Lexical Summary tsipporen: Nail, claw Original Word: צִפֹּרֶן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance nail, point From tsaphar (in the denominative sense (from tsippowr) of scratching); properly, a claw, i.e. (human) nail; also the point of a style (or pen, tipped with adamant) -- nail, point. see HEBREW tsaphar see HEBREW tsippowr NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition fingernail, stylus point NASB Translation nails (1), point (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs צִמֹּ֫רֶן noun [masculine] nail (of finger), stylus-point; — construct ׳צ Jeremiah 17:1; plural suffix צִמָּרְנֶיהָ Deuteronomy 21:12; — 1 finger-nail Deuteronomy 21:12 (compare RSK 178; Semitic i. 407, 2nd ed. 428 WeHeid. 2. 171). 2 transf., שָׁמִיר ׳בְּצ Jeremiah 17:1 with a point of diamond (compare PlinNH 37, 4). V. צפר (√ of following; Aramaic צְפִירָצ, image unavailable = צָפִיר; perhaps compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Literal Sense: Fingernails and Grooming In Deuteronomy 21:10–14, צִפֹּרֶן refers to the fingernails of a foreign woman taken captive in war: “then you shall bring her into your house, shave her head, trim her nails” (Deuteronomy 21:12). The trimming is paired with shaving the head and the laying aside of foreign clothing, placing nail care within a larger rite of purification and transition. In the Ancient Near Eastern world, grooming carried covenantal and social implications. Cutting the nails marked the end of the woman’s former identity, symbolizing a clean break from pagan affiliations and her incorporation into Israel’s community under Yahweh’s law. Symbolic Usage: Diamond-Hard Stylus Point Jeremiah 17:1 employs צִפֹּרֶן metaphorically for the “point” of a writing tool: “The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus; with a diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of their altars” (Jeremiah 17:1). Here the term conveys the extreme hardness and durability of diamond, stressing the ineradicable record of Judah’s rebellion. What is only a human fingernail in Deuteronomy becomes, in Jeremiah, the technologically superior tip of an iron stylus—an advance from soft keratin to unyielding mineral—underscoring how deeply sin had been etched into national life. Cultural and Legal Context 1. Warfare and Mercy Laws: Deuteronomy 21 moderates Israel’s treatment of captives, insisting upon a month-long period of mourning and bodily renewal before any marriage may occur. Nail trimming drew a boundary between conquest and covenantal compassion. Theological Significance • Conversion and Cleansing: The captive woman’s clipped nails prefigure the believer’s renunciation of former loyalties (compare Romans 6:4). Christological Foreshadowing The captive woman’s transformation anticipates the Church as Christ’s bride (Ephesians 5:25–27). Conversely, Jeremiah’s indictment highlights the necessity of the New Covenant promise: “I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33), accomplished through the blood of Christ, whose hands and feet—pierced by literal nails—make possible the cleansing that no diamond point can reverse. Practical Ministry Applications • Discipleship: Pastors may call believers to regular “trimming” of habits that belong to their old life, illustrating sanctification. Related Biblical Motifs Daniel 4:33—Nebuchadnezzar’s overgrown nails signify beastliness without God. Job 19:24—Desire for words to be “engraved in the rock.” Isaiah 49:16—The Lord inscribes Zion on the palms of His hands, a gracious counterpart to Judah’s self-engraved sin. Summary צִפֹּרֶן moves in Scripture from the everyday act of trimming fingernails to the prophetic image of diamond hardness. Together the passages teach that (1) cleansing and identity change are essential for those entering covenant life, and (2) sin, if not confronted, becomes permanently inscribed upon the heart. The gospel resolves both themes, offering a cleansing manicure for the soul and a new inscription written by the Spirit of the living God. Forms and Transliterations בְּצִפֹּ֣רֶן בצפרן צִפָּרְנֶֽיהָ׃ צפרניה׃ bə·ṣip·pō·ren bəṣippōren betzipPoren ṣip·pā·rə·ne·hā ṣippārənehā tzippareNeihaLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 21:12 HEB: וְעָשְׂתָ֖ה אֶת־ צִפָּרְנֶֽיהָ׃ NAS: her head and trim her nails. KJV: her head, and pare her nails; INT: her head and trim her nails Jeremiah 17:1 2 Occurrences |
    |
leap (but 
= 
)).