צִן
𐤑𐤍
Tsin
H6790 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A geographical term denoting a dry, rocky region or wilderness characterized by crags, likely south of Canaan, bordering the Negev and Edom; most often used as a proper place name — 'the Wilderness of Tsin' (צִן) in biblical texts, marking a desert region traversed by the Israelites during their journeys.
Semantic Range
desert region, rocky wilderness, proper name for a geographic area, arid wilderness traversed by Israelites, boundary designation
Root / Etymology
Root uncertain; Strong's proposed etymology 'to prick' is speculative and unattested elsewhere in Biblical Hebrew. Some connect the name with harsh, rocky, thorny terrain, but this is not definitively established. The term functions as a toponym (place name) rather than a common noun.
Historical & Contextual Notes
צִן appears primarily as a geographical designation, especially in narrative accounts of the Exodus and in boundary descriptions of the land. Its most frequent context is the 'Wilderness of Tsin' (מִדְבַּר־צִן), an arid region on the southern periphery of ancient Israelite territory, often linked with Kadesh (Deuteronomy 32:51; Numbers 20:1). The precise historical geography remains debated, though it is distinct from the similarly-named 'Wilderness of Sin' (סִין, H5512), which lies further west near the Sinai Peninsula. In later traditions and translations, 'Zin' sometimes becomes associated with different locations or confused with 'Sin.' English translations as 'Zin' preserve the Hebrew toponym but leave its descriptive force untranslated. The term was never used as an ethnonym or for a political unit—always as place name. The underlying nuance of rocky, craggy, or prickly terrain remains possible but unconfirmed.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to prick; a crag; Tsin, a part of the Desert; Zin.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
צן (ts-n) — uncertain; possibly sharpness, cragginess
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6791 | צֵן | from prickly shrubs |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6790-01 |
צִ֥ן | tsin | HNp |
of Zin | Tsin | Tsin | 8 |
H6790-02 |
צִ֔נָ/ה | tsinah | HNp/Sd |
to Zin | toward Tsin | Tsin | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
10 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6790-01 |
Numbers 13:21 | צִ֥ן | tsin | HNp |
of Zin | Tsin | Tsin |
H6790-01 |
Numbers 20:1 | צִן֙ | tsin | HNp |
Zin | Tsin | Tsin |
H6790-01 |
Numbers 27:14 | צִ֗ן | tsin | HNp |
Zin | Tsin | Tsin |
H6790-01 |
Numbers 27:14 | צִֽן | tsin-2 | HNp |
Zin | Tsin | Tsin |
H6790-01 |
Numbers 33:36 | צִ֖ן | tsin | HNp |
of Zin | Tsin | Tsin |
H6790-01 |
Numbers 34:3 | צִ֖ן | tsin | HNp |
of Zin | Tsin | Tsin |
H6790-02 |
Numbers 34:4 | צִ֔נָ/ה | tsinah | HNp/Sd |
to Zin | toward Tsin | Tsin |
H6790-01 |
Deuteronomy 32:51 | צִ֑ן | tsin | HNp |
Zin | Tsin | Tsin |
H6790-01 |
Joshua 15:1 | צִ֛ן | tsin | HNp |
of Zin | Tsin | Tsin |
H6790-02 |
Joshua 15:3 | צִ֔נָ/ה | tsinah | HNp/Sd |
to Zin | toward Tsin | Tsin |