·KO["그것의-머리에","그의-머리의","나의-머리의","내-머리-의","머리-그들의","머리-당신의","머리가-그것의","머리들이","머리이다"]·PT["a-cabeça","cabeça-sua","cabeça-tua","cabeças","cabeças-deles","em-sua-cabeça","minha-cabeça","sua-cabeça"]·RU["голов-их","голова","голова-его","головы","головы-Его","головы-его","головы-моей","головы-твоей","на-голове-его"]·ES["cabeza-de-mí","cabeza-de-él","cabezas","en-cabeza-de-ella","la-cabeza","mi-cabeza","su-cabeza","sus-cabezas","tu-cabeza"]·SW["kichwa","kichwa-Chake","kichwa-chake","kichwa-chako","kichwa-changu","kichwani-mwake","vichwa-vyao","vinne"]·TR["baş","başlarının","başı","başı-onun","başımın","başında","başının"]·urd["اُس-کے-سر-پر","اُس-کے-سر-کی","اُس-کے-سر-کے","تیرے-سر","سر","سر-اس-کا","سروں-ان-کے","میرے-سر-کی"]
2. chief, leader — Chief or leader -- a metaphorical extension of 'head' to denote authority. Used in Ezra 5:10 where names are taken 'at their heads,' meaning from their leaders. Hindi 'mukhiya' (chief) and Swahili 'viongozi' (leaders) independently confirm the social-rank meaning rather than a body-part reading. 1×
AR["في-رُؤُوسِهِم"]·ben["তাদের-প্রধান"]·DE["[בראשיהם]"]·EN["at-their-heads"]·FR["[בראשיהם]"]·heb["ב-ראשיהם-ם"]·HI["उनके-मुखिया-थे"]·ID["menjadi-kepala-mereka"]·IT["[בראשיהם]"]·jav["kang"]·KO["에-머리들-그들"]·PT["em-suas-cabeças"]·RU["во-главе-их"]·ES["en-sus-cabezas."]·SW["viongozi-wao"]·TR["baslarindadir"]·urd["بِ-سروں-ان-کے"]
3. sum, chief point — The sum, chief point, or essential content of a matter. In Daniel 7:1 the prophet writes 'the sum of the matters,' an abstract sense where 'head' becomes 'gist.' Spanish 'resumen' (summary), Swahili 'muhtasari' (abstract), and Hindi 'mukhya' (main/chief) all point to this distilled, summarizing meaning. 1×
AR["رَأْسَ"]·ben["সারাংশ"]·DE["Haupt"]·EN["sum-of"]·FR["[ראש]"]·heb["ראש"]·HI["मुख्य"]·ID["inti"]·IT["capo"]·jav["ringkesan"]·KO["처음의"]·PT["o-resumo-das"]·RU["главу"]·ES["resumen-de"]·SW["muhtasari-wa"]·TR["başını"]·urd["خلاصہ"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [רֵאשׁ] n.m. Dn 7:6 head (Egyptian Aramaic, S-CPap.; Palm. רש; 𝔗 רֵישׁ, Syriac ܪܺܝܫ; BH רֹאשׁ);—cstr. ר׳ Dn 7:1; emph. ה—ָ 2:38; sf. רֵאשִׁי 4:2 +, ךְ—ָ 2:28, הּ—ֵ v 32 +, הּ—ַ 7:20, הוֹן—ֵ 3:27; pl. abs. רֵאשִׁין 7:6, sf. רָאשֵׁיהֹם (K§§ 53, Anm. b); 63 Gu Hpt ad loc.) Ezr 5:10;— 1. head of man Dn 3:27, cf. 7:9; in vision: of image 2:32, 38, beast 7:6, 20. 2. head as seat of visions, הֶזְוֵי…