Lexical Summary tachan: To grind, crush Original Word: טָחַן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance grinder A primitive root; to grind meal; hence, to be a concubine (that being their employment) -- grind(-er). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to grind NASB Translation grind (3), grinder (1), grinding (3), ground (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [טָחַן] verb grind (Late Hebrew crush, olives, etc.; Aramaic  טְחַן grind; Arabic  grind; Ethiopic  : polenta, farina bordacea) — Qal Perfect וְטָֽחֲנוּ Numbers 11:8; Imperfect וַיִּטְחַן Exodus 32:20; 3feminine singular תִּטְחַן Job 31:10; 2masculine plural תִּטְחָ֑נוּ Isaiah 3:15; Infinitive absolute טָחוֺן Deuteronomy 9:21; Imperative feminine singular טַחֲנִי Isaiah 47:2; Participle טוֺחֵן Judges 16:21; טֹחֲנוֺת Ecclesiastes 12:3; — grind, the work of women, with accusative, with millstones רֵחַיִם Numbers 11:8 (J E; object the manna), Isaiah 47:2 (object קָ֑מַח), this figurative of humiliation of Babylon; absolute Judges 16:21; תטחן לאחר אשׁתי Job 31:10, i.e. serve him as his slave; no object expressed Exodus 32:20 (E), Deuteronomy 9:21 (of golden calf); הַטֹּחֲנוֺת Ecclesiastes 12:3 = the teeth (compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Meaning and Imagery The verb conveys the action of pulverizing grain or any material between opposing surfaces. Scripture uses it literally for preparing food and figuratively for acts of judgment, humiliation, or decay. Each occurrence adds depth to the biblical theology of work, sin, and redemption. Domestic Provision and Daily Bread Grinding was a routine, often female, household task in the ancient Near East, essential for turning grain into flour. Numbers 11:8 depicts Israel’s daily dependence on God’s manna: “The people went around and gathered it, and ground it in handmills or crushed it in a mortar, boiled it in a cauldron and made it into cakes…” The scene stresses God’s faithful provision while reminding readers that even supernatural food still demanded human labor. Ecclesiastes 12:3 later recalls “the grinders” ceasing as old age weakens the body, illustrating the fragility of human strength and the transience of earthly toil. Instrument of Divine Judgment Grinding also becomes a graphic sign of judgment upon idolatry. When Israel bowed to the golden calf, Moses “burned it in the fire; and he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it” (Exodus 32:20). Deuteronomy 9:21 repeats the episode, underscoring that false worship is destined for total obliteration. By forcing the people to ingest the pulverized idol, Moses dramatized the utter futility of their sin and the severe holiness of God. Servitude and Humiliation Judges 16:21 recounts Samson’s downfall: blinded, shackled, and compelled “to grind grain in the prison.” What had been a domestic chore now symbolizes disgrace and captivity. Job invokes the same image as the severest curse upon marital infidelity: “then may my own wife grind grain for another man” (Job 31:10). In both passages grinding marks subjugation—physical, social, or moral. Metaphor for Physical Decay Ecclesiastes 12:3 uses “grinders” for teeth that fail with age, part of a poetic portrayal of declining faculties. The loss of ability to grind food implies approaching death, pointing readers to remember their Creator “before the days of trouble come” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Prophetic Condemnation of Oppression Isaiah employs the verb in denunciations of exploitation. “Why crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” (Isaiah 3:15). Here grinding pictures systemic injustice that God vows to judge. Isaiah 47:2 foretells Babylon’s humiliation: “Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil…” Once the mistress of nations, Babylon will be reduced to a lowly servant’s task, stripped of honor and security. Thematic Threads Across Scripture 1. Transience of human strength—seen in the waning grinders of Ecclesiastes. Ministry Application • Idolatry must be pulverized, not managed; believers renounce sin decisively, as Moses did. Forms and Transliterations הַטֹּֽחֲנוֹת֙ הטחנות וְטַ֣חֲנִי וְטָחֲנ֣וּ וַיִּטְחַ֖ן וטחנו וטחני ויטחן טָחוֹן֙ טוֹחֵ֖ן טוחן טחון תִּטְחַ֣ן תִּטְחָ֑נוּ תטחן תטחנו haṭ·ṭō·ḥă·nō·wṯ hattochanOt haṭṭōḥănōwṯ ṭā·ḥō·wn tachOn ṭāḥōwn tiṭ·ḥā·nū tiṭ·ḥan titChan titChanu tiṭḥan tiṭḥānū ṭō·w·ḥên toChen ṭōwḥên vaiyitChan veTachani vetachaNu way·yiṭ·ḥan wayyiṭḥan wə·ṭa·ḥă·nî wə·ṭā·ḥă·nū wəṭaḥănî wəṭāḥănūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 32:20 HEB: וַיִּשְׂרֹ֣ף בָּאֵ֔שׁ וַיִּטְחַ֖ן עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁר־ NAS: [it] with fire, and ground it to powder, KJV: [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, INT: and burned fire and ground against which Numbers 11:8 Deuteronomy 9:21 Judges 16:21 Job 31:10 Ecclesiastes 12:3 Isaiah 3:15 Isaiah 47:2 8 Occurrences |
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molar teeth; so in Lexicons Syriac 
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