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הִין

𐤄𐤉𐤍

hîyn

H1969 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain (uncertain, possibly 'measure,' but no root attested)

Definition

A unit of liquid measurement used in ancient Israel, primarily for measuring quantities of oil, wine, or water, especially in cultic or ritual contexts. The hin was not a precise scientific standard but represented a significant vessel or portion, commonly referenced in priestly prescriptions for offerings and tabernacle service. Modern attempts correlate the hin to approximately 4–6 liters, but the exact volume may have varied.

Semantic Range

liquid measure, standard vessel for measuring liquids, prescribed cultic measure, technical unit in sacrificial and ritual law

Root / Etymology

The etymology is uncertain; possibly of Egyptian origin, reflecting the influence of Egyptian metrology on Israelite practice, but there is no securely attested Hebrew root for this term.

Historical & Contextual Notes

הִין occurs only in priestly and cultic contexts in the Torah (e.g., Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers), almost exclusively in instructions regarding the preparation of sacred offerings, where it designates measures of oil, wine, or water. Its use reflects the systematization of Israelite ritual and may indicate borrowing or adaptation from Egyptian or other Near Eastern measure systems. The term does not appear in secular/household usage nor in narrative texts. Later Greek and Latin translators transliterated the word rather than translating it with functional equivalents, signaling its foreign or technical status. English translations often simply carry over the term as 'hin,' which may obscure its status as a specialized technical measure. In post-biblical Hebrew, this unit fell out of common use, and no direct linguistic descendants remain. No connection should be made to an ethnic or religious identity; the word is purely technical and metrological.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably of Egyptian origin; a hin or liquid measure; hin.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

הין (h-y-n (uncertain)) — liquid measure, measured portion, standard vessel

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1969-01 הַ/הִ֔ין hahin HTd/Ncmsa of the hin the liquid-measure hin 16
H1969-02 הִֽין hin HNcmsa a-hin liquid measure-unit 5
H1969-03 וְ/הִ֥ין vehin HC/Ncmsc and a just hin liquid-measure of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

22 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1969-01 Exodus 29:40 הַ/הִ֔ין hahin HTd/Ncmsa of-the-hin the liquid-measure hin
H1969-01 Exodus 29:40 הַ/הִ֖ין hahin-2 HTd/Ncmsa of-the-hin the liquid-measure hin
H1969-02 Exodus 30:24 הִֽין hin HNcmsa a hin liquid measure-unit
H1969-03 Leviticus 19:36 וְ/הִ֥ין vehin HC/Ncmsc and a just hin liquid-measure of
H1969-01 Leviticus 23:13 הַ/הִֽין hahin HTd/Ncmsa of the hin the liquid-measure hin
H1969-01 Numbers 15:4 הַ/הִ֖ין hahin HTd/Ncmsa of-the-hin the liquid-measure hin
H1969-01 Numbers 15:5 הַ/הִ֔ין hahin HTd/Ncmsa of the hin the liquid-measure hin
H1969-01 Numbers 15:6 הַ/הִֽין hahin HTd/Ncmsa of a hin the liquid-measure hin
H1969-01 Numbers 15:7 הַ/הִ֑ין hahin HTd/Ncmsa of the hin the liquid-measure hin
H1969-01 Numbers 15:9 הַ/הִֽין hahin HTd/Ncmsa a hin the liquid-measure hin
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