In biblical literature, the term "sinew" refers to the tendons or connective tissues in the body that bind muscles to bones, providing strength and support. The concept of sinew is used both literally and metaphorically in the Scriptures, symbolizing strength, resilience, and the binding force that holds things together.

Biblical References:

1. Genesis 32:32 : "Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon at the hip socket, because the man touched the socket of Jacob’s hip near that tendon." This passage recounts the account of Jacob wrestling with a divine being at Peniel. During the struggle, Jacob's hip is dislocated, and as a result, the Israelites abstain from eating the sinew of the hip. This practice serves as a perpetual reminder of Jacob's encounter with God and the transformation that ensued, marking a pivotal moment in his life and the history of Israel.

2. Job 10:11 : "You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews." Here, Job acknowledges God's intricate design and creation of the human body. The sinews are highlighted as part of the divine craftsmanship, emphasizing the complexity and strength of the human form. This verse reflects the belief in God's intimate involvement in the creation of life, underscoring His sovereignty and wisdom.

3. Ezekiel 37:6 : "I will attach tendons to you and make flesh grow upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD." In the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, God promises to restore life to the lifeless bones by attaching sinews, covering them with flesh, and breathing life into them. This powerful imagery symbolizes the restoration and revival of the nation of Israel, demonstrating God's power to bring life and hope to what seems dead and hopeless.

Symbolic Significance:

In the biblical context, sinews often symbolize strength and the essential connections that sustain life. They represent the unseen yet vital forces that hold the body together, much like faith and obedience bind the believer to God. The sinew's role in the body serves as a metaphor for spiritual resilience and the strength derived from a relationship with God.

Cultural and Theological Insights:

The abstention from eating the sinew of the hip, as practiced by the Israelites, reflects a deep respect for the sacred history and experiences of their ancestors. It serves as a tangible reminder of God's intervention in human affairs and the transformative power of divine encounters.

In theological discourse, sinews can be seen as a metaphor for the spiritual and communal bonds that unite believers. Just as sinews provide physical strength and cohesion, faith and the Holy Spirit provide spiritual strength and unity within the body of Christ.

Overall, the concept of sinew in the Bible underscores the themes of strength, connection, and divine craftsmanship, inviting believers to reflect on the intricate and purposeful design of both the physical and spiritual realms.1. (n.) A tendon or tendinous tissue. See Tendon.

2. (n.) Muscle; nerve.

3. (n.) Fig.: That which supplies strength or power.

4. (v. t.) To knit together, or make strong with, or as with, sinews.

SINEW

sin'-u (gidh (Job 10:11, etc.)): The tendons and sinews of the body are uniformly (7 times) thus called. "Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the hip which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew of the hip" (Genesis 32:32). In the poetical description of Behemoth (hippopotamus) it is said: "He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his thighs are knit together" (Job 40:17). The prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision (37:6, 8) that the dry bones were gathered together, that they were covered with sinews, flesh and skin, and that they were revived by the spirit of the Lord. In figurative language the neck of the obstinate is compared to an "iron sinew" (Isaiah 48:4). the King James Version "my sinews take no rest" (we`oreqay lo' yishkabhun, Job 30:17) has been corrected by the Revised Version (British and American) into "the pains that gnaw me take no rest," but the earlier version has been retained in the margin.

H. L. E. Luering

1517. gid -- sinew
... 1516, 1517. gid. 1518 . sinew. Transliteration: gid Phonetic Spelling:
(gheed) Short Definition: sinews. Word Origin ... sinews (4). sinew. ...
/hebrew/1517.htm - 6k

8306. sharir -- sinew, muscle
... 8305, 8306. sharir. 8307 . sinew, muscle. Transliteration: sharir Phonetic
Spelling: (shaw-reer') Short Definition: muscles. Word ...
/hebrew/8306.htm - 6k

6207. araq -- to gnaw
... fleeing, sinew. A primitive root; to gnaw, ie (figuratively) eat (by hyberbole);
also (participle) a pain -- fleeing, sinew. 6206, 6207. araq. 6208 . ...
/hebrew/6207.htm - 5k

Significant Phrases
... B. babel and confusion. backbone and sinew. baffled and disappointed. balanced and
forceful. ... bombast and egotism. bone and sinew. boundless and unlimited. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section ii significant phrases.htm

Concerning the Meeting of Jacob and Esau.
... Now when he felt pain, by this struggling, upon his broad sinew, he abstained from
eating that sinew himself afterward; and for his sake it is still not eaten ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 20 concerning the meeting.htm

Whether There was any Reasonable Cause for the Ceremonial ...
... children of Israel . . . eat not the sinew . . . because he touched the sinew
of" Jacob's "thing and it shrank.". The figurative reason ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether there was any reasonable.htm

Questions which Ought to be Asked
... He fashioned your curious framework, and put every bone into its place. He, as
with needlework, embroidered each nerve, and vein, and sinew. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 26 1880/questions which ought to be.htm

Remembering How Far the Writer of Our Book Excels all who have ...
... "Oh, our manhood's prime vigor! No spirit feels waste, Not a muscle is stopped
in its playing nor sinew unbraced. Oh, the wild joys of living! ...
/.../jennings/old groans and new songs/chapter vi remembering how far.htm

A Stanza of Deliverance
... Though you do not give up your faith, but are still, like father Jacob, keeping
your hold while the sinew is shrinking, yet you are "sore broken in the place ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/a stanza of deliverance.htm

Preach the Gospel
... of his frame to be exercised, while the other half was indolent but, when he set
to work, the whole of his energies"every nerve, every sinew"were strained ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/preach the gospel.htm

Men Chosen --Fallen Angels Rejected
... his creatures just as it seemed him fit; he has given to one swiftness of foot,
to another, speed of wing; to one, clearness of eye, to another, force of sinew ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/men chosenfallen angels rejected.htm

A Free Salvation
... there is everything which is needed for the human frame"for bone, for
sinew, for nerve, for muscle, for flesh"all is there. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/a free salvation.htm

Ode to the North-East Wind
... Lords by land and sea. Come; and strong within us Stir the Vikings' blood;
Bracing brain and sinew; Blow, thou wind of God! 1854. ...
/.../kingsley/andromeda and other poems/ode to the north-east wind.htm

Sinew (2 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. SINEW. sin'-u (gidh (Job 10:11, etc.)): The tendons
and sinews of the body are uniformly (7 times) thus called. ...
/s/sinew.htm - 8k

Thigh (38 Occurrences)
... among certain peoples, and, probably, this sacred character of the part is the real
basis of Genesis 32:32: "The children of Israel eat not the sinew of the ...
/t/thigh.htm - 22k

Tendon (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) A tough insensible cord, bundle, or band of fibrous
connective tissue uniting a muscle with some other part; a sinew. ...
/t/tendon.htm - 6k

Hip (8 Occurrences)
... piled up on one another in great heaps. See also SINEW. Multi-Version
Concordance Hip (8 Occurrences). Genesis 32:25 When he saw that ...
/h/hip.htm - 10k

Sinews (7 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Isaiah 48:4 Because I knew that thou
art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; (See NIV). ...
/s/sinews.htm - 8k

Joint (12 Occurrences)
... Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel do not eat of the sinew that is over
the joint of the thigh, to this day; because he touched the joint of ...
/j/joint.htm - 12k

Israelites (468 Occurrences)
... Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the thigh-vein
which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he touched the ...
/i/israelites.htm - 35k

Thigh-vein (1 Occurrence)
... Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the hip which
is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow ...
/t/thigh-vein.htm - 6k

Attached (31 Occurrences)
... Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel don't eat the sinew of the hip, which
is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow ...
/a/attached.htm - 15k

Socket (5 Occurrences)
... Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel don't eat the sinew of the hip, which
is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow ...
/s/socket.htm - 9k

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