1. thorns, briers — Collective noun for thorns or thorn-bushes, used as a symbol of desolation and divine judgment upon unfruitful land. Appears frequently in Isaiah's oracles of judgment: the vineyard left to thorns and briers (Isa 5:6), land overrun with thorns (Isa 7:23-25), thorns consumed by fire as an image of wickedness destroyed (Isa 9:18; 10:17), thorns set against God in battle (Isa 27:4), and desolate land producing thorns (Isa 32:13). German consistently translates 'Dorn,' Arabic 'shawk' (thorn), Hindi 'kaante' (thorns), Korean 'gasi' (thorn), Spanish 'espino/zarza.' 8×
AR["الشَّوكُ","الشَّوكِ","الشَّوْكَ","شَوكًا","شَوْكَا","لِلشَّوكِ","وَ-حَسَكٌ","وَ-حَسَكَهُ"]·ben["-কাঁটার-জন্য","আগাছা","ও-তার-কাঁটাঝোপ","কাঁটা","কাঁটাগাছ","কাঁটার"]·DE["Dorn","und-Dorn","zu-Dorn"]·EN["and-its-briers","brier","for-the-thorns","thorns"]·FR["et-épine","à-épine","épine"]·heb["ו-שמירו","ל-שמיר","שמיר"]·HI["और-कांटों","कांटा","कांटे","कांटे-को","झाड़ियाँ"]·ID["dan-duri-durinya","duri","menjadi-semak-duri","semak-berduri","semak-duri"]·IT["e-spina","spina"]·jav["eri","kangge-eri","lan-eri-nipun","lan-suket-eri"]·KO["가시나무와","가시와","그-가시를","엉경퀴가"]·PT["abrolho","e-espinheiros-seus","espinheiro","para-o-espinheiro"]·RU["волчцы","для-терна","и-терн-его","терн","терна","терновник","терном"]·ES["espino","espinos","para-espinos","y-su-cardo","zarza"]·SW["miiba","na-michongoma","na-miiba-yake","ya-miiba"]·TR["cali","diken","dikene","dikeni","dikenin","ve-dikenini"]·urd["اور-کانٹے","جھاڑی","جھاڑیاں","کانٹوں-کا","کانٹوں-کے-لیے","کانٹے"]
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Senses
2. adamant, diamond, flint — A very hard stone or mineral, variously identified as adamant, diamond, or emery, used metaphorically for extreme hardness and permanence. In Jer 17:1 the sin of Judah is written with an adamant point (stylus of diamond); in Ezek 3:9 God makes the prophet's forehead harder than flint, like adamant; in Zech 7:12 the people made their hearts like adamant to resist God's words. Arabic glosses show 'almaas' (diamond) and 'sulban' (hard); Hindi 'hiira' (diamond) and 'chakmak' (flint); Korean 'geumganseok' (diamond); Spanish 'diamante.' 3×
AR["صُلْبًا","كَـ-الألْماسِ","مَاسٍ"]·ben["-হীরার-মতো","হীরা","হীরার"]·DE["Dorn","[כשמיר]","[שמיר]"]·EN["diamond","like-flint"]·FR["veille","épine"]·heb["כ-שמיר","שמיר"]·HI["चकमक-सा","जैसा-हीरा","हीरे-की"]·ID["Seperti-berlian","intan"]·IT["[כשמיר]","[שמיר]","spina"]·jav["Kados-intan","inten;","watu-keras"]·KO["같이-금강석","금강석으로","다이아몬드의"]·PT["Como-diamante","diamante","diamante;"]·RU["алмазным","алмазом","как-алмаз"]·ES["como-diamante","diamante"]·SW["almasi","kama-almasi","magumu"]·TR["elmas","gibi"]·urd["مانند-ہیرے-کے","ہیرے-کی","ہیرے-کی-طرح"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. שָׁמִיר n.m. Ez 3:9 thorn(s), adamant, flint;—abs. שׁ׳ Is 5:6 +; sf. שְׁמִירוֹ 10:17;— 1. coll. thorns, thorn-bushes, token of waste-land, only Is, + שַׁיִת Is 5:6; 7:23, 24, 25; 27:4; fig. 9:17; 10:17; קוֹץ שׁ׳ 32:13. 2. adamant, as sharp, כְּתוּבָה … בְּצִפֹּרֶן שׁ׳ Je 17:1 (‖ בְּעֵט בַּרְזֶל); as hard, fig. of prophet’s firmness Ez 3:9; Zc 7:12 fig. of hard heart.